PRODUCTIVE ECONOMY. 
considered too light and the climate too cold for its growth, has gained a footing in the parish, 
and is advancing in estimation. Green crops are also occasionally adopted. 
The natural meadow's, which are few, have been described in the botanical notice of the 
parish. Pasture is limited and forced. 
Artificial Botany , 8fc. Forced or sown meadows are far from general; when for cutting 
the first year, they are sown with perennial rye-grass and red clover, 1 bushel of grass seed 
and 121bs. of clover being generally sown on each Cunningham acre. 
When intended for grazing, white grass and white clover are sown, 4 bushels of the 
white grass seed and 61bs. of clover seed being allowed for each acre. 
It may be here remarked, that the grasses known by the name of white grass, which in¬ 
cludes holcus mollis and lanatus, are the most general, if not the only grasses sown on 
ground laid out for pasture, which is certainly more owing to custom than to their merits as 
superior grasses, for although they produce a considerable crop on light, sandy, and even 
more in damp, boggy ground, they are rather disliked by cattle, particularly by horses, as is 
remarked by Mr. Sinclair, ( Hortus. Gram. TBoburnensis, page 164), who recommends that 
hay made of these grasses should be sprinkled with salt, cattle preferring such grasses as have 
either a sub -acid or a saline taste. 
Nurseries constitute another branch of production, and from their increase it may be 
hoped that many parts of the parish will, at a future day, be ornamented by plantations. 
That on the townland of Ballymagowan, is the largest and longest established ; it contains 
an extensive collection of forest and fruit trees, with a few American plants, and flowering shrubs; 
there is one small glass-house, which contains a collection of geraniums, and other tender exo¬ 
tics. The forest trees consist of oak, ash, elm, birch, sycamore, beech, alder, horse chesnut, 
Spanish chesnut, with spruce, silver, balm of gilead, larch, and Scotch firs, all of which are sold 
at from 13 to 15 shillings a thousand, after being two years transplanted from the seed-bed; in 
all, three years old. The fruit trees are sold at about 6d. each ; ( i. e. pears and apples;) and 
among the apples, the kind called the may-bloom (probably the Irish codlin) is inmost demand. 
Peach and plum trees are sold according to then - quality and age. The grounds are but roughly 
kept, and the superior branches of nursery business indifferently attended to. 
That belonging to Mr. Hart on the townland of Shantallow is next in size, and contains a 
large collection of forest trees, which are sold at the same prices as above : there is also a small 
collection of flowering shrubs; the grounds are very rudely kept. 
Reid’s nursery, on the townland of Termonbacca, is the smallest and latest established ; 
besides a large collection of forest and fruit trees, it contains many flowering shrubs and flower 
roots, which are well cultivated. The forest and fruit trees are sold at the same price as at the 
other nurseries, the ground is neatly kept. 
Besides the trees sold at the nurseries, it is customary for the nurserymen to send in trees 
to Derry on the market days, which are generally sold by the farmers, when the largest, or 
those, which experienced planters would reject, generally find the readiest market. Some of 
those are brought from the neighbourhood of Strabane in the county Tyrone. 
The sale of thorn quicks, constitutes a considerable portion of the nursery trade; they are 
generally sold when two years old, one year from seed, and one transplanted from the seed bed, 
and sell at from 3s. (id. to 4s. a thousand. When at that age, they are used for what is termed 
ditch fencing, i. e. throwing up a ditch and laying the young quicks on their sides, in the face 
of it; others are sold when two and three years transplanted, which sell at from 10s. to 15s. a 
thousand, and are only used for planting on the level ground without any ditch. With the ex¬ 
ception of thorns, the nurserymen seldom raise their own seedlings ; they mostly import them 
from Scotland, where the nursery price is, (taking one year with another) for the different kinds 
of hard wood, from three to four shillings a thousand; spruce and silver firs, from 2s. 6c?. 
to 4s. a thousand ; scotch and larch firs, from Is. 3 d. to Is. 9d. a thousand; and such seed- 
lingSr^when no agreement with the Scotch nurserymen has been made to free their charges to 
Derry, will cost in expenses of carriage, &c. from Edinburgh to Derry, from Id. to 9d. a thous¬ 
and. It is the general practice, when a considerable quantity of different kinds of trees are 
ordered, to give all kinds, without exception, at the above stated prices, but when single thous¬ 
ands of good oaks, or Spanish chesnuts are ordered, they are charged higher rates, the oaks 
generally at from 17s. to 18s. ; the Spanish chesnuts from one guinea to twenty-five shillings. 
Most of the wood in this parish seems to have been planted rather with a view to ornament 
than to profit. The most common trees along the banks of the river Foyle, to the S. W. of 
Derry are beech, elm, sycamore, with some fine thriving ash in Termonbacca. Along the 
river side, to the N. E., are seen some good old specimens of Scotch and larch fir, and on the 
demesnes of Brook-hall, and Boom-Hall, are also some good oak, elm, and sycamore. 
In general, little spirit prevails among the inhabitants of this parish either for collecting the 
choicer flowers, or ornamenting their dwellings, although within the last few years a greater 
taste has been shown, and some few of the gentry have at considerable trouble and expense ob- 
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