172 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



of iarms. The arrears ot" rent on many estates were 

 ;4rievons. The intermixing- of lields of different 

 occupiers caused a great loss to the tenants. How is 

 it possible to farm to advantage when the farmer has 

 several fields, an acre or two each in different parts 

 of the estate, that he must go a quarter or half a mile 

 round to get into ! 



As I have said before, I happened to know Mr. 

 W. Blacker, of Armagh. He had started the plan 

 of getting over a Scotch grieve and fixing him on 

 an estate, whose whole business it should be to 

 go amongst the tenants to teach them better farm- 

 ing, and especially how to grow clover and turnips, 

 before quite unknown. This answered well. The 

 increased food for stock soon produced more and 

 better manure ; this gave better crops, and a wonder- 

 ful change was effected. I stayed some time with 

 Mr. Blacker, and remember going over an estate with 

 him which he had bought for a friend. It was 

 bought with a large arrear of rent upon it, every 

 shilling of which by this plan was paid np in a few 

 years, and the purchase-money thus largely reduced, 

 whilst the tenants prospered much. 



Nothing could be more interesting or instmctive 

 than the results Mr. Blacker showed. His example 

 had been followed by many other landlords, some- 

 times by getting Scotch grieves, sometimes by trans- 

 planting one of Mr. Blacker's good tenants into one 

 of their farms as an example. Having gone with him 



