100 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



a benefit on the owners, for which the present 

 successor of the tenant ought to be compensated; 

 but by which, in truth, the soul was worked out 

 of the land by exhaustive cropping and little 

 manuring. 



A Scotch grieve was brought over to teach the 

 tenants to grow turnips and clover. It was necessary 

 to go myself to every tenant and urge him to grow 

 half an acre or an acre of turnips. Seed was dis- 

 tributed. The clover [seed (of which he knew the 

 value, and which was got good and cheaply from 

 London) was sold on credit till after harvest. The 

 Scotchman's business was to watch the plots for 

 turnips, help in the sowing and thinning, and 

 advise in all ways. Prizes of Scotch ploughs were 

 offered for the best turnips. Before, there had not 

 been a good plough on the estate; wooden things 

 only, that would only scratch the surface, and with 

 which no man could turn a furrow. That grass 

 seeds should be sown in all corn crops was insisted 

 on. The land never having grown clover before, 

 it grew like a dwarf wall. Such crops I never saw 

 before or since ; they were a pleasure to look at. 



These steps told very quickly ; the additional 

 food grown for cattle, made all stock rapidly 

 thrive and increase. It was easy to rear a few 

 extra calves ; better-fed stock gave more and better 

 manure, and thus crops of all sorts improved too. 

 The improved payments of rent were a surprise. 



