WESTPORT. 565 



mountains ; bring them on to their arable lands 

 in winter, {hear them again the following year, 

 and fend them to the mountain again, and in 

 the following fummer {hear again, putting 

 them on their belt paftures, and felling fat at 

 Ballinaftoe, at 15s. or 16s. their fleeces 5 lb. at 

 is. a pound. There are feme dairies, as far 

 -as ten or twelve cows, which are employed tor 

 butter. Twenty years ago cows were lett for 

 1 cwt. of butter for the year, and rearing the 

 calf. Very few fwine kept, and of a bad kind. 

 They plough all with horfes, four in a plough, 

 <iireded by a man, walking backwards, who 

 to make them move forward, ftrikes the beafts 

 in the face. Young colts they harrow with by 

 the tail. Twelve horfes are neceffary for one 

 hundred acres in tillage. They winnow their 

 corn in the road, and" let the wind blow away 

 the chaff. 



Lord Altarnont mentioned defcriptive of 

 Mayo hufbandry, acts of parliament to prevent 

 their pulling the wool off their fheep by hand ; 

 burning their corn ; ploughing by the tail ; in 

 hiring and flocking farms, the common com- 

 mutation is, three rents for a grazing one. 

 Land fells at twenty-one and twenty-two years 

 purchafe, at rack rent. Rents have fallen within 

 five years, is. in the pound ; they are at prefent 

 •on a balance, with a tendency to rife. Tythes 

 are compounded in the lump. Leafes, three 

 lives, or thirty-one years, alfo twent) 

 years. Much land let to thofe who re-let, '1 

 Tents in Mayo arc trebled in forty years. No 



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