XIII 

 IRISH TOBACCO 



BEYOND Dundalk southwards we continued through a 

 pleasant country, with rather larger enclosures and a 

 considerable proportion of permanent grass. The 

 arable was moderately well managed, oats being the 

 chief cereal, though barley was still common, mostly 

 wide-eared varieties, though we did find one field of 

 true Chevallier. In nearly all cases also the seed was 

 deplorably mixed, and in one field there was a destruc- 

 tive attack of smut. There were fewer potatoes and 

 the turnips were later and not so well grown as those 

 we had seen on the other side of Dundalk. The 

 indifferent character of the farming was perhaps most 

 to be seen in the permanent grass, which generally 

 looked very poor and was full of ragwort. It was 

 generally grazed by Shorthorns of very fair quality, 

 but no sheep were to be seen. The farmhouses lay 

 by the roadside, but they looked distinctly less pro- 

 sperous and well-cared for than those in Ulster. Finally, 

 after Ardee we left the tillage lands behind and 

 entered a gently rolling grass country, with fields of 

 from five to ten acres in extent, divided by tall well- 

 grown hedges. The turf was sound and good, though 

 cropped rather close after the dry spell ; it was also 

 free from weeds and showed other signs of being 

 looked after. Only occasional patches remained under 



