Chapter Vii. Barony of Clonlisk. Sect. 1 Agriculture
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CHAPTER VII. BARONY OF CLONLISK. SECT. 1 AGRICULTURE The soil of this barony is of three kind, limestone gravel, bog, and a gritty clay, rather cold and heathy, it is consequently easily worked by cattle; cottiers tillage is most considerable; their plough is drawn by two horses; some of the gentry plough the moors with light heifers, but the two horse plough is in more general use; their tillage has not been considerable, and till lately, little more of each species of grain sowed than answered home consumption; but the high price of corn in latter years, has induced many to till, and they now sow a great quantity of barley, which supplies two very extensive distilleries in this barony. Their course of crops commences with turnips, which gives their sheep green food all the winter; next potatoes and wheat; barley and oats are the last crops, with which their ground is again let out into grass. The heavy yoke, which is so labouious to the hinder bullocks, is not used here, and the leaders swindletrees are very light, and supported by a bow from the neck of the hinder ones, yet this mode is capable of improvement, as being not altogether free from unnecessary labour to the hinder cattle; but there is very little ploughing with more than two heifers, or horses; the common Irish plough, which is badly proportioned, the old harrow and short spade, and their implements of husbandry. Their corn is generally threshed by the flail. ________ Lewis, Esq. of Myrtle Grove, has erected a threshing machine, worked by four horses, which threshes and cleans fifty barrels per day, of oats, and proportionably of other grain; it is after the Dublin Society's plan. As I have spoken of Mr. Lewis, and am under the head of tillage, I must not omit his great improvement and mode of reclaiming moor, on which he has successfully expended some thousand pounds; as also those of William Minchin, Esq. of Green Hills, who has a large tract of land in both this and the adjoining county of Tipperary. Those gentlemen have shewn their neighbours the practicability of making the choicest meadow of the moors, which stretch considerably to the northward; they begin by cutting drains about three feet deep, and eighteen inches wide, in dry frosty weather, and these trenches have a good fall; they next skin the surface pretty deep, and burn it in heaps, mix the ashes with a loamy limestone gravel, which here is abundant, and of the very best quality, being highly calcareous; sow a crop of turnips and rye grass about July; this ground now becomes worth four guineas per acre, in one season, though it never yielded six pence value before; the succeeding year it produces fine meadow, and the seed of the rye grass pays very well; if they are not anxious to have it in grass so soon, they give the ground the advantage of two or three successive green crops, which tillage and incorporation of compost the moors certainly require; no land, after this process, yields more valuable meadow, and naturally throws up white clover, and shamrock, in great abundance, and should it grow coarse, has in itself an inexhaustible source of manure, by burning again and tilling as before; but it is to be observed, this only is to be apprehended by too suddenly letting out into grass, for should it have the advantage of two or three vegetable crops, it never again returns to its original coarseness. I apprehend, were it frequently gravelled, after being reclaimed, it would be of the most certain good effect, as it is evident, the warm quality of the limestone best agrees with the moor, and by frequent strats laid on, it acquires such a steady sondidtency, as would, doubtless, insure its permanence. The distilleries are the chief markets for their oats and barley; what little wheat they have is sold in Roscrea and Nenagh. Their acre of oats yields ten barrels, and on an average of seven years back, was in value from five pence to eight pence per stone, this year not included; wheat acre from five to six barrels, at thirty shillings per barrel; barley from ten to twelve, at sixteen and twenty shillings per barrel; potatoes average two pence per stone, and no vegetable crop cultivated for winter food, but turnips. In the upper part of the barony, near Shinrone, their ground is first broken for potatoes, where they sow no other vegetable crop, and lay down with wheat, which is here in more abundance, but as you leave Tipperary side, the land becomes much lighter. MANAGEMENT OF SOIL. The soil of this country being peculiarly adapted to sheep walk, it ought therefore to be particularly our pursuit. Farms should be proportioned accordingly, in extensive walks, and the tillage principally confined to the moors: this would certainly insure a great portion of waste to be reclaimed annually, and to be made the most valuable and certain land, and the soil would, in a rapid process, be occupied by stock, for which, in every point of view, it seems particularly adapted; let your vegetable crops have a due proportion of the Swedish turnip, which will stand sound and firm long after the common field turnip is rotten and destroyed by the severity of the weather; but be careful to sow it early in May: in one respect only its management differs from the common turnip, that it is considerably heavier and firmer, than any other kind. There is ample work for the peasantry, in the reclaiming of bog or moor, if to a small portion of upland, which might be let to them, they had a range of bog, for so many years rent free, for the reclaiming of it, it would be a stimulus to their improvement, which is so peculiarly desirable in this country. SECTION 2 PASTURE. Their pasture is rich, and taken much pains with, and their breed of sheep is very good, and considerably improved; but in the upper part of the barony, the stock has by no means so good an appearance. Black cattle are also improving by the importation of English bulls of a fine breed, but not in the same proportion as the former; much yet remains to be done by better attention to stock, but at present the emulation is for the finest sheep: their breed of horses, near Tipperary county, is declining, as land is too valuable there to be appropriated to brood mares, but near Shinrone, they breed their own horses, particularly for the saddle, and have a very fine kind in this vicinity. Roscrea, and Nenagh, which are both situate in the county of Tipperary, are their market towns, and extremely well supplied, where also the farmer has a quick demand for all his commodities. Their general price of sheep, when shorn, is from twenty to forty shillings. The prices of black cattle are regulated by the price of beef in Cork and Limerick. Smithfield market regulates their sheep and black cattle, in spring. They fatten their bullocks, on an average, but to five cwt.; cows to four, and four and an half; when after the grass is consumed, they house the cattle and feed with distillery produce, which supplies a good deal of manure. Plough and milch cattle are housed from December to May. The number of bullocks and cows, fattened in this barony, do not exceed one thousand five hundred, but a great many of this number are slaughtered for home use, the country being much inhabited by gentry and wealthy farmers; but the sheep, sent to Dublin and Limerick, exceed fifteen thousand; however, the exact calculation of this cannot be formed, as so many principal seeders here have farms in Tipperary also, to which their stock is aften occasionally remove; an acre of sheep walk would be well stocked with four sheep, five are now called a collop, and till lately, that denomination included seven. White clover and tresoil are natural to this soil, and luxuriant rye grass, which has been introduced, agrees well with it, and as it comes in so early, is found very valuable; it is made into hay with very little difficulty. Gentlemen farmers are now much in the habit of saving it green, after the English fashion; the natural grass, being soggy and full of much herbage, is more tedious in its process, and requires much attention, in bad weather, to save it at all; but all is tramped in the field till the harvest is got up. The produce of their diaries is no more than answers family consumption, they being entirely in the feeding line, and their cattle being sent alive from hence, occasions but a small sale of hides or tallow, at home. Their wool is very fine and excellent, and for these some years past is regularly advancing in value, and bears the best price; it is now, previous to Ballinasloe fair, bought up from twenty-two shillings the stone, of sixteen pounds. The quantity sold is very considerable, and purchased by the manufacturers in Carrick-on-Suir, Limerick, or Cork, with whom they have a constant trade. They generally stone with two and an half fleeces, but, though this year's produce is esteemed light, Mr. Lewis, of Myrtle Grove, has stoned with two fleeces only, from the Leicestershire breed. In the upper part of the barony, the pasture is but light, and formerly there were largely diaries, but the high price of corn has induced the holders to till their land, which is principally under barley and oats, all of which two large distilleries, at Kilcommin, annually consume, and their wheat is sold at Mr.