418 
Illustrations of Irish Farming. 
Dublin (lung, Mr. Dunne applies 7 to 8 cwt. per Irish acre, say 
5 cwt. per statute acre, of Lawes's superphosphate to swedes and 
mangolds. These crops were very good when I visited the. 
farm, but the drills (ridges) were rather too close, considering 
the high condition of the land. The headlands, also, were not 
finished and cropped ; and this, it may be remarked, is a very 
common defect in Irish farming, which should be attended to, as 
it often gives a slovenly appearance to a field which is otherwise 
all right. The grasses present a thick, close sole, and promise 
well for the future. Some cut-away bog in connection with the 
farm has been laid down as pasture, but the grass on it is poor. 
Mr. Dunne has a fixed 3-horse thrashing machine, but when his 
horses are otherwise engaged he hires steam. There are several 
travelling steam thrashing machines in the neighbourhood, 
which work for hire, and are very fully employed during the 
season. A few years ago the flail was the only thrashing 
machine used by many farmeis in the district. Mr. Dunne's 
farm was at one time divided into 30 or 40 small fields, by the 
usual immense banks and hedges common in most parts of 
Ireland ; but it is now in five fields, suitable to the rotation 
followed. The cut-away bog is not counted as part of the 
cultivated land. The hedges are kept properly trimmed ; the 
gates are in working order ; and the gateways into each field 
have been laid with stones and gravel, in order to prevent carts 
from cutting up the ground about them. 
The live stock consists of six or seven milch cows, of a good 
sort of Shorthorn crosses. The calves are all reared, and kept 
until they are three years old, when they are fattened ; and in 
addition, 12 to 15 bullocks are purchased at some of the October 
or November fairs to be fattened during winter. Half-a-dozen 
heavy pigs are also fattened at a time, and succeeded by others as 
the fat ones are disposed of. The farmyard is kept in neat order, 
Mr. James Flynn's farm adjoins that occupied by Mr. Dunne. 
It consists of about 100 acres Irish, or nearly 162 imperial acres. 
The farm belongs to the gentleman who is Mr. Dunne's land- 
lord, and Mr. Flynn holds it now by a similar lease to that 
granted to his neighbour. 
The system pursued by Mr. Flynn is much the same as that 
described in connection with Mr. Dunne's farm, both as to 
cropping and manuring. The root crops were very good, 
although the produce of a second sowing, in the case of the 
swedes, the plants from the first sowing having been cut off by 
the fly. The drills, or ridges, were 28 inches apart, which was 
close enough for the luxuriance of the crop, particularly as the 
plants had been thinned only to a little over 10 inches apart. 
