FARMERS' REGISTER— LANDED PROPERTY IN IRELAND. 



707 



"For several years I had been turning my at- 

 tention to the improvement of the tenantry on the 

 estates alluded to [those of the Earl ol' (Josford 

 and Colonel Close,] and had made several unsuc- 

 cessful attempts to introduce a better system of 

 agriculture, by circulating the different workspub- 

 lished on tliat subject, and offering premiums for 

 [to] those who would adopt the improvements re- 

 commended; but I had the mortification to find 

 there were no claimants tor the prizes proposed, 

 and tliat every attempt I made was a complete 

 failure. At length it occurred to me, that by 

 writing a short address to the tenants, their atten- 

 tion might be drawn to the effects of the present 

 system, and by following it up with the appoint- 

 ment of' an agriculturist for the special purpose of 

 instructing them; and, moreover, allow him to 

 grant a loan* of lime to such as followed his in- 

 structions, lor the purpose of replacing the ma- 

 nure which he might require for the cultivation of 

 green crops, and adding my own personal influ- 

 ence, I might perhaps have better success." 



This judicious agent, it appeai-s, has acted per- 

 severingly on his own principles, and after circula- 

 ting manuals of agriculture suited to the circum- 

 stances of the tenantry over whom he so happily 

 presides, to prepare the way for practical opera- 

 tions, he proceeded with great earnestness to pro- 

 mote the green crop system, among the small 

 farmers especially, by granting premiums for 

 house-feeding cattle, and by supplying lime, and 

 turnip and rape seed. 



In proof that an agent possessing energj^ of 

 character, and a real desire tor improving land pro- 

 perty committed to his superintendence, and back- 

 ed, as in the present instance, by benevolent and 

 ju(Ucious landlords, may effect very important re- 

 sults within a few years, we are informed, that, at 

 the commencement of Mr. Blacker's labors — 



'•There were but two tenants on the estate of 

 the former [Lord Gosford] and none on [that of] 

 the latter, who were able to enter into the compe- 

 tition. The second year there were about fifty 

 competitors; in the third there were not less than 

 300 or 400, who fed their cattle entirely, or for the 

 most Jiart, in the house; and this year [1834,] 

 from the great quantity of clover seed sown last 

 spring, I think there will be scarcely a tenant on 

 either estate who will not feed his stock upon that 

 plan." 



Here is encouragement to the landlords of Ire- 

 land. After four years the old mode of taking 

 successive and exhausting corn crops disappears, 

 and a proper rotation succeeds; where weeds had 

 previously occupied the soil clover and vetches are 

 now seen, and turnips (and partially mangel- 

 wurzel) have been successfully introduced. 



To effect his objects, Mr. Blacker used (as al- 

 ready stated) a mode of inducement, which we 

 conceiv^e to be precisely suited to the circumstances 

 of the small holders of Ireland — an advance of 

 lime — thus enabling the poor farmer to raise his 

 potato crop without the otherwise unavoidable 

 necessity of applying to this purpose, the contents 

 of his dunghill, which he now can devote wholly. 



* By a loan of lime, is meant an advance of a cer- 

 tain quantity of lime, to be paid in money, not return- 

 ed in land, as the expression would naturally indi- 

 cate. 



or in part, to the culture of turnips, rape, or cab- 

 bages. 



One of the great obstacles in Ireland to the 

 raising of turnips among the small farmers, is the 

 want, in the first instance, of a surplus of dung 

 (after the necessary portion of potatoes has been 

 planted) lor the desired purpose; tlie difficulty lies 

 in the first step; the substitution of lime meets 

 this difficulty, and ever afterwards the green crop 

 system works easily. 



Fully satisfied, liowever, of the great value of 

 dung (for the growth of potatoes) applied even in 

 small quantities to land limed immediately before, 

 we should prefer the application of some portion 

 of the dunghills in all cases to the ))otato field. 

 But other considerations must regulate this mat- 

 ter, and we are perfectly satisfied with Mr. Black- 

 er's plan; the result of which has been so pre- 

 eminently successful. 



Our excellent agent thus urges the use of lime 

 at the introduction of the green crop system: 



"It is therefore of the utmost importance, that 

 wlien you first begin to li7ne, you should raise your 

 potatoes upon it, and make use of the house ma- 

 nure which this leaves at your disposal, to raise 

 turnips or mangel-wurzel for house-feeding, and 

 increase your stock of cattle to the utmost which 

 this plan will enable you to keep; setnng it down 

 for certain, that you ought to have at least one 

 cow fur every tliree acres of arable land, as being 

 the smallest stock which will enable you to keep 

 your land in heart, when the resource of lime can 

 no longer be looked to. If this is not kept in view 

 from the very outset, you will fuid that you cannot 

 manure the one- fourth of your farm every year, 

 and you will tlierefbre be thrown out of the rota- 

 tion — the land will be exhausted and left to rest as 

 formerly, and as it gets poor j'on will get poor 

 yourselves; and having no longer the relief of 

 lime to fall back upon, your case will become 

 worse than what it is at present; for 7)oh> by lend- 

 ing you lime, I have no doubt of making you com- 

 fortable and independent, if you are only indus- 

 trious and willing to follow the instructions given 

 you; but then this resource is lost to you, and I do 

 not see what other can be made available to 



3'ou. 



Simple addresses to the agricultural classes, such 

 as Mr. Blacker distributed, liave their use. Prizes 

 for green crops, which are the great want among 

 the very class to which they would be most bene- 

 ficial, have also their good effect; yet for one [per- 

 son who is able or willing to n'.ad a treatise on 

 husbandry, there are ten disinclined to receive 

 any information that does not come to them prac- 

 tically, and prizes are loo often found to answer 

 but a temporary purpose. When the stinmlus 

 of reward is withdrawn, the object for which it 

 was proposed and granted becomes neglected; but 

 the substantial aid of manure and seed liberally 

 supplied to a pauper tenantry, and of cows to con- 

 sume the newly created produce, would if afforded 

 on an extended scale, eflfect much positive and per- 

 manent improvement in the condition of the hum- 

 bler classes of the Irish cottagers. 



And to those who may exclaim at the insup- 

 portable expense of affording such encouragement, 

 it may be useful to present Mr. Blacker's estimate 

 of cost: 



"But what, it will be asked, may be the expense 

 of attempting to follow a plan which, it must be ad- 



