THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES - I i / / v , - t I r STATISTICAL SURVEY COUNTY OBSERVATIONS THE MEANS OF IMPROVEMENT ; Dufclm BY THE REV. JOHN DUBOURDIEU, RECTOR OF ANNAHILT. PRINTED BY GRAISBERRY AND CAMPBELI NO. IO, BACK-IANE. 1802. "V* TO THE READER, This REPORT is at prefent printed and circulated for the purpofe merely of procuring further infor- mation, refpeding the ftate and hujbandry of this diftrift, and of enabling every one interejied in the welfare of this country , to examine it fully, and con- tribute his mite to its improvement. 'The Society do not deem themfelves pledged to any opinion given by the Author of this Survey; and they deftre, that nothing contained in it be con- fidered as their fentiments ; they have only pub- lifhed it, as the report of the gentleman, ivhofe name is affixed, and they publifh it, for the com- ments and obfervations of all perfons, which they entreat to be given freely, and without referve. It is therefore requejied, that the obfervations on reading this work may be returned to the Dublin Society, as foon as may be convenient, and which will meet with the fullefl attention in a future edition. ' PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. &#*& . / SO many circumftances have confpired to imprefs the neceffity of an increafed attention to agriculture, the purfuit is now become fo faftiionable, and fo much has already been writ- -. IP * ten in recommendation of rural economy (de re Ruftica), that any additional argument in favour of this fubjeft feems to be fuperfluous. I fhall therefore only 'obferve, that, if thofc gentlemen and farmers, inhabitants of this county, into whofc hands this Report may fall, {hould find in it only what is familiar to them, they will have the goodnefs to attribute that to the nature of the undertaking, and to confider it as a proof of its fidelity ; and fliould they find it deficient, they will attribute that deficiency to the difficulty of obtaining accurate information upon fo great b a V a variety PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. a variety of points, and not to any want of dili- gence in the reporter. If the readers, who are not of this county, fliould be difappointed in their . ideas of variety of information on rural fubje&s, from a country fo populous ancT fo rich as the county of Down, that they muft attribute to the mode ofjroccupation, the farms being generally Jmall, and, in moft inftances, held as merely fub- fervient to the manufacture of the county. At the fame time I mud obferve, there are many ,/perfons, gentlemen and farmers, who are bright examples, both of attention and Ikill, in every branch of rural economy. . i.: 1,1 .-'" 7 ;J SUGGESTIONS SUGGESTIONS OF ENQUIRY FOR GENTLEMEN WHO SHALL UNDERTAKE THE FORMING OP GEOGRAPHICAL STATE AND CIRCUMSTANCES* V - Situation and Extent, Divifions, Climate, Soil and Surface, Minerals, Water. AGRICULTURE. Mode of culture, Extent of it, and of each fpecies of grain fowed, Courfe of crops, Ufe of oxen how harnefTed, Nature and ufe of implements of husbandry, Markets for grain, Ufe "of green food in winter. PASTURE. Nature of it. Breed of cattle how far improved, - how far capable of further improvement, Markets or Fairs for them, General ., SUGGESTIONS General prices, Modes of feeding how far houfed in winter, Natural graffes, Artificial grafTes, Mode of hay-making, Dairies, their produce, Prices of hides, tallow, wool, and quantity fold. FARMS. Their fize, Farm houjjjB and offices, Mode of repairing them, whether by landlord or tenant, Natuijdf of tenures, General ftate of leafes, f of particular claufes therein, Taxes or Cefles paid by tenants, Proportion of working horfes or bullocks, to the fize of farms, General fize of fields, or enclofures, Nature of fences, Mode of hedge-rows, and keeping hedges, Mode of draining, Nature of manures. GENERAL SUBJECTS. Population, Number and fize of villages and towns, Habitation, fuel, food and cloathing of the lower rank their general coft, Price of wages, labour and provifions, State of tithe, its general amount on each article what arti- cles are exempt, and what charged by modus, Ufe of beer and fpirits whether either or which is increafing, State of roads, bridges, &c. .. of navigations and navigable rivers, of Jiftieries, OF ENQUIRY. State of education, fchools, and charitable inltitutions, of abfentee and refident proprietors, of circulation of money or paper, of farming or agricultural focieties, of manufactures, whether increafing, of encouragement to them, and the peculiair