The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-11
MEN ATrEMpr To K1DNAp Boy
AND BLAcKMA1L R1cH FATHER
Special Correspondence
5BALL1NA, County Mayo, Dec. l.

BALL1NA, County Mayo, Dec. l.
rT-HERE is unharpily no doubt about
the calamity that has befallen the
poorest folk OF Connaught, who are
the poorest in all Ireland. The situation
II, many parts of inner and wcll-nigh In
accessible Connaught Is grave In the ex-
IRENE, and what will happen few
months hence 1t Is appalling to contcm-
plate. s III
The potato crop has been pitlable fall
ure In great tracts whose tollers based all
their hopes for year ahead on 1t. The
turf or peat. which In fairly dry years is
a goodly source Of profit to many poor
people. remains wet and useless, swamped
hero and there III stretches OF dreary bog
land.
is the word that describes the
mental condition of the people In the
many quarters have explored so far
This Is the worst blow they have sus-
tanned since the great failure Of 1879,
which prepared the way for the Land
League. 5s5
Connaught clcrgymcn who have labor
cd among the. people for moro than a
generation, and who have a Vivid mem
Dry OF 10, assure me that the present
crisis Ia the worst OF the two. so far ns
Connaught Is concerned but this time the
trouble is more local than in TO- confined
to the Connaught seabonrd, and large IN !
land tracts,awith some exception, SUCH as
spots near Clifden. In the south, ana here
near Ballinn. In tho north. A
1t IS pathetic to notice how insistently
poor Connaught folk harp on the point
that the potato yield has been good this
year In other provinces OF Ireland. and
that consequently there is some hope for
sConnaughtSi In the way of supplies. There
are some however, who express tho fear
that tho others will hold their hands and
create such ''boon,'' In prices as will
leave unhappy Connaught no chance.
But, taking the hes 5view, the prospect Is
gloomy.
Peasants Poor Outlook.
When you ask where 1.-THE Connaught
peasant whoslives from hand to mouth,
and who virtually loses everything whe1,
the potato fails him, is to get the where
iwithal to buy from other quarters 6fl1rc-A
land, the answer Is generally perpl exing
God knows. ~ ~ 's
In localities II West z Mayo the potato
yield has been VIRTUALLY 81 none-not worth
digging. II fact, in places they gave up
digging In despair. In the Swim ford re-
gion some Of what were potato fields are
swamps at present In the bleak Erris
country there is keen suffering. n Further
south the tubers dug out . h many ln-i
stances have been black or ten. and
small at tho best, as
Z But. strangely enough 4 people here and
there are able to boast that they have
had admirable little CROPS, and specimens
aIshave8 seen SO far are excellent Boilcd$in
their Jackets, they break crisply and be-;
Y,,t,1
s.I.aughing potatoes. ' ' These, however,
are exceptions. Isl
s. The theory held in some quart ers is that
shelter. has saved and developed these
eSceptions but shelter seemingly has
strange val ries. &.5 a
8 A parish priest told me last night in
Erris that In his own little potato garden,
surrounded by a wall eightafeet high and
trees luxuriant for Mayo, the yield wa
not one-third the extent or quality Of
the previous years. 70 ~ NJ ID. NJ l5
The failure, so far us / have Sc en,tis not
TO be attributed to anything like tho
dreaded "blight"$thnt SO often has killed
the hope and brought to 2naught the work
of the irish farmer and peasant .""S Spray
ing and other scientific devices b were
tried this year in many stances, but nil
to noEpurpose. S
Havoc Due to 8 Storms.
The havoc Il is attributed mainly TO the
great summer storms culmindtlng In July:
and August. the .undulationsN Of the
strong stalks-for they We're strong and
promising --broke and opened the soil just
at the roots. and the crevices became fills
cd with water. to the destruction OF the
roots below. y IN &
1T Is an irony that in a certain way the
year has been good. The yield OF turnips,5
for instance. has been excellent III various
places / but this is poor consolat ton now to
poorest ConnauEht.
The potato, YOU are patheticiflly told,
feeds everybody and everything. When
tina falls the peasant all Is lost, NJ Pigs
fowls and 50 en- are being sold hal f-fat-l
tened, and at miserable prices, as there is
.nothlnE-t o feed thcln on q q nd the pea snnt