COUNTY OF GALWAY. 391 



The principal flock in this country is.fheep 

 for breeding, the fale being wethers, which they 

 fell fat at Ballinafloe ; and wool, of which they 

 clip from the ewes 41b. and from the wethers 

 5lb. fells now at above is. a lb. Mr. French 

 remembers the price of wool, 50 years ago, at 

 6s. and 7s. a Hone ; 1744 was reckoned a very 

 high year, and he fold 27 bags, at 10s. 6d. a 

 ftone : but as he got out of flock, he has not 

 fince had more than two bags. In 1745, &c. 

 it fell to 8s. a ftone. The great rife of the 

 price of wool, Mr. French attributes to the 

 low price of fpinning and the increafe of til- 

 lage. The flock farmers who are good mana- 

 gers, all have two farms, one as a dry one, in 

 this neighbourhood for winter, and another in 

 the deeper richer lands in the eaftern part of 

 the county, for fummer feeding and fatting. 

 Three year old wethers, from the light foils 

 here, fell at from 15s. to 25s. each. It is 

 reckoned good land here that will fnpport three 

 fheep per acre the whole year round. The 

 fyftem of grazing is to buy yearlings, at from 

 35s. to 3I. 3s. and fell out at four year old, at 

 from 4I. 4s. to 61. 6s. They fometimes fell 

 them at three year old. 



They plough with horfes, but the gentle- 

 men, moftlv with oxen; they have not the 

 Mayo cuftom, of walking backwards before 

 them, nor do they harnefs them all abreaft, but 

 two and two. They winnow all their corn in 

 the field to blow away the chaff. They will 

 take a grazing farm, with three years rent, for 



(lock. 