aptnefs of the fituation for their extenfion, of mills of every kind, of plantations and planting, of the effects of the encouragement heretofore*^ven to , them by the Society, particularifed in the lift annexed. of any improvements which may occur, for future en- couragement, and particularly for the prefervation oiL the trees, when planted, of nurferies within the county and extent of fales. Price of timber andftate of it, in the county, Quantity of bog and wafte ground, Poffibility and means of improving it, Obftacles to it and beft means of removing them, Habits of induftry, or want of induftry among the people, The ufe of the Englifh language, whether general, or how far increafing. Account of towers, caftles, monafteries, ancient buildings, or places remarkable for any hiflorical event, Churches refident clergy, glebes and glebe houfes, Whtther the county has been actually furveyed, when and whether the furvey is publifhed. Weights and meafures, liquid or dry in what inftances are weights afligned for meafures or 6. Foflils, ,'-'* :' "* k ^. - 7. Mineral Waters^ 8. Waters, - - Page. i 2 5 7 ii J 3 18 23 CHAP. CONTENTS. CHAP. II. , . STATE OF PROPERTY. Page. SECT. I. EJlates, and their Management, - 29 2. Tenures, - 30 3. Rental, - " 3 1 \ CHAP. III. BUILDINGS. SECT. i. Houfes of Proprietors, - -32 2. Farm Houfes and Offices, &c. - 32 3. Cottages, 36 CHAP. IV. MODE OF OCCUPATION. SECT. I. Size of Farms, r , *'i.'*" 39 Character of the Farmers, - - 43 2. Rent in Money, in Kind, in perfonal Ser- vices, ----- 44 3. Tithes, - -45 SECT. CONTENTS. 4. Poor Rates, 5. Leafes, 6. Expenfe and Profit ', . - CHAP. V. IMPLEMENTS, 4 8 CHAP. VL INCLOSING. SECT. i. Fences, 2. Gates, 62 CHAP. VII. ARABLE LAND. SECT. i. Tillage, ;.. V, -'' ,' 6 2. Falloivingy . U *3;i /r- ^> 7 3. Rotation of Crops, - - - 68 4. Cro/j- commonly cultivated; their feed y culture, produce, &c. , ' :r ^ - 7 - S- Crops not commonly cultivated, - CH4P. X ii CONTENTS. CHAP. VIII. GRASS. Page. SECT. I. Natural Meadows and Grafts, * 117 Improvements, - - 119 2. Artificial Gra/es, - - 120 3. HayHarve/t, > '. - 125 After-graft; and catalogue of gra/ts, 128 4. Feeding, - - - - CHAP. IX. GARDENS AND ORCHARDS, - -14$ CHAP. X. WOODS AND PLANTATIONS, - >V * ' -. - I4p * CHAP. XI. WASTES, - . ' CHAP. CONTENTS. CHAP. XII. , IMPROVEMENTS. ' Page. SECT. I. Draining, - _ 17-5 2. Paring and Burning, - - ~ J 7> 3. Manuring, - - - 177 4. Weeding, - . - - -187 5. Irrigation, - - - - ib. CHAP. XIII. LIVE STOCK. SECT. I. Horned Cattle, - ^.vriiY^S' - 194 2. /fcr/fcf, - ^-v,^.:. - 203 3. Sheep, - - 204 4. Hogs, - t * _ . 2 o6 5. Rabbits, - - 2O7 6. Poultry, - - - 208 7. Pigeons, - ^ fi . 2 op 8. CHAP. CONTENTS. CHAP. XIV. RURAL ECONOMY, Page. SECT. i. Labour , Servants, Labourers, Hours of Labour ; - - - 2 1 2 Proviftons, Fuel, - - - 210 CHAP. XV. * POLITICAL ECONOMY, AS CONNECTED WITH, AND AFFECTING AGRICULTURE. .. ' SECT. i. Roads, - - --* - - 218 2. Canals, - - 223 3. Fairs, - - i'. 4. Weekly Markets, - ^- 224 5. Commerce, - - - * 225 6. ManufaEiureSy - - ' ! - - - 226 7. Population, . - - 243 CHAP. XVL OBSTACLES TO IMPROVEMENT } INCLUDING OBSERVATIONS ON AGRICULTURAL LEGISLA- TION AND POLICE, . - 245 CHAP. CONTENTS. XT CHAP. XVII. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS, THAT HAVE NOT BEEN PARTICULARLY ADVERTED TO IN THE FOREGOING CHAPTERS. SECT. i. Agricultural Society , - ^ 2. Weights and Meafures, - * 3. Fi/heries, - - - - 4. Refident Landed Proprietors, 5. State of Education, - - " 6. When and by whom this County was furveyed, - *. - - 254 7. Mills, - - 255 8. Taxes or CeJJes paid by Tenants, - 257 9. Different Acres by which Land is let, ib. 10. Ejfeffs of Premiums offered by the Dublin Society, - - - 258 11. Claufes in Leafes, - 259 12. Language ef the Inhabitants, - -260 13. Ufe of Spirits or Beer, - - ib. 14. Prices of fame Articles of landed produce, - - - - 261 15. Harnejjing Oxen, - - - 263 Conclufton, - - - 265 4PPENPIX. CONTENTS. APPENDIX. Antiquities, Page. - 269 SECT. I. Thofe compofed of Stone, of Pagan origin, and which are fuppofed to be the mojl ancient^ - - -_ - 270 2. Thcfe which are to Appearance formed of Earth t and have at leajl the fem- blance of fitperior Civilization; as Mounts, &c. - 274 3. Mono/tic Antiquities, - - 280 4. Military Antiquities, - 291 5 . Detached pieces of Antiquity, that have been found in different places, 301 6. Some particulars of the State of the County of Down, in the years 1635 and 1657, - - - ' - 307 7. Some injlances refpecling the Antiquity of the Linen tnanttfacJtire in Ireland, 311 