272 ULSTER ROUND LOUGH NEAGH 



on the western side of the Lough the farming grows 

 more varied; the arable land sets in once more and 

 flax again becomes common, with occasional fields 

 of wheat in addition to the oats, potatoes, and turnips 

 which form the staple of Irish farming. Between the 

 Lough and the mountain range of Slieve Gallion, 

 which bounded our westward view, there is a broad 

 stretch of gently undulating land, covered by glacial 

 drifts on a limestone foundation. Most of the land 

 is under cultivation, but as it lies on a recently 

 glaciated rock surface it includes depressions and 

 undrained hollows, often basins on an otherwise 

 elevated area, in which peat bogs form with an 

 Irish rainfall. 



In this district, which was generally well farmed, 

 though the villages and towns looked poor and 

 slatternly compared with those farther east, we 

 visited another excellent farm of about 100 

 acres. It was one of the earliest farms to be 

 purchased, and the instalments were only equal to 

 a rental of 1 2s. an acre, but years ago the tenant 

 right amounted to .1200 and had probably risen 

 to something in the neighbourhood of .3000 at 

 that time. Certainly the house and buildings were 

 exceptional, the house such as one would find on 

 a 5oo-acre farm in England, and the buildings 

 extensive and substantially built. Several of the 

 Ulster farmers were disposed to deprecate their ex- 

 penditure on buildings, though in most cases it had 

 been carried out, if not with their own hands, at 

 any rate by their own men, and without the inter- 

 vention of either architect or professional builder. 

 Our host had certainly lavished labour without stint 

 upon his property ; the whole place had been drained, 

 twenty fields had been thrown into eight and divided 



