ON AGRICULTURE TO IRELAND 19 



and turned into a forestry station. The immediate object of the 

 station is to teach the farmers how to utilise their waste land, 

 whether it be odd bits here and there on better-class farms, or 

 larger stretches on hill farms, by growing trees suitable to the 

 soil and climate, for ornament, for shelter, and for poles, timber, 

 and firewood for the farm. But there is an ulterior object of 

 national importance, viz., the general improvement of the climate 

 and the soil of Ireland. The Department has also established on 

 the estate a poultry fattening station, where young men are taught 

 this particular branch of the poultry trade. 1200 chickens are 

 purchased from the surrounding farmers weekly. They are kept 

 a month and sold fat. The Commissioners drove down the 

 beautiful Vale of Avoca, immortalised by Thomas Moore in 

 "The Meeting of the Waters," and proceeded by train to 

 Waterford. 



The members of the Southern Section were once more united 

 only to be once more divided. Two of them spent the day after 

 their arrival at Waterford at the Fermoy Agricultural Show, 

 County Cork. The others drove to Piltown, where the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture have established one of their eight fruit 

 experimental plots, with the view of ascertaining what varieties of 

 fruit are suitable for different parts of Ireland, and what profit 

 there is in the fruit trade generally. They also visited the Bess- 

 borough home farm, the property of the Earl of Bessborough, 

 where, in the unavoidable absence of the Earl, they were met and 

 entertained by his steward, Mr W. Mitchell, who showed them the 

 pedigree stock — Shorthorn and Aberdeen Angus cattle and Clydes- 

 dale horses. On their return to Waterford, the Commissioners 

 inspected one of the bacon-curing factories belonging to Denny 

 & Sons, Limited. This factory is one of the best in Ireland, or, for 

 that matter of it, anywhere. It kills 1200 pigs per week. The 

 pigs are bred by the farmers in the surrounding districts. 



Cork was made the centre of inspection in the far south. An 

 early visit was paid to the Munster Institute, where the Commis- 

 sioners were hospitably entertained by the Superintendent and 

 Matron, The Munster Institute is the chief agricultural school in 

 Ireland devoted entirely to the teaching of women. They receive 

 instruction in all departments of farm work in which women are 

 usually engaged — dairy work, poultry work, domestic work. There 

 is only accommodation at the Institute for 50, and last year there 

 were over 200 applicants waiting for admission. After two ses- 

 sions, the girls are supposed to be capable of undertaking the 

 management of their own department on any farm in Ireland. 

 After four or five sessions, they are able to undertake the work of 

 itinerant instructors. Adjoining and belonging to the Institute 

 there is an agricultural farm where pedigree stock are bred and 

 early potatoes grown. From the Institute the party proceeded to 

 Clonakilty in the extreme south of Cork, where they had an oppor- 

 tunity of visiting the Agricultural Station, which consists of the 

 farm of Darrara, extending to 340 acres. At this station experi- 

 ments are carried on in the breeding and feeding of live stock, in 



