191 1.] Agricultural Labour in February. 1039 



large movement of migratory labourers, and of these nearly 85 per 

 cent, are from Donegal. 



The migratory labourers fall into three distinct groups : — (1) Achill 

 workers, both male and female, employed chiefly in raising potatoes in 

 Ayrshire and neighbouring counties of Scotland; (2) Donegal men, 

 who go chiefly to the East and South-East of Scotland, and also to 

 Northumberland, and are employed chiefly in turnip-singling, hay- 

 making - , corn harvest, potato and turnip raising; (3) Connaught men, 

 who go to England, mainly to Cheshire, Lancashire, Durham, York- 

 shire, Lincolnshire, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Warwick, and Stafford, 

 and are employed on similar work to the Donegal men. 



The Achill workers come over largely in families or groups, and 

 are organised in squads. The total number seems to be comparatively 

 stationary, and to range from 1,500 to 2,000. The wages of the 

 average worker — other than those who are in charge of squads — are 

 usually close on 15s. a week, and it is stated that workers usually save 

 from to £10 in the season, which lasts from early in June to the 

 end of October or the beginning of November. The wages earned by 

 the Donegal men range from 35. to 4s. per day (or more when on piece 

 work), with free lodging and coals ; many of them save from £10 to 

 ^£,15 and up to £20 in the season (June to November, or later). The 

 Connaught men begin to come over in considerable numbers from the 

 middle of March onwards, though the great exodus is in June, and 

 they remain in England until November, and in some cases up to 

 Christmas. Their wages, if by the week, run as a rule from 155. to 

 205., with lodging, fuel, and occasionally some food : to a large extent, 

 however, work is paid by the piece, and earnings vary from 185. to 

 305. (or even more) per week. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries have been furnished by the 

 Board of Trade with the following report, based on returns from corre- 

 spondents in various districts, on the demand 

 Agricultural Labour for agricultural labour in February : — 



in England Employment was generally fairly good 



during February. during February, the fine weather which pre- 

 vailed during the greater part of the month 

 enabling farmers to offer a fair amount of employment to men outside 

 the ordinary farm staff on such work as threshing", carting manure, 

 hedging, and ditching. There was generally an ample supply of such 

 extra men, but mention of any marked surplus was exceptional in the 

 reports. Men for permanent situations were again reported as scarce 

 in certain parts of the Midland and Southern and South-Western 

 Counties. 



Northern Counties. — Agricultural employment was generally regular 

 in these counties, except in' the Western districts, where stormy weather 

 during the last half of the month caused loss of time to extra labourers. 

 There was a moderate demand for extra men for hedging, ditching, 

 threshing, &c, in Yorkshire, but the supply was in excess of the demand 

 in the Bridlington, Driffield, Howden, Shirburn, and Wortley rural 

 districts ; in the other counties but few of these men were required at 

 any period during the month. Little or no change was reported in 

 wages at the Candlemas hiring fairs in Cumberland. 



Midland Counties. — For the time of the year there was a fairly good 



