LABOURING POOR. 27 



From the minutes of the journey it will be found, that there 

 is no determinate quantity ol Jand for the potatoe garden ; 

 it is ufually an acre; fometimes half an acre, and fotnetimes 

 one acre and a half ; bux according to die foil, th*t -efwantkjr 

 which is ur.derftood (right or wrong) to be neceflary, is called 

 the garden. The grafs tor a cow is for the green food only, 

 the cotter hircfelf finds or buys hay. From the blanks in the 

 number of cows it is not to be implied that they have none, but 

 that the information vras not received. 



But it is necefTkry here to explain the common cottar fyftem 

 of labour is Ireland, which much refembles that of Scotland 

 until very lately, and which was probably the fame all over 

 Europe before arts and commerce changed the face of it. If 

 ihere are cabbins on a farm they are the refidence of the cot- 

 tars, if there are none the farmer marks out the potatoe gar- 

 dens, and the labourers, who apply to him on his hiring the 

 Jand, raife their own cabbins on fuch fpots ; in fome places 

 the farmer builds ; in ethers he only aflifts them with the roof, 

 &c. a verbal compact is then made, that the new cotter {halt 

 have his potatoe garden nt fuch a rent, and one or two 

 cows kept him at the price of the neighbourhood, he finding 

 the cows. He then works with the farmer at the rate of the 

 place, ufually fixpence halfpenny a day, a tally being kept (half 

 by each pany) and a notch cut for every day's labour : at the 

 end of fix months, or a year, they reckon, and the balance is 

 paid. The cotter works for himfelf as his potatoes require. 



The rates of 

 - And, 



Forming together 351 



for milk and -potatoes appear to be very reafonable ; if two 

 cows are kept, it is only 4!. i6s. 4d. from whence it is evident, 

 as far mereiy as this charge goes, there is no opprefiion upon 

 them which can ever amount to ftarving. In particular inflan- 

 ces, where there is much inhumanity in the greater tenants, 

 they are made to pay too high a rent for their gardens ; and 

 though the price, at which their cows are fupported, may not 

 appear high, yet they may fo poorly kept as to make it very 

 unreafonable. I believe, from what I faw, that fuch inftances 

 are not uncoiriaion. 



POTATOES. 