8. Some notice refpecling the Natural Hif- tory, ancient as well as modern, of this county, - - - - 312 9. Of raiftng White-thorn hedges from cut' ting*, both of branches and roots, 318 STATISTICAL STATISTICAL SURVEY COUNTT OF DOWN. CHAP. I. GEOGRAPHICAL STATE AND CIRCUMSTANCES. * SECT. I. Situation and Extent. -L HIS county is bounded on the eaft and fouth by St. George's Channel, on the weft by the county of Armagh, and a fmall part of Louth, from which it is feparated by the river of Newry, on the north by Carrickfergus bay, the county of Antrim, and a part of Lough Neagh, which it fcarcely touches. Its greateft length, from Point Cranfield in the fouth, to Gray Point, its moft northerly extremity, is nearly v forty Irifh miles ; but from Lifburn bridge in the weft, - to Dundrum in the eaft, it is not more than fixteen. The fifty-fourth degree of north latitude pafles clofe to Point Cranfield, and the fixth degree of weft longi- . SURVEY > * t Afc* | tude a little A> the -weft of IJilKborougH.- It contains by eftimation 344,658 Irifli, or 558,289 Englifti acres. SECT. 2. Divi/ions Civil and Ecclefiaftical. The civil divifion of the county is into the following baronies : Ardesy containing about 30,000 acres, and the towns of Newtown, Bangor, Donaghadee, Portaferry. Coftlereagh, about 62,560 acres, and the towns of Cumber, Saintfield, and Hollywood. Ditfferitiy 9,280 acres, amj ( the town of Killileagh. Upper Iveaghy 66,049 a cres, and the towns of Loughbrickland, Rathfryland, CafUewellan, Rofstre- vor, Banbridge, Scarva, &c. Lower Iveaghy 56,800 acres, contains the towns of Hillfborough, Dromore, Moira, Magheralin, Waring*s- toWn, and Gilford. Kinalartyy. 26,180 acres, contains- the towns of Bally nahinch, Clogh, and Seaford. Lecahy 32,100 acres, contains Downpatrick, the county town, Strangford, Killough, Arglafs, and Dundrum. Mourne, 30,000 acres, and the town of Kilkeale. And the Lord/hip of Neivry> 9,500 acres, with the ivoted town of that name. The fum of thefe makes 322,469 acres, Irifli mea- fure, which taken from 344,658, the contents of the county OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 3 county at large, leaves 22,489 for the different bays, lakes, &c. It is generally fuppofed, that the county of Down was reduced into fhire ground in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and at the fame period divided into baro- nies. It is probable alfo, that the different propor- tions, which each barony pays towards every ioo/. to be levied off the county at large, were fettled at the fame time. The proportions are as follow ; and, when compared with the number of acres as flated above, may give fome idea of the comparative cultivation at the time of making this regulation. ' * Ardes, - 14 17 i CafHereagh, - - - 16 5 o Dufferin and Kinalarty, - 11.1711 Upper Iveagh, - -1500 Lower Iveagh, - - 18 3 9 Lecale, - - - '14150 Newry with Mourne, 9 i 3 Total, ,. It is worthy of remark, that according to this afleff- ment Lecale pays within thirty /hillings of the fum paid by Caftlereagh, although the former has not much more than half the contents of the latter, and in proportion as much unprofitable land; whilft 3 confiderable part of Caftlereagh is in quality equal to B 2 the 4 STATISTICAL SURVEY the befl parts of the county. This difference mufl have arifen from the more early fettlement and con- fequent cultivation of Lecale. Its fituation, difficult of accefs, when' ; once poffeffed by the Englifh, mufl: have given a degree of fecurity to the perfons and properties of the inhabitants, which they feenfcto have enjoyed fooner than the reft of the county, it having been finally fettled about the middle of the fixteenth century , but long before that time, in the beginning of the twelfth century, a number of Englifh gentlemen under Sir John de Courcy were planted there. Ano- ther circumftance muft have contributed to give this barony a fuperiority over the reft of the county at 'a very early period ; great part of it was portioned out in the different monaftic eftablifhments, which were certainly attended with this benefit, a more improved cultivation, not only from the fuperior knowledge of the ecclefiafti^Sj but from their mode of life, which was in general exempted from the interruptions, to which other proprietors were fubje& ; and thofe, who lived under them, were better protectell by the prevail- ing religious tenets of thofe times. To fay that the ecclefiaftics poffefled more knowledge at that time than the reft of mankind, is not faying too much for them. The ecclefiaftical divifion