1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



165 



jDfo to En<xlanil ami oiirn money I>y Irridinfr, shear- 

 •nil, and ollifr wMik, 'I'licy Ihmtow tlic <>;r('alcst 

 pan by l)C('()iiiiii>x stiiciics I'or each oiIut; in this 

 llicy exinbit <i-n'a1 kindness;. Under ihis system 

 ol' payin^r tenant-ri<rlit, the landlord has always 

 S6?r.nrity ti)r his rent, even supposin*; the stock to 

 be driven off, because he would take advantajie of 

 the properly which the tenant had in the farm, 

 and the new tenant always pays the arrears of 

 rent, the balance only beinir paid to tiie off-going 

 tenant. It has also naturally induced tiie tenant 

 to consider that he has a b<>neficial interest in the 

 farm; the practice, hy long usage having assumed 

 Ihe character of a right — so much so. ind'^ed, that 

 jn some places, (thtj county of J)()negal, tor in- 

 stance,) H te^ianl, I am told, sells his inlerest in 

 his liirm in spite of his landlord. A father leaves 

 it by wiiJ to his children, or gives it whenever he 

 pleases, and it pas-ses by will like real |)roperty. 

 This may account for the peculiar iiai-dshi|)s the 

 people leel, and the way in which they prosecute 

 their revenire anainst the landlord, or his steward. 

 and the incoming tenant. In many parts of Ire- 

 land the difficulty consists not so much in dispos- 

 sessing the present tenant, as in securing peacea- 

 ble possession fur his successor." — VoL i, pp. 

 84—86. 



" Small faruiers pay their rent in money; labor- 

 ers generally in lat)or. The competition for small 

 holdings, single acres, &c., causes the tejiantry to 

 bid any thing in order to get in. ' It' a firm of 

 five or ten acres,' said Thomas Rogan, ' were va- 

 cant in the barony, there would be dozens of bid- 

 ders for it.' This witness occupied a farm of three 

 acres and three roods Irish, for some of wliich he 

 paid £ 1 5s. per acre, and for tnore of it Ji3. ' If 

 3"ou were going awp.y,' he was asked, ' what 

 would you expect for the land?' ' I doiit think 

 I'd leave it under £60 or £70,' was his answer. 

 Mr. Trotter, one of the witnesses, had known 

 £170 to be given for a farm of Lord Downshire's, 

 at Ballykanly, The land was six acres, at a rent 

 of £2. 2s, per acre; this value was set upon it, 

 not because it was byilding ground — it was a 

 common farm. The same witness staled a case 

 where £100 per acre was given for six acres 

 (Irish measure) paying 10s. 6^. an acre rent; this, 

 Jiow'ever, was in the war time. 



" When the tenant gets a year or two in arrear, 

 the landlord, instead of ejecting him, allows hiai 

 to sell his 'good will,' on condition that so much of 

 the purchase-money as will clear the arrear be 

 given to himself. Of those thus got rid oi; some, 

 said Mr. Gracey, go lo America; but the majori- 

 ty repair to towns with the remainder of the 

 money, and set up business— generally a public- 

 house. It did not appear from any of the wit- 

 nesses that a single penny of rents is reduced in 

 case of a hard year; and yet it seemed that the 

 anxiety to obtain land, even at a high rent, in- 

 creases, as the means of paying the rent dimi- 

 nishes. From all that could be ascertained, the 

 farmers now give every thing towards the rent, ex- 

 cept a bare subsistence. ' People, in fact, are 

 mad after land, and in the bargains respecting it, 

 ttie landlord is sure to be on the winning side.' It 

 was stated however, that Lord Bangor, in letting 

 some ground lately, refused the rents that were 

 offered. He sent out his valuator, and though 

 several offered considerably above the valuation, 

 his lordship did not accept of any advapxe upon 



it. The witness who furnished this information 

 staled also, thtit rents in general weie incretising; 

 that Ihe avera<je in the vicinity of Stranglord was 

 tibotit 25s. per Irish acre; the cess 4s. per acre; 

 and the tithe, 2s. Gd. 



" The average extent of farms is about twenty 

 acres Irish; there are very few exceeding one 

 hundred acres. The size of the holdings has 

 rather increased than otherwise. According to 

 the statement of Lieiitenmit Martin, there is only 

 one dairy farm, properly so called, in the barony. 

 Those proprietors who have aitem[)ted lo enlarge 

 their farms htive incurred considerable odium; the 

 (iirmers would as soon part with their lives as 

 with their firms. When a man is in arrear, the 

 landlord causes him to sell his fiirm, and is anxious 

 that some adjoining liirmeis should purchase: this 

 was stated to be the usual course. ' I myself,' 

 said one of Ihe witnesses, ' commenced the world 

 on seven acres, but by haid labor ami care I have 

 purchased up to forty-one now.' 'One of my 

 neighbors,' said Mr. Gracey, 'began on nine 

 acres, and by stronii industry he has purchased 

 £600 worth of land.' All the fanners agreed 

 that if a farm of filly acres were divided into five 

 farms, more would be produced than if the whole 

 were in the occupation of one man: more care and 

 labor can be devoted to it. There is a wonderful 

 competition for far.ms of all sizes, cf which Cap- 

 tain Saunders gave us an instance. ' A tenant of 

 Major Beauclerk's,' said he, ' some time ago 

 bought ten acres in addition to his own farm of 

 forty, at a very high rate. I told him at the time 

 it \vould be his ruin, because he had to borrow 

 some of the purchase-money; and so it turned out. 

 He came to me the other day, wanting to sell it 

 again, in order to pay up his arrear; and what do 

 you think he was offered for it? A neighboring 

 tenant offered £200 lor his 'good will;' lor the 

 ten Irish acres are out of lease. But I refused to 

 permit the bargain to be completed, knowing that 

 it would only break the other man, inasmuch as 

 he also would have lo borrow most of the pur- 

 chase-money. I only consented to the sale on 

 condition that the purchase-money should not ex- 

 ceed £50. The ten acres paid a rent of £2 2s. 

 an acre.' "—Vol. i, pp, 113-^118, 



Extract from the Kev. H. Colmaii's Report on Spring Wlieat. 

 MANURES FOR WHEAT. 



Land among us can seldom be found too rich for 

 wheat; but the enriching manures may be applied 

 in too great quantities; or in an improper con- 

 dition ; or at an improper time. The feeding 

 of pfants is as imperfectly understood as the feed- 

 ing of animals. As with ammals, so with plants, 

 we know that they cannot live without food, and 

 their vigor and friiitfulness depend much upon the 

 quantify and quality of their food. But how it is 

 taken up. and by what means elaborated and dis- 

 tributed, remain as yet, in a great degree, among 

 the deep secrets of nature. 



Manures are of two kinds; putrescent, animal, 

 or such as are supposed to furnish directly the 

 food of plants; or active, such as excite either the 

 organs of Ihe plant to receive, or the powers of 

 the earth to prepare, this food to be received, or 

 by themselves educe from the substances, with. 



