Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-04-08 00:00:00

THE* AGRICULTURE OT IRELAND 4

THERE is perhaps no town in the United Kingdom
so deeply interested, commercially; in the Agriculture
of Ireland, as, Liverpool.. Its steam, trade with
Ireland owes its principal support, directly or
indirectly, to that source. The- agricultural; pro-
ducts of Ireland, of all descriptions, find an inlet to
the. English, market here, which. is of the highest
importance to all concerned. There are well
organised lines of steamers which find in such
products a never-failiiag, supply of freightage to
Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Belfast;. Drogheda, Dun-
dalk; Newry, Sligo, Westport, Ballina, Limerick,
and the- banks of the Shannon. These several
lines,. we find, paid dock dnes.here last year on
nearly a million-and a quarter tons of shipping,; and
taking into account but their goings and comings,
they represent a movement of about two ancla half
million tons of shipping and cargo. In addition to
-these steamers, there-is about half a million tons of
sailing coasters. Combined, these vessels supply the
means by, which Irish produce is brought to this
port; either for consumption among the manufactur-
ing and.,:labouring population of the North:: Western
and Midland districts, or tot be shipped', to our
Colonial and the.. various foreign markets. All
this produce that consists of provisions is,, of course,
agricultural. The progress. of Irish agriculture,
therefore, is a mutter in which, we repeat, Liverpool
has probably a greater interest than any other place
in her Majesty's dominions,,contributing so largely,
as it does, to its.commercial prosperity..

We have before us some recent statistical returns
relating to Irish agriculture which are practically
illustrative of the growing increase of some of its
principal products. It appears, for instange, , that
during the last four years the number of live stock
has increased in the, following numbers,—horses
54,430.; cattle 97,194,;- pigs 925,207. The money
value of these several items, of increase are, for
horses, £435,440 ;„ for cattle £631,761; ; for pigs,
£2Bl,so9,—making a total increase of money
value to the amount of about a- million and a
quarter sterling.. In sheep there has been a decrease,
which may be partly amounted for, we suppose, by
the fact of there having been more meadow and
clover culture, during the last two or three years,
devoted more particularly to horses and cattle, as
-being found more profitable. Of cereal crops, there
has also, been a decrease going on during the last two
or three years, amounting to as much, as 38,427 acres
in 1858. But in green crops there has been an increase
to the extent of 13,282 acres. From this it would
seem that the agriculturists of Ireland are paying at-
tention to the cultivation of those products which
find the most profitable markets, here in England,
and elsewhere out of their own country. With
respect to grain, indeed, we have ascertained from
other sources of statistical information, the imports—
wheat, barley, oats, rye, and Indian corn—have
lately amounted to as much as a million of quarters
in a year.

The Parliamentary return of the agricultural
statistics from which we obtain these particulars,
is a very valuable one, comprising, as it does,
estimates of the atea under each crop in 1856 and
1857, and the increase or decrease in 1857 ; propor-
tion per cent. of each crop to the entire extent under
cultivation in 1856 and. 19,67 ; counties in which the
extent under tillago increased in 1857 ; comparative
statement of thr, area and proportion of each crop
grown in Taeland. and Scotland in 1857 ; proportion
in every 100 acres of tillage under meadow and
I 0!-Jver and under other crops ; area under each crgp

for eves' year from 1851 to 1857 inclusive ; acreag
under wheat ud potatoes in each year, from 1847 to
1857 inclusive ; exi.knt under cereal and green crops,
&c., in 1856 and 1857, in each province, and in all
Ireland ; acreage under flax in each year from 1851
to 1857, and the increase or decrease between 1856
and 1857, by counties and provinces ; number of
holdings by classes in each county and province, and
the increase or decrease in each class in the latter
year; number of holdings and extent of land held
by the several classes of landholders in 1857 ;
average extent of the holdings in each class in
1856 and 1857 ; average size of the farms in each
class, exclusive of bog and waste lands ; area under
each crop on the several classes of holdings, and the
proportion it bears to every 100 acres under cultiva-
tion; number of holdings in each province in 1841,
1851, and 1857, according to the classification of
the Census Commissioners of 1841; area, estimated
total produce, and estimated average yield per
statute acre, of the principal crops grown in each
year, from 1851 to `1857 ; total estimated produce of
the crops, and estimated average produce per statute
acre, by weight and measure, in Ireland and Scot-
land, in 1857. Number and ages of the several
descriptions of live stock in 185 G and 1857, and the
increase or decrease in the latter year; numnber of
each description of live stock in 1841, and in each
year from 1851 to 1857 ; value of each description
of live stock in 1841, 1851, and 1857, by` provinces ;
value of each description of live stock- on holdings
above one acre, classified as in the census repert of
1851 ; also the average value on each holding; value
of the live stock on the several classes of holdings,
and the average value per holding in 1855 and 1857 ;
value of live stock by counties and provinces for each
year,. from 1853. to 1857, and the'increase or decrease
in 1867. These miscellaneous, details, it will be
observed, are brought down no later than to 1857;
but the tabular returns of the number and value of
live stock, and of the extent of land under crops,
include the years from 1855 .to
,1858 s.•
There is one great obstacle to improvement in the
condition of Irish agriculture, which' the Registrar
General, whose returns- we have been- considering,
thus reports upon;—" As regards the condition of
Irish agriculture, I' beg to state that I continue to
receive communications from various- quarters
relative to the pernicious growth of weed t- which is
unfortunately so prevalent throughout the. country
and an anxious desire is generally expmssed for
some lowfslative measure to protect the improving
farmer who cleans his land from, the injury done to
his crops 'by the winged seeds of noxious- weeds
carried br the wind from the field-of some negligent
neighbour. Such a protection is afforded to the
cultivator of the soil in some of her-Majesty's colonies
and in parts-of Europe' The fact is, we believe,
that the slovenliness in Irish farming-that used to be
so prevalent all over the-country, had the effect,-for
a long' time' past, of letting noxious- weeds get so
much a-head of the lazy efforts to keep them down;
that the land, in• many situations,. became quite
overrun with' them;' and their seed ismow a terrible
pest to • those who are making such laudable-
exertions to 'keep their lancUelean,--a precaution, as
every pod• farmer well knows, that is-indispensable
to his success. Let us hope that the Legislature
will not hesitate to • deal with it, if necessary, as.
suggested, above.