454 



crease over 1874 of 62,651 acres. Of the cereal crops, 161,321 acres 

 were in wheat, a decrease of 26,657 acres; oats, 1,499,;571 acres, aa 

 increase of 18,474 ; barley, 233,747 acres, an increase of 22,139 ; bere 

 and rye, 10,312 acres, an increase of 411 ; pease and beans, 11,647 acres, 

 an increase of 256 ; net increase in cereals, 14,623 acres. Of green 

 crops, 900,277 acres were in potatoes, an increase of 7,852 ; 332,783 acres 

 were in turnips, a decrease of 805 ; 43,274 acres were in mangel wnrzel 

 and beetroot, an increase of 4,947 ; 34,874 acres were in cabbage, an 

 increase of 1,690 ; 37,184 acres were in carrots, parsnips, &c., an increase 

 of 2,490; 21,694 acres were in vetcbes and rape, an increase of 269 ; net 

 increase in green crops, 16,443 acres. Meadow and clover crops cov- 

 ered 1,943,923 acres, an increase of 37,244. In flax there were 101,248 

 acres, a decrease of 5,659. The total decrease in wheat, flax, and tur- 

 nips, amounting to 33,121 acres, deducted from the total increase of all 

 other crops, amounting to 95,772 acres, leaves a net increase of 62,651 

 acres. 



The wheat acreage has declined each year but one, 1874, during the last 

 five years, being 244,541 acres in 1871, and 161,321 in 1875. The oats 

 acreage showed an increase in 1875, but a decrease during the previous 

 years, being 1,636,136 in 1871, 1,480,897 in 1874, and 1,499,371 in 1875. 

 During the same period the barley acreage varied from 211 ,608 in 1874 to 

 233,747 in 1875; bere and rye from 9,924 acres in 1873 to 11,555 in 1871; 

 beans and pease, from 10,913 acres in 18^ to 12,873 acres in 1873 ; pota- 

 toes fell from 1,058,431 acres in 1871 to 89,425 acres in 1874, but rose dur- 

 ing 1875 to 900,277 acres; turnip acreage was highest in 1873 — 347,848 

 acres, and lowest in 1841 — 327,035 acres ; mangel-wurzel and beet- root 

 have gradually risen from 31,921 acres in 1871 to 34,874 acres in 1875; 

 cabbage has varied between 28,115 acres in 1873 and 39,452 in 1872 ; 

 carrots, parsnips, and other green crops have gradually increased from 

 29,869 acres in 1871 to 37,184 acres in 1875 ; vetches and rape had a 

 maximum of 31,422 acres in 1871, and a minimum of 21,425 in 1874; 

 flax has declined from 156,670 acres in 1871 to 101,248 acres in 1875; 

 meadow and clover land has increased, with a little fluctuation, from 

 1,829,044 acres in 1871 to 1,943,922 acres in 1875. 



The live-stock returns show an increase of 304 horses and mules in 

 1875, as compared with 1874 ; a decrease of 688 asses ; a decrease of 

 12,766 cattle ; a decrease of 193,540 sheep ; an increase of 150,049 pigs ; 

 an increase of 12,141 goats; a decrease of 12,607 poultry. Of horses 

 and mules, during the last eleven years, the number has gradually de- 

 clined, with some fluctuations, from 508,142 in 1865 to 547,676 in 1875. 

 Asses have increased during the same period from 168,009 to 179,742 ; 

 the highest number, 181,351, being in 1872. Cattle have gradually gone 

 up from 3,497,548 to 4,111,990, the aggregates of 1874 being a few thou- 

 sand greater than those of the current year. Sheep were at their min- 

 imum, 3,694,356, in 1865; and at their maximum, 4,901,496, in 1868, 

 declining to 4,248,158 in 1875. Pigs were in smallest number, 869,578, 

 in 1868; and in largest number, 1,621,423, in 1871, declining to 1,249,235 

 in 1875. Goats have regularly increased from 171,207 in 1865 to 268,894 

 in 1875. Poultry has increased in the same years from 10,681,955 to 

 12,055,768. 



Of stallions, in 1875 the number of thoroughbred was 403, of which 254 

 were native-born and 149 imported. The largest number of thorough- 

 bred sires, 145, was in Munster; 134 in Leinster, 78 in Ulster, and 46 in 

 Connaught. Of 542 half-breeds, 530 were home-born and 12 imported. 

 Of 206 Clydesdale stallions, 161 were bred in Ireland and 45 imported. 

 Of 126 Suflblk Punch stallions, 100 are natives and 26 imi)orted. Of 



