258 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



showing it. Kotation and exact quantities at 

 successive intervals thus are made almost impossible ; 

 but my conviction is strong, from close observation, 

 that the difficulty of growing larger crops of oats is 

 due to the climate, which, though in ordinary years 

 it will ripen a moderate crop, has too much moisture 

 and too little sunshine to ripen a really heavy crop, 

 except in chance seasons. 



On the other hand, the very same climate that 

 is so unfavourable for corn is extraordinarily favour- 

 able for grass, which continues to grow often through 

 most part of the winter. 



And this is the true explanation of the inclina- 

 tion to grass -farming that is almost universal in 

 Ireland, not only among large farmers and land- 

 owners farming on their own account, but equally 

 among middling and small farmers. The small 

 farmer formerly tilled more of his farm in proportion, 

 because it took much of his land to provide the food 

 for his family, but even before the famine the 

 constant argument used by small farmers seeking 

 more land was, "If I get more land I can leave 

 more out in grass." When a farmer failed, it was 

 always said, "He tilled too much of his land." 

 There was never any doubt but that the land paid 

 best in grass, when the farmer could afford to buy 

 stock. The climate was and is the ruling principle, 

 as Mr. Whitley said. Even when the grass farming 

 is bad, as it often is, it still pays better than the 



