prompt them to pursue this very profitable branch of rural economy. I wish I could add that the proper rotation of crops steadily followed this good beginning, but I have seen few instances in this or any other part of Ireland, where the alternate course has been undeviatingly pursued. Perhaps a rotation of three years has been once or twice attempted, but either from the supiness of the proprietor, or too often the ignorance or perverseness of the old-school steward, has seldom had a fair trial: it is something like the improvement of bog; a few years back a great splutter was made;-Mr. Elkington was brought over from England, paid one hundred pounds a month and his travelling expenses, and we heard of nothing but the improvement of bogs, yet little was done; and now we hear complaints made of the expense of reclaiming bog. Improvers of bog are generally too impatient; they begin to be a little sore when they have laid out some money, and see nothing immediately coming in, and frequently leave off just when they should go on with spirit. Most of the gentlemen I have mentioned cultivate Norfolk, Swedish, and other kinds of turnips, generally in drills; they also usually plant rape, vetches, and many have begun to propagate mangle wurzle, but little or no carrots or parsnips for cattle: in bog I should prefer Fiorin grass to any of them. At Mount Bellew, the grass of the plantations, and after grass of the lawn, are used for soiling through the winter, with very beneficial effects, for dairy cows and other stock. If any person should hesitate to admit that cattle to a great extent can be not only fed but fattened, by soiling in the house in summer, I must refer them to the account of Mr. Muir in England, who fed to a state of great fatness 240 oxen by soiling in summer, and by the work of one scythe: considerable injury may arise

from the indolence of the feeder, who, if not closely watched, will, to save himself trouble, lay in a large quantity of green food at once; in a short period this ferments, and is refused by the cattle. The proper method is to employ one man with a small wickerd cart, that will contain only as much as will give some to each beast, fresh and fresh, is the fattening principle of feeding, and also prevents the danger of hoving; but attention must be paid that even this is not carried too far to save trouble. There is no farming servant so difficult to procure as an attentive and intelligent herd. I must also refer my readers to the soiling system, that is now actually carrying on to a great extent, by Mr. Curwen of Workington; he has successfully tried it with all kinds and ages of stock; but every agricultural pursuit of that gentleman is on a great scale, and carried on with a spirit and indefatigable activity that, I fear, will have but few imitators in Ireland.

CHAPTER III.

SECTION I.

PASTURE.

PASTURE occupies by much the greater part of the lands of this county, and varies infinitely from the rich feeding grounds of Ballydonnelan and its vicinity, to the light, heathy sheep walks which occupy so large a tract of dreary country, ten miles square at least, between Monivae and Galway, and extending for many miles into the county of Clare. Between Tuam and Castlebar the land is light and sound, and lets, or did let in 1814, on an average for about 34s. per acre. At present, (1823,) probably from 15s. to 20s. would be as high a rent as the present depressed state of agricultural affairs would permit for those lands. Between Cahir, Morris, and Shruel, mostly light sheep walk, with a little very bad tillage. A considerable quantity of pasture is obtained from the different Turloughs, especially that of Turloughmore, which extends from Claregalway to near Tuam; they feed seven or eight sheep to the acre for about four months, the remainder of the year they are generally under water. There is also an extensive country of many miles between Athenry and Ardrahan, and stretching down to the sea at Kin

vara, chiefly occupied by sheep, and a little tillage, mostly wheat. Between Croghwell and Galway, for several miles square, pasturage is the general occu→ pation of the ground; here too there are some spots of tillage producing excellent wheat, but often a fallow. Almost the entire of the baronies of Ballynahinch, Ross and Moycullen is pasture; in the vallies there are many patches of tillage, and about the town of Moycullen a large quantity of excellent wheat is produced for Galway market. There is also along the sea coast, from Galway to Cunnamara, a good deal of tillage produced by manuring with sea weed chiefly, and sometimes by a very productive coraline sand; there is also produced here, for Galway market, a large quantity of very early potatoes, called windileers, resembling, if not the same as the Wicklow bangors. The surface of the three mountain baronies, before mentioned, is chiefly covered with heath, intermixed with large proportions of a plant called black keeb, and another species called white keeb, both I believe are carex; the first continues green through the winter, the other does not; the mountains where the first prevails are let much higher than where the last predominates; the mountain that produces black keeb, I understand, uniformly produces white ashes when burned, the contrary takes place where the white keeb prevails; here the ashes are red or yellow, and produce excellent crops after burning, but unfortunately the running-out system is always pursued. The pastures of this county are greatly neglected; if they are dry grounds they are frequently covered with heath, small thistles, dwarf briars, (which you will often see covered with sheeps wool,) and all sorts of weeds usual in such soils. In moist pastures they are delivered down from generation to generation, full of swamps covered with rushes, and other per

nicious aquatics; and this shameful neglect is frequently to be seen on the lands of very wealthy graziers. I must confess, did I possess property in this county, I would reject all proposals for a renewal from such characters; it would be a prudent method for landlords when they have proposals for their ground, to look at the farms of such proposer, and reject all negotiation with him where his ground was not well drained, his fences in perfect order, and his gates and farm buildings in good repair. It is very much the custom in this county for graziers to add farm to farm to a great extent, and much beyond their capital, and even without looking at them; they send their wise man to view them, and on his report they propose a rent; if possible they will get permission to burn the land from weak, needy proprietors, or their ignorant agents, (who should be called receivers of rents,) and after taking crop after crop until they completely exhaust the ground, they send a notice of surrender, or expect an abatement of the rent: though they have not liberty to burn they frequently take it, and as perhaps the rent is regularly paid in Dublin to an agent who never sees the ground, no discovery is made until the mischief has been done, then probably a lawsuit commences, and it is so difficult to prove the burning, that the defendant, surrounded by his own creatures, often succeeds; besides, even if he has been obliged to pay the penalty, he is still in pocket from the high prices he will receive during perhaps five or six years.