24 ffifty Years' Progress of British Agriculture. 
prostrated. In the worst unions in these counties, twelve out 
of every thirteen people were wholly dependent on the potato 
for their food. In a single week, in July 1846, the promise of 
the potato crop was, by a mysterious blight, destroyed. A 
sudden fear fell upou governments, both here and on the Con- 
tinent, when they began to comprehend the true nature of the 
calamity. The late Sir Robert Peel, then Prime Minister, 
instantly made arrangements for the purchase in America of 
large supplies of Indian eora, to be immediately shipped for 
Ireland, the part of the kingdom in which there was the most 
pressing danger. Then followed the repeal of the corn laws, 
which saved us from the insurrections that rapidly spread on 
the Continent, changing dynasties and unsettling governments. 
With the failure of the potato the agricultural system in 
Ireland collapsed. The people, no longer able to trust the 
potato, ceased to ' conacre,' that is, to hire land from the neigh- 
bouring farmers as potato gardens ; the farmer, deprived of 
conacre labour, had no money to pay wages in cash, and his 
land became unproductive ; the landlord found his rent dis- 
appearing, while a new order of things grew out of the con- 
fusion. 
To prevent the fearful consequences of famine, immense sums 
were advanced by Government for the employment of the people 
of Ireland in relief works. These were administered by the 
grand juries, on the understanding that the money so advanced 
was to be expended in reproductive works, and to be repaid to 
the Government by instalments in a limited number of years. 
The pressure was so great that it was found impossible to control 
the expenditure in such a manner as to make it reproductive ; 
and vast sums were squandered on works which could never be 
of any other value to the community than that of finding em- 
ployment and wages for the starving people for a time. 
The potato famine, and the consequent free import of foreign 
corn and provisions into this country, mark an important epoch 
in our agricultural history. The gold discoveries in California 
and Australia happening about the same time gave a rapid 
stimulus to enterprise and improvement in every branch of busi- 
ness, including that of agriculture. In 1850 and 1851 it was 
my duty, as commissioner for the Times newspaper, to undertake 
an inquiry into the state of agriculture in England in a time of 
great agricultural depression. On looking back on that time, 
and comparing it with the present, there was great depression 
then, but more hope than at present. Wheat is now (1890) 
much lower in price than it has ever been for one hundred 
years. 
