246 Considerable Spirit for Rural Improvement. 



with a small quantity, which I shall cultivate 

 with great care,, in the hope of being able to 

 disseminate it hereafter with advantage to my 

 neighbours, under the name of the Heath oat. 



Wheat is but a recent production in this 

 part of the country ; the specimens, however, 

 which I saw of it were very good. It is re* 

 ported that rice was sown in Ireland in 1585. 

 " I suppose," says Ledwick, " this was a mistake 

 for rye ; but in looking at GervasMarkham's fare- 

 well to husbandry, I saw rice was raised in Eng* 

 land about a century ago, but not commonly. At 

 the very time it failed in Ireland, the French 

 sowed much of it ; but, through prejudice or 

 improper management, it did not succeed : as 

 it is an aquatic plant, it might have grown well 

 in our moist climate." 



From what I could learn, I have reason to 

 believe a considerable spirit for improvement 

 prevails in this country, from the manifest ex- 

 ertions of several gentlemen farmers of high 

 repute. The rent given for land near Derry 

 greatly surprised me : the arable lets for four or 

 five pounds, but the meadow yielded a rent of 

 ten pounds, per acre. 



V. 



A curious account of the husbandry of Lon* 

 cionderry was published about a century ago, 