is into the two bifhoprics of Dromore and Down ; the firft occupies the weftern part of the county, and contains in it twenty-one parifhes; OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 5 parifhes; the fecond, ,to the eaft, contains forty-two. The boundaries of each diocefe, with the fituation and denomination of the parifhes, may be feen by in- fpefling the annexed map. SECT. 3. Climate. THE climate of this county refembles the reft of Ireland in its variability; but, in general, it is not fub- jet to extremes. It feldom experiences a long con- tinuance of dry weather in the fummer months, or of frofty weather in winter ; and Chriftmas often finds the fields ftill cloathed in green. Our two fevered months are commonly the two firft of the year, and fometimes the third is nearly confumed, before it can be faid that the rigour of winter is paft. In fpring the prevailing winds are from the eaft, and, at that period, generally bring fair weather with them, and prepare the ground for feed ; nor do they entirely give way to the genial breezes from the fouth and weft, until May is far advanced. Dry weather does not feem to be attached to any particular point of the compafs ; fome of our longeft droughts have been with fbutherly winds ; and, although the weftern are the moft violent, and molt impregnated with moifture, yet very ftrong gales, and heavy falls of rain, from the beginning of December until February is paft, come from the fouth- eaft: 6 STATISTICAL SURVEY eaft: thefe gales are often preceded by flight frofts, which quickly thawing, and afcending early, are the forerunners of tremendous ftorms of wind and rain from that quarter. In juftice to our climate I muft not omit the month of October, which, after the fub- fiding of the equinoctial gales, offers fome weeks of clear and mild weather, which, probably, we prize the more, from the dread of approaching winter ; and, al- though the north winds are the leaft prevalent, yet, after this month, at the breaking up of the weather, fome days, very tempeftuous, are ufual from that point; from which, likewife, proceed heavy falls of fnow, and the moft lafting frofts. The influence of the fea air is very ftrongly felt upon the coafts, where the froft is neither fo hard, nor of fo long continuance, as in the inland parts, where the ground is fometimes fo hard as to prevent the plough from going, whilft in Lecale, and other maritime diftricls, it is fufficiently open, to permit every agricultural operation to be car- ried on. Fogs are not frequent, except in the vicinity of the mountains, which, in general lying on the coaft, are fo well ventilated, that little inconvenience, and fcarcely any damage, is experienced from them. Upon the whole, the climate of this county 'is amongft the moft wholefome. From the fhape of the grounds, the water runs off after every fall of rain with quicknefs, and feldom ftagnates in any confiderablc quantity; and the foil) in moft parts, not being retentive, and having an OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 7 an underftratum of rock or gravel, the moifture eva- porates fpeedily. Inftances, and thofe not a few, might be produced of its falubrity, from the longevity of many of its natives, to which the hitherto conflant fupply of fuel from the numerous, though not exten- five turf-bogs, with which the country is flrewed, mull greatly contribute. But, notwithflanding what has been faid of the general wholefomenefs of this climate, the obfervation of a celebrated Irifh phyfician feems to be founded in fa6t, that a long courfe of dry weather in fummer, or of frofts in winter, are produ&ive of diforders. After a continuance of fuch weather, low fevers are more common, than in the ufual moift ftate of the air, to which the conftitutions of the inhabitants feem habituated, and to whofe health a certain portion, probably, is neceffary. With refpeft to the fruits of the earth, extremes, either of wet or dry weather, feem to be unfavourable, as the years of 1799 and 1800 were equally unproductive; the crops of both years not equalling that of 1801, which feems to have enjoyed that happy medium of wet and dry, fo favour- able to vegetation. ^ / '"" . SECT. 4. Soil and Surface. IN a country of fuch extent as the county of Down, a great difference of foils mart be expefted; and, in reality, 8 STATISTICAL SURVEY reality, it contains every gradation, from fandy lcam to ftrong clay; but the predominant foil is a loam, not of very great depth, but good in quality, and in moft places intermixed with a confiderable quantity