Arthur Young

Source: Arthur Young, A Tour in Ireland, 1776-1779 (London, 1780, this edition 1970)

Part of Tullamore is well built. I passed through it to Captain Johnston's at Charleville, to whom I am indebted for the following account of the husbandry of the neighbourhood.

Farms around Tullamore are commonly 100 to 300 acres, but some smaller, and some of 5 or 600. The soil is generally a dry sound gravelly loam, lets from 12s to 18s. average 16s. five miles every way around. Average of land let in the whole country 15s. exclusive of bog. He thinks that one-seventh of the county is bog or mountain; but the latter pays from is. 6d. to 3s.

They are exceedingly late in sowing, not finishing their wheat and here till after Christmas. They sow rape on low grounds by the edge of bogs, upon paring and burning for seed; they get 12 to 15 barrels an acre, worth from 12s. to 20s. a barrel. They sow it on the ground without covering after ploughing, and the rougher the land the better. Sow rye after it, and then oats, getting good crops; and lay it down with grass seeds from lofts, or ray grass, or clover and trefoile. For turneps on fallow, plough sometimes thrice, oftener twice, lay on no manure for them, nor hoe them, get very bad crops. If pare and burn they plough twice; but a penalty is laid of £5 an acre for doing it. They eat them with sheep both drawn and on the land. Very little clover sown. Flax is sown very generally, from patches up to three or four acres; they do the whole of it themselves, spinning and weaving. About Good Friday is the time of sowing; but later sown is bad. The sky farmers, (and often the better sort) that is the petty ones, let potato ground for it, at £6 an acre to cottars.

Great quantities of potatoes in the trenching way, and all the dung is used for them. A common way is, for the farmers to let them have land for nothing, upon condition of their dunging it, which all do that have not land of their own: if not, they pay from £4 to £6 dunged, or turnep land fed with sheep, which they prefer, the potatoes being drier and better. The apple potatoe is most esteemed, because they are great bearers, last through the summer, and have been kept two years. Not much lime used, having been tried, but has not answered; limestone gravel on lay to be broken up, has a very great effect. The expense lOs. or 15s. The grass is chiefly applied to heifers, or store bullocks; the first sold in small parcels at home, the latter at Ballynasloe or Bannagher. They buy them in at a year or two years old; the first 30s. to 50s. the latter from 55s. to 57s. Keep them a year and four or five months, or only a year: in a year they will make, by the first, 25s. to 30s. and from 30s. to 40s. by the others.

Wherever the land is good enough, a few cows bought in icr fattening, in May, at £ 1 15s. to £5 and sold with 40s. a head profit. The poor people all rear calves.

Many sheep bred; the best farmers breed and sell them fat in three years old, wethers at Michaelmas, from 18s. to 24s. if in spring, tram 24s. to 44s. Clip from 5 to 7 lb of wool.

The tillage is done by oxen, tour in a plough, not half an acre a day, the sky farmers sometimes will put one horse and a cow in. Oxen are reckoned best. They cut no chaff, but winnow in the field.

Hire of a boy, horse and car is. ld.
The shy farmer will take 40 to 50 acres, with 3 or 4 cows and a horse or two, and 55s. in their pockets. Tythes are compounded, 5s. for winter corn, 3s. for spring corn, 25s. 1000 sheep. Mowing ground, 5s.

Land sells for 20 years purchase, rack rent has fallen two years purchase in seven years, and the rent has fallen from 3s. to 5s. (sic) in the same time. No tea. County cess 6d. Very few middle men left. Cottages with half an acre, let for 20s. with two acres, which is common, 40s. No emigrations. Religion, lower classes all Roman. Not one cottar in six has a cow about towns; but in the country, about half of them have. Most of them have a pig, and much poultry. They are not more thieving than for a few turnips and cabbages for their own use, nor that to any excess. Many of the poor have reclaimed much bog, the premiums of the Dublin Society have induced them to do it: which are now 50s. an acre: by gradual draining, either from cutting turf, or making bounds, or from drainings purposely done, they get to peat, and burn it 4 to 6 inches deep, at 20s. an acre, and sow bere, rye, or potatoes; the bere does best, and next year another crop of corn; and then another burning, and 2 more crops, the potatoes are wet, but will do for seed, and they will escape the frost in a bog, when they are killed in the high lands. They pay nothing for the bog, having land adjoining.

They lay the bits down to grass, sowing seeds, but the crop is generally very thin and poor, and after a year or two, burn it again; sometimes put out a little dung or gravel on the grass, and plant it with potatoes. Some have put potatoes in upon a red bog, with no other preparation than laying a poor, sharp, sandy gravel on it, and got tolerable crops.

Mr. Johnston has cultivated cabbages for several years. In 1772, he had one acre, in 1773, 2 1/2, and since that, between 1 and 2 acres every year. The great Scotch sort which he saws in February, and plants out in 4 feet rows, and 18 inches, from plant to plant, the beginning of June. If the plants are not in the ground then, the crop will not be good. Ploughs for them twice, and dungs richly in the furrows. Horse-hoes twice or thrice, and hand-weeds them; they come from 5 to 121b., but have always began to burst in September. Has used them for fattening sheep, that would not fatten on grass; also for bullocks, which throve perfectly well, likewise the leaves (with great care in picking) to much cows, but the butter tasted. Finds that the principal use of them is for bringing on cattle that will not finish at grass, and to be used all before Christmas. Barley that has been sown upon cabbage land which succeeded potatoes, a vast crop, 24 barrels an acre. Turneps Mr. Johnston has had for these ten years, from 1 to 4 acres, and has always applied them to fattening sheep, for which purpose he finds them excellent; and best to feed in the field, because fast in the ground for the sheep to bite at, provided there is some grass for them to lie on.

Has deviated from the common late sowing of wheat, putting his in the beginning of September, and finds his harvest so much earlier, that his is in the haggard (reek-yard) when others are cutting.

His tillage he performs with only 2 horses. Mr. Johnston is a great friend to the Irish cars: He carries 10 to 12 cwt. of turf, 3 statute kishes of hard stone turf, each horse 10 turns a day, or 20 miles, and all done on grass alone.