OF THE COUNTY OF TYRONE. 31 



the latter being the common meafure, by which the 

 farmers regulate all the land let to poor cottiers, in the 

 corn-acre way (a phrafe, ufually underftood in this 

 country to denote a yearly take, or letting the land 

 only for one crop), though the farmer himfelf may rent 

 his land by the plantation acre. This is a grievance on 

 the poor, which certainly fhould be redrefled. 



It is very common to fow flax after barley, when 

 the land is not in good heart ; and, in fuch cafes, the 

 fucceeding crop is oats, and then the land is fuffered to 

 reft for three or four years in a ftate of nature, moft 

 commonly without affiftance from grafs-feeds of any 

 fort. 



Potatoes are generally planted on lea-land, plough- 

 ing for them being very feldom praftifed, efpecial- 

 ly by the poorer clafs; but this praftice is chiefly 

 confined to the baronies of Strabane and Omagh, 

 which, I dare fay, are equal to two-thirds of the whole 

 county. The farmer finds great advantage in giving 

 rough ground to the cottier, who muft either put up 

 with it, or want. When the land is ploughed, and 

 fufficiently pulverifed, the crop is generally double 

 that produced, in the ufual way of planting on the lea. 

 However, though the poor man may be much forely 

 diftrefled, by being every year obliged to plant rough 

 land at the farmer's option, yet the community at large 

 reap the benefit of it, as land is fooner gained, and 

 brought into a profitable courle of cultivation. 



The 