of ftones of every fize, which is not to be wondered at, as, from the general rockinefs of the ground, quarries are to be met with near, or at no great diftanc?, from the furface in every part. This loamy foil is of dif- ferent depths and qualities in different places, and in- cumbent on different fubflrata, which much affift its powers of production : when clay is the fubftratum, the loam, partaking of its nature, is much ftronger, more retentive of water, more difficult to improve and manure, but, when brought into cultivation, its pro- duce is more confiderable, and fuperior in its kind. As the fubfoil approaches to an hungry gravel, or what is termed /*'//, which feems to be an earth impregnated with ochreous particles, the loam lofes greatly of its fertility, and, unlefs it is conftantly manured, and its nature changed by the mixture of fome corrective, it is a moft ungrateful foil to the farmer. Clay does not occupy a fpace in this county of any great extent ; it is moftly confined to the eaft coaft of the Ards, to the parifhes of Donaghadee and Bangor, and to the north part of the barony of Cafllereagh, which lies in the latter parifti. Thefe lands are of a ftrong and good quality, requiring a high degree of manure, but repay- ing gratefully the expenfe and trouble laid out upon them. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 9 them. The grain produced in this diftrift is excellent, and I am informed, upon good authority, that, -in the parifti of Bangor, oats may be fown, without change of feed, or fear of degenerating, for any length of time. Other portions of clay there are fcattered in different parts, but not of fufficient confequence to be particularly mentioned. Of fand the quantity is very fmall, confifting of a few (tripes, fcattered along the -different fhores, of which the moft confiderable is that on the bay of Dundrum. Part of this is culti- vated, part under rabbits and grazing ground, and part of it confifls of fand-banks, which lie upon the bay, and, continually fhifdng, preclude all attempts towards improvement. There is, likewife, a finall tract of fand lying to the fouth of the Lagan, which continues, with fome interruption, from the neighbour- hood of Moira towards Lifburn, and thence to that part of the parifti of Lambeg, which is in the county of Down , this, however, having a covering of loani for fome depth, is excellent, and, when well farmed^ .is very productive, with this advantage, that it is managed at lefs expence of labour than any of the foils above-mentioned, is earlier fovvn, and the grain earlier rifes, and, confequently, fooner out of danger. The crops of wheat, when properly prepared for, which is generally by a potatoe fallow, are equal in quantity, and little inferior in quality, to that of the beft loam or clay. Gravelly foils, foils intermixed c with io STATISTICAL SURVEY with water-worn ftones, and whofe fubftrata are of the fame nature, are fcattered in many parts, but do not, in general, lie in any confiderable contiguous tracts. Moory grounds are moftly confined to the fkirts of the mountains; and bogs, although they are frequent, are not now, as bogs, objects of improvement, for they are fcarcely fufficient to form a fupply of fuel to the numerous inhabitants in their vicinity. . , To thefe foils may be added the rich and deep loams on the fides of the different rivers, which are amongft the moft valu- able, as they yield, every year, a luxuriant crop of grafs, without the affiftance of manure, and which amount to a confiderable number of acres. I muft not omit that fmall tract of loam, incumbent on limeftone- gravel, peculiar to the neighbourhood of Moira and Magheralin : this is, by many, fuppofed the moft pro- ductive foil in the county; this opinion is juflified by the fize of the timber, which is of larger growth about Moira than in any other part, Waringftown excepted. In defcribing the foils of this county, it would be moft difficult, and, indeed, immaterial, to mark exactly, where one begins, and the other ends ; and in this {ketch nothing more is meant, than to exprefs the dif- tinguifhing qualities of each, nor can it poflibly be ex- pected, that every particular place, which has any pe- culiarity, can be taken account of; to prefcribe the moft judicious method of cultivating and improving them, would be a work of much more utility. Surface, OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 11 Surface. If inequality of furface is eflential to the beauty of a country, none can boaft a ftronger claim to it than the county of