196 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



goes by the wall, and the carmen who cany loads 

 along it at night, found out that, by drawing them 

 close to the wall, they could step from the top of 

 the load to the top of the wall, and the fruit-trees 

 inside were a regular ladder by which to climb down 

 and up again. They did not take much, as last year 

 having been so wet, the peaches ripened badly. It 

 amused us to see the stones and half-eaten sour fruit 

 of those they had tried. 



My third offence was that, in an account I 

 printed of the International Dairies at the Kilburn 

 Agricultural Show, near London, 1879, for the infor- 

 mation of the farmers of our county, I contrasted 

 the bright, clean German dairymaid, wearing blue 

 ribbons and a smart cap, with the dirty drudges so 

 many dairymaids are in Ireland. A man who could 

 so speak of Irishwomen was declared unfit to live in 

 the country. What is to be thought of those who 

 could put forward such a mixture of rubbish as 

 serious blame to anybody ? 



There is still a further difficulty in the way 

 of compulsory Tenant-right, that much land is let 

 on lease. Leases are definite contracts between land- 

 lord and tenant. What is to be done about them ? 

 I have still an old middle-man's lease of four lives 

 with one left, aged nearly seventy. There are 340 

 acres for 105 a year, worth 340 a year to let, and 

 double if I farm them myself. The occupiers are a 

 gentleman and two ordinary farmers. What should 

 be done with such a case ? 



