40 
Irish Agriculture. 
of money among tlie farming classes, including those of the 
humblest rank, in all parts of Ireland ; and this state of matters 
has been materially assisted by the circumstance that, on many 
estates which remain in the hands of the original proprietors, 
the rents continue to be much as they were 20 years ago. Irish 
small farmers, for the most part, prefer to hoard their savings, 
and it is only when a son or a daughter gets married, and when 
their respective portions are forthcoming, that one is enabled to 
form some idea of the amount which has been quietly accu- 
mulated, as the result of great thrift, assisted by a low style of 
living, and very moderate ideas of what is usually considered 
comfort. Statisticians frequently refer to the increased amount 
of deposits in banks, by Irish farmers, as an evidence of the 
prosperity of the country, but these, I believe, fall short of the 
reality. Money is hoarded in out-of-the-way places, instead of 
being deposited in banks, of the solvency of which many appear 
to entertain considerable doubts. Money concealed in the thatch 
of a house, or in a straw mattress, does not fructify, as it would 
do if properly invested ; but with many this fact does not appear 
to have any influence. The idea of expending money on their 
farms, or, as it is said, " improving another man's land," would 
appear to them perfectly absurd. Whether recent legislation 
will counteract this feeling remains to be seen. 
The comparatively superior condition of the small farmers in 
Ulster has arisen, I believe, in a great measure, from the perfect 
sense of security they have long enjoyed in consequence of the 
Ulster custom of tenant-right, which, however, was not legalised 
until the recent Irish Land Act was passed. Still, it was re- 
cognised by proprietors and tenants, and acted upon whenever 
circumstances arose which led to a change of occupancy. On 
some estates the limit of tenant-right was fixed, so that it could 
not exceed a certain sum per acre ; in other cases its value 
fluctuated according as the times were good or bad. Whatever 
were the arrangements regarding it which prevailed on an estate, 
so long as it was recognised, it imparted confidence to the occu- 
pying tenant ; and, on the other hand, if a proprietor ab61ished 
it, as he had it in his power to do — the right not having been 
strictly legal — the condition of that estate underwent a rapid 
deterioration. 
The cultivation of flax has also been of much service to the 
small farmers of Ulster. This crop, being early harvested, and 
speedily brought into marketable condition by aid of the 
scutching-mills, of which there are 1409 scattered throughout 
the province, puts the growers in funds to meet their November 
rents without much trouble. It is now, however, the opinion of 
all who have carefully considered the matter, that flax-growing 
