The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-22
IRELAND FACES FAMINE.
Crops Rot in the Fields and Land
lords Press For Rent.
OUTLOOK THE WORST SINCE 1847.
Parish Priests Tell of the Disasters Fallen
Upon Fsrmers-Haryest q Total Fail
ure-Fourteen Counties Suffer-Pota-
toes, Oats, hay and Flax Are Ruined
starvation Thought to Be Impending.

Starvation Thought to Be Impending.
LONDON, England (By Cable).-A panic is
fast proclaiming itself throughout Ireland
over the terrible prospect opened up by
the apparently complete failure OF the
harvest.
Reports from 10 parish priests from
Counties Glare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick,
Tipperary, Antrim, Armagh, Cavan, Derry,
Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Monaghan
and Tyrone, all tell the same piteous story
Of ruined crops, impending destitution and
famine. Blight has everywhere wholly or
mainly destroyed potatoes, while oats,
which Is the next most essential crop to the
Irish farmer, have been battered down by
incessant rains and practically destroyed.
Cries of warning to the Government are
rising in crescendo scale from all parts OF
Ireland. They are not confined, as In former
years Of distress, to the congested districts
on the western seaboard. From Mullingar,
one Of the most prosperous parts OF the
raldlands, q correspondent telegraphs:
"The crops are now irretrlerably de-
stroyed. It will be impossible for the
farmers to make anything OF their cereals
this year, as they are quickly rotting. In
the churches prayers for fine weather were
recited, and II a change does not come i'm
mediately the crops might as well be left
to manure the ground"
From County Wexford, noted as one Of
the richest In the country, the tidings are:
"The green crop may be described as
gigantic failure in County Wexford this
year. The greater part OF the potato crop
Is only fit for feeding CATTLE"
From Fermanagh, in Ulster, the corre-
spondent telegraphs: "At q meeting held
here to ask for reduction in rents, the
parish priest, presiding, declared that not
since black 1S47 has the prospect for farm
ers in this district been so bad. In several
places the potatoes have been failure.
Hundreds Of tons Of hay have been ruined
by the heavy rains and foods"
From Carlow, known as "the model
county" a despatch says: "There Is before
our farmers an outlook as disastrous as 1t
Is possible to conceive owing to the fright
full weather. A great deal of the corn cut
early remains In the stalks, injured beyond
recovery. In many districts the farmers
have been unable to cut their crops, which
present the saddening spectacle OF being
ievelled to the earth by the persistent rains,
while mass OF second growth and weeds
has come up. The apprehensions concern
ing potatoes also have been dismally real
tzad."
At n meeting of the Board Of Guardians
at Mitchellstown, County Cork, the Chair
man said: 1.-THE potato crop Is generally
failure, while the other crops have been
hopeessly injured by the unparalleled in
clemency Of the season. We are on the
verge Of great agricultural crisis. The
outlook in farming affairs is gloomy In the
extreme, and to aggravate the condition OF
affairs caused by the failure OF the potato
crop, the prices Of provisions are consider
ably increased, and before long the people
who are supposed to contribute to the poor
rates would be in warehouses themselves"
The Irish Government has adopted no
measure yet to cope with the threatened
famine.
Complaint is heard from the most dis
tressed districts Of the country that land
lords are pressing for their rents to secure
whatever little money the tenants may
have In savings banks, knowing that moth
ing will be left before the winter Is half
through.
The weather shows no sign Of improving.
Rain continues and the temperature has
fallen to an exceptionally low point for this
time OF year. The outlook for Ireland Is
one Of despairing blackness.