5 40 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



In these counties the more advanced farmers were growing turnips, some- 

 times sown broadcast, sometimes in drills. The width between the drills 

 varied from 12 inches to 3 feet. Some of the land was being hollow- or 

 underdrained. Beans and peas were grown here and there, especially in 

 Wexford. Flax was grown everywhere : " Every farmer has a little flax 

 from a rood to an acre, and all the cottages a spot, if they have any land, 

 they go through the whole process themselves, and spin and weave it." 1 

 Potatoes were equally common, and were the chief food of the poorer people. 

 They generally cultivated them in ridges or beds; but some farmers had 

 begun to cultivate them in drills. 



Outside the Pale less wheat was grown, and there was a greater tendency 

 to growing the same kind of crop year after year till the land was exhausted. 

 Fallows were less common, and so also were turnips and clover. 



Armagh : " Within 4 miles of Market-hill, the course : 1. Oats. 2. Oats. 

 3. Oats. 4 Oats. 5 Oats, and then leave it to the rubbish, which comes up 

 for 3 or 4 years : some potatoes, and after it flax." 2 Among the 

 " manufacturers," as Young called them, that is farmers of 10 to 15 acres 

 who made the best part of their living by growing flax and working it into 

 yarn and cloth, the rotations were such as these : Potatoes, flax, oats, " and 

 let it then lay for pasture," 3 or Potatoes, here, flax, oats 4 or " Potatoes, flax, 

 oats, oats, " and then leave it to grass itself." 5 



About Lcsly Hill, Go. Antrim : Potatoes, flax or barley, oats, oats, and 

 " weeds for 2 years called a lay." 6 



At Newtoiun-LimmavadAy, Co. Berry : Potatoes, barley, oats, oats, flax, "lay 



2 or 3 years, some sow grasses, clover &c," oats, oats. 7 



At Castle Caldwell, Co. Fermanagh : Potatoes, potatoes, barley or flax, 

 oats, oats, oats, " lay out for grass." 6 



At Ballynoch in Cavan, " The course of crops is : 1 Potatoes. 2 Potatoes 



3 Bere. 4 Barley or Oats. 5 Oats. 6 Lay out for weeds, four or five years." 9 



Strokestoum, Go. Roscommon : Potatoes, potatoes, flax, barley, oats, " Lay 

 out for 6 or 7 years. None of them sow grass seeds." 10 



Brv.iiimoland, Co. Cla.re: Potatoes, bere, wheat, oats, oats, oats and "lay 

 it out for grass " and Beans, bere, barley, wheat, oats, oats, oats " lay it out, or 

 beans again." 11 



Tipperary : Turnips, fallow, wheat, oats, oats, oats, oats, oats, oats, " lay 

 it out. ' 12 



1 This quotation refers to Slane ; but Young refers similarly to flax in many places. 



2 Young, i, p. 116. 3 Ibid.,i, p. 120. ] Hid., i, p. 124. s Ibid., i, p. 126. 

 6 Ibid., i, p. 159. ' Ibid., i, p. 165. 6 Ibid., i, p. 188. 9 Ibid., i, p. 213. 



10 Ibid., i, p. 216. » Ibid., i, p. 286. 12 Ibid., i, p. 390. 



