Irish Agriculture. 
63 
the county of Limerick that land which is worth 50s. an Irish 
acre makes the best dairy land ; when the value is SI. an 
Irish acre, the land is used for fattening cattle ; while if the 
value is under 30s. an Irish acre, it is usually pastured by sheep 
or voung store beasts. 
A new form of dairy farming is springing up in county 
Limerick, and some other of the south-western districts, on 
small low-rented farms, especially in the hilly parts of the 
country, which formerly produced potatoes and oats, or grazed 
a few sheep or young beasts. Tliese farms are now laid to grass, 
and from 3 to perhaps 5 or 6 milch cows are kept, according to 
the extent of each holding. Under these circumstances a sys- 
tem of mutual co-operation has sprung up, which is carried out 
in the following manner : — -Three farmers. A, B, and C, club 
together, and one week A churns, getting as much butter from 
B and C as will fill the firkin. Next week it falls to B's lot to 
churn, and in like manner he is supplied by A and C, and so on. 
In some cases each keeps the price of the firkin which he has 
churned ; in other cases they divide the money, according to the 
quantity of butter each brings into the general stock. The 
principal drawback experienced in carrying out the system arises 
from the quality of each contribution of butter not being always 
alike, and this leads to frequent quarrels among the wives ; 
but notwithstanding this source of disagreement, the system is 
becoming very general in county Clare, and different parts of 
county Limerick. On large dairy farms in Limerick, &c., the 
SAstem of letting cows to dairymen has become more general 
than it was at one time. On good land the price rates from 10/. 
to 12/. per cow. The dairyman gets grass for hay, but he is 
obliged to save it ; also land for potatoes and oats, and a run for 
geese, pigs, and lambs free. The rise in wages, and the great 
difficulty experienced in getting skilled dairymaids, has materially 
favoured this system of letting cows ; for the man acts as herd, 
and his wife as dairy woman ; and if they have daughters, or 
other female relatives, they assist, and thus secure among them- 
selves what would otherwise be expended in wages, while the 
owners of the cows are saved the trouble and annoyance of 
attempting to manage a lot of intractable "dairy-girls." 
One of the greatest drawbacks that small farmers in all parts 
of Ireland labour under when they engage in dairy farming, 
is the want of houses of a proper description to keep the milk 
before it is churned. Their little barns are usually employed for 
that purpose ; but it is impossible to preserve the milk from dust 
falling into it from the roofs of such buildings. This lack of 
accommodation renders it sometimes necessary to keep the milk 
in some apartment of the dwelling house, occasionallv even a 
