Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-01-15
Mptes Of Trarelim Gnrupe,
OBSERVATIONS ON IRELAND.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.]
BY REV. r. LATHAM.

BY REV. R. LATHAM.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.]
The question is often asked, elbow do the
Irish live?" This is not an idle question,
but it is naturally suggested by all the cir
cumstances in the case. The whole island
contains only 20,S15, ,460 acres, and nearly
one-seventh part of this area is covered with
bogs. In addition to this, a large amount OF
the surface of the country is mountainous
on the borders, and rendered unfit for cult
walton. It may be safely said that the cul-
tivable surface of Ireland does not exceed
100000 acres. The population of Ireland,
according TO the census of 1881, is 5,746, ia.
Divide the whole number of acres in the
island by the whole number of the popula-
ton and we get fraction more than two
and siX-tenths acres to each inhabitant.
Perhaps Ireland has an inhabitant for every
two acres of tillable soil on the island. The
question, "How do the Irish live ?" is, it
will be seen from this, a proper one. AT
one time, the population of Ireland was
nearly twice as large as it is to-day, and the
area of cultivable land much less. The area
of cultivable land in the State of South Car
olina is as great, if not greater, than that OF
Ireland, while the population is only about
one-sixth as large.
At present, the Irish are largely engaged
in stock raising. Of the whole island, only
about five millions of acres are planted in
crops, while ten millions of acres are devot-
ed to pasturage. The farms in Ireland are
small-very small-when compared with
farms in our country. They vary from less
than an acre to more than five hundred acres.
teen hundred on the island. The greatest
number of farms contain more than thirty
acres and less than fifty. The number OF
very small farms-those containing less
than five acres-is gradually decreasing. In
1S41 more than Une-half of Ireland was en-
braced in, as they say, holdings, varying in
size, from less than one acre to five acres.
Those small farms or holdings were ruined
by the potato blight of 1S47. The tenants
were unable to pay the rents, and all that
could, left the country. The houses in which
they lived are still standing, but without in
habitants.
The tendency, for perhaps near half cen
fury, has been to increase the size of the
farms or holdings as the population de-
creaSes.
The agricultural products of Ireland are
wheat, oats, barley, rye, here, beans, pease,
Since 1S47 there has been an annual falling of
in the cultivation of wheat. This is true
with regard to the cereals, but of none is it so
remarkable as of wheat. In 1880 Ireland
produced only about four million bushels of
wheat, or less than one bushel to each in
habitant Flour and wheat are shipped
from various parts of the world, and SO cheap
is the freight that flour sells for less in
Ireland than it does in our Southern mar
kets. Wheat is taken across the Atlantic
on the ocean steamers for the nominal sum
thirty-six cents per ton of twenty-five hun
dred and forty pounds. The result is that
comparatively little wheat is produced in
Ireland.
The year 1S47 seems to have been kind
of revolutionary period in the agricultural
history of Ireland. In that year more than
seven hundred thousand acres were soWn in
wheat; at present there are less than one
hundred and fifty thousand. The falling off
in oats has been about one half, the decrease
in barley has been very little, while rye has
fallen off about one third. Bere, which, SO
far as I could discover, differs nothing from
barley, and from all that could learn differs
only from barley in that it has six rows in
the head or ear, is at present cultivated
only to limited extent The cultivation
of beans has increased. In appearance the
beans of Ireland are very unlike those in our
country. I was told that they will not
grow in any part Of the United States. In
some parts of Canada they do we'll. The
Irish bean grows on stalk which attains
about three feet in height. The pods which
contain the beans are short and larger than
any that grow in our country. think that
beans are largely cultivated by the poorer
classes of the people. The beans are white,
at least what I saw were white, and / was
told that they are very strong food. Horses
are fed upon them during the winter season.
In Ulster province flax is more largely cul
tivated than in any other part of the island.
In fact nearly all the flax produced in Ire
land is produced in Ulster province. In 1880
there were in all Ireland less than one hun
dred and fifty-eight thousand acres cultivat-
ed in flax, and nearly one hundred and
fifty-three thousand were in Ulster.
Turnips and potatoes are largely cultivat-
ed in every section of Ireland. In our
Southern country turnips are usually soWn
during the month Of August. In Ireland
they are soWn in the month Of May. Gen
orally, they are planted in rows and careful
ly worked; rarely are they soWn broadcast,
as we do. The heat of the sun is not sutfi-
cient to kill the young plants, as it would do
in our southern country.
In Ireland very little attention is paid to
vegetable gardens. Cabbage is planted ev-
erywhere all over the potato fields. The
edges of the potato beds are planted in cab
bage, and wherever there is miss in the
bed cabbage is planted. 1t is eaten by the
people as we eat it, and is fed to the stock
in winter. In appearance, in taste, and in
it's nature, Irish cabbage differs very much
from that grown in our country. 1t is not
SO large, does not "head up" as we say, and
in taste it is milder. In fact, l could scarce
ly tell, from the taste of it, that it was cab
In tod fn, in, nrt
at least, from the fact that the cooking of
cabbage in Ireland is very different from
what it is in our southern country. We boil
cabbage with fat bacon-the fatter the bet
ter, we think. The Irish boil it with beef.
| confess | did not relish it. The greatest
difference that l observed between cabbage
in Ireland and cabbage in America, is that
in Ireland it takes part ftWo years to make
cabbage. The plants are 'set out" as we
say, in the spring of one year, and the cab
bage are ready for use during the summer of
the next year.
Large quantities of hay is produced in
Ireland. The greatest difficulty the farmers
have to contend with in raising hay is the
want of sunshine to cure it. In addition to
this, it rains great deal in Ireland and the
hay is liable to be damaged by rain.
The cultivated land of Ireland, generally,
is very highly manured, and the yield of
those crops which are adapted to the soil
and climate is proportionaly great. The
soil is we'll manured and it is we'll cultiva.
ted. The mode of tilling the soil in Ireland
is not practical in our southern climate.
Were we to manure our fields as heavily as
the well-to-do farmers of Ireland manure
their fields, we would make nothing. Our
climate is too dry and our summer suns are
too hot.
The average yield of potatoes to the acre
in Ireland is about twelve thousand pounds,
or five long tons. Here it may be mention