The Prize System as applied to Small Farmers in Ireland. 399 
as closely as 1 have, I do not hesitate to assert that the applica- 
tion ol" Lord Spencer's prize system for a sufficient number of 
years in a sufficient number of districts, under men capable 
ol commanding public confidence, would revolutionise the agri- 
cultural practices of the small farmers. 
In this paper, and in all that I have written, I have stu- 
diously avoided all reference to the relative merits of small and 
large farm systems. In offering to endow his prize system, 
Lord Spencer guarded himself against the expression of any 
opinion on that vexed question. He took Ireland as he found 
it, and honestly sought the best means of ameliorating the con- 
dition of the people. 
With these introductory observations, I proceed to describe 
the working of the system in the several districts ; and I shall 
take them in the order in which they were inspected last 
year, viz. : — 
ULSTER Parkanour, Dungannon, County Tyrone. 
Cornagilta, County Monaghan. 
LEINSTER. . . .Ballinvally, County Westmeath. 
Garryhill, County Carlow. 
MuNSTER . . . .Mungret, County Limerick. 
Grange, County Waterford. 
CoNNAUGHT. . Killasolan, County Galway. 
Loughglynn, County Roscommon. 
Parkanour, Dungannon, County Tyrone. 
In Tyrone the average size of the holdings is 24 statute acres. 
The Poor-law valuation is under 10/. on two-thirds of them. 
Throughout this county, as elsewhere, the farming is far 
behind what it ought to be. 
Parkanour was selected as one of the districts in which to 
apply Lord Spencer's prizes for several reasons. The Parkanour 
school is on the estate of John Y. Burges, Esq., D.L., a wealthy 
proprietor, who has taken a very active part in the improvement 
of his property ; and the school is on every side surrounded by 
small farms. 
That Mr. Burges approved of the system from the outset I can 
testify. Unfortunately he confined his pecuniary aid to his own 
tenants. He believed that the rule by which competition was 
limited to persons whose valuation did not exceed 81. was in- 
judicious. If any of his tenants won a Spencer prize, he doubled 
the amount, and he offered prizes to his own tenants whose 
valuation did not exceed 15/. The number of competitors has 
not been as great as was expected. 
