The Prize System as applied to Small Farmers in Ireland. 431 
His holding now consists of 5£ acres of reclaimed bog, and of 
a tract of the bog in its original or natural state. 
When he got into possession, an acre and a rood of the bog 
had been reclaimed ; and the rent at the time appears to have 
been fixed by putting 11. on the reclaimed part of the farm, the 
unreclaimed part having been given free. The rent has not been 
raised since. The moral security of tenure which has prevailed 
on the estate induced him to reclaim, piece by piece, A\ acres of 
the bog at a heavy application of his own labour. He divided 
it into squares by cutting deep open drains. He dug a large 
quantity of clay from the subsoil of the cut-away bog, and 
applied it to the surface of the peaty soil. 
He made a pathway, or what he calls a road, by putting a 
layer of branches of trees and bogwood on the bog. In reclaim- 
ing the bog he cropped it first with potatoes, and, as a rule, the 
second crop was also potatoes ; after which it was sown with 
oats and seeds, or oats alone, according to circumstances. He 
thus literally created a fertile soil on the top of 20 feet of bog. 
At the time of my visit in 1873 he had neither a cow nor a 
heifer. He has now a suitable cow, and a heifer 18 months old. 
In 1873 his dwelling was in a wretched state, one end of it 
being used for a cow when he was able to keep one. There 
were no farm offices, except a rude piggery. He has been im- 
proving ever since, and now there is a suitable cowhouse which 
was erected in 1876, and which is built of stone walls and a 
wooden roof. A piggery has been built at the end of it. 
The part of the kitchen which used to be occupied by the cow 
has been separated by a nice wooden partition, and used as a 
dairy or store as required. A new chimney has also been put 
into the house. 
The crops last year were : — 
Potatoes 
Turnips 
Oats 
Grass 
Total 
The oat-crop is given to the fowls, of which about 100 £ s. d. 
are kept ; and the return from which in the twelve 
months was 21 12 0 
(I do not take into account the eggs used by the 
family.) 
2 pigs sold for 121. 0s. Od.) 
Cost 21. 0s. Od.) „, ir n , 9 4 0 
Indian meal 16s. Od.] Lbs - UA J 
Milk and butter from the cow, say 10 0 0 
Carried forward 40 16 0 
A. 
R. 
p. 
1 
2 
20 
0 
1 
0 
1 
2 
20 
2 
0 
0 
5 
2 
0 
