410 The Prize System as applied to Small Farmers in Ireland. 
goes to show that the smaller the area of competition the more 
direct and powerful is the effect. Indeed the success of the 
system in this valley appears to me to suggest that its scope 
ought to be expanded in some such way as the following : — 
Let a large area, say a county or a number of baronies, be 
subdivided into a number of small districts, give a great many 
small prizes in each, and let there be a few sweepstakes for the 
best farmers in all these districts. Let there also be a number 
of sweepstake prizes for all Ireland. In this way a spirit of 
emulation would be created among small farmers who are per- 
sonally known to each other, while a useful spirit, of rivalry 
would be promoted among the different groups of districts 
throughout the entire country. 
I now proceed to give brief notices of some of the small 
farms in this district for which prizes were awarded. 
The first in point of merit is that of Charles Doyle, who, 
having previously won three prizes, was disqualified. 
In 1873 he scored 440 marks. 
In 1874 „ 496 „ 
In 1875 „ 505 „ 
In 1876 „ 525 „ 
He holds 7 a. 1 r. 0 p. statute from Lord Bessborough. The 
holding is divided into four fields. In 1876 one was cropped 
with turnips and mangolds ; one was under oats, with which 
grass-seeds were sown ; a third was cropped with lea-oats ; and 
of the fourth one-half was under potatoes, and one-half in grass, 
which was cut and given to the cow in the house. The stock 
consisted of a cow and heifer, two brood sows and nine store pigs, 
about 60 poultry, and a pony. The land is clean and well 
cultivated ; indeed, the farm will bear comparison with a well- 
managed small farm in Belgium. Among the " rolling-stock " I 
observed : — 
£ s. d. 
(1.) A cart which cost 6 0 0 
(2.) A plough 2 2 6 
(3.) A convertible grubber 1 10 0 
(4.) A harrow 112 6 
(5.) A stone-roller 0 11 0 
(6.) Sundry small implements 10 0 
His neighbour, Patrick Ryan, who scored 505 marks, and 
whose farm is also a bona fide model, was also disqualified 
under the same rule as Doyle. On his holding of 5 a. 2 r. 36 p., 
there are implements to the value of 12/. 10s. The implements 
on our large farms do not on an average amount to more than 
20s. per acre, if so much. 