Down : it contains every defcription of fuper- ficies ; the plain, the detached hill, the ranges of hills, the mountains, all contribute to form a variety mofl interefting to the beholder. The plains are moftly confined to the banks of the rivers, the hills occupy the greateft portion, and the lofty mountains are clofely thrown together in the fouthern quarter, whence they afford a ftriking feature, and are nearly taken into every extenfive profpeft this country furnifhes. This inequality of furface is ufeful as well as ornamental ; it facilitates the running off of the waters, and enables thofe occupiers, who live on the fides of rivers, to ereft their dwellings out of the reach of floods, which here are not only harmlefs, but improving, whilft other ountries feverely fuffer under their annual ravages. SECT. 5. Minerals. COPPER ore has been found in feveral parts of this county. In the mountains near Rofstrevor, about five miles to the north-eafr, in the bed of a rivulet, copper c 2 ore jut STATISTICAL SURVEY ore was picked up many years ago, as mentioned in the Hiftory of the County of Down, but no further, fleps were taken than to afcertain that it was fo, by fending it to be tried in Dublin. It has likewife been found in the rocks near Portaferry, and alfo in the kad-mine at Clonligg, between Newtownards and Bangor. Lead. At Killough, near the quay, fpecimens of rich lead- ore have been found interfperfed amongfl the rocks j it is very heavy, and very bright, but, as it lies within half tide, it cannot be wrought but with great difad- vantage. From trials made many years ago, this ore appears to be of that fort, which yields half its weight in good metal. Lead has alfo been found on the Blundel eflate, within half a mile of Dufldrum, amongft the rocky grounds, a little under the furface. This mine was formerly worked, and given up after a con- fiderable fum was fpent on it. Several veins have been difcovered on different parts of this eflate, which are fuppofed to be branches fpreading from a main body, which, if found, might well repay the trouble and expence of fearchmg for it. This ore is faid to have been rich, yielding nearly one-half its weight. Wear Portaferry feveral veins of lead ore, I am in- formed, have been found. The lead mine in the mountain, or rather hill of Clonligg, between New- townards OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 13 townards and Bangor, feems to have had the faireft trial of any mine in this county; many tons of lead were raifed from it fome years ago, and a confider- able fum expended by the proprietors, and a company, who undertook it ; but, after various attempts, it has for the prefent time been given up. A vein of the fame kind of ore has been found in the demefne of Sir James Blackwood, at Ballyleedy, and two veins of lead have been lately difcovered on Lady Roden's eflate, not far from Bryansford, which, I underftand, pro- mife well. No iron mines have been found, but ochreous earths abound in many places, and every at- tempt to find coals has hitherto proved unfuccefsfui. SECT. 6. Foffils. * THERE are feveral quarries of remarkable fine free- Hone in this county; the principal are thofe of Scraba, near Newtown, and that of Kilwarlin to the fouth of the road from Hilliborough to Moira. That of Scraba is a very fine grained and clear-coloured (tone, and the deeper it is funk, the better the quality of the ftone. The quarry of Kilwarlin produces flags of a very great length and breadth, of different colours, from the clear . ftone-colour to a brownilh red; the former are very fuperior in beauty and hardnefs. A ftone of uncommon dimenfions, taken from it, is to be feen 14 STATISTICAL SURVEY feen as a ftep to the communion-table of the church of Hilliborough; it is twenty-one feet in length, and two in breadth. Slates are raifed in the following places ; from Bangor to Ballywalter, of a great fize, and excellent metal, rather heavy, but which ftand the weather very well; alfo in the parifh of Doomarah, not far from HilHborough, at Annahilt, and near Ballynahinch. Thefe quarries all produce flates when funk to a proper depth, which, if they do not equal thofe im- ported from Wales in lightnefs and colour, exceed them very much in hardnefs and durability. Befides thofe above mentioned, there are numerous quarries of this ufeful material in other parts of the county, which require nothing |iore than to be worked with fkill and honefty, to fupply the wants of the circumjacent country in that neceflary article; but where, from want of (kill, the blocks are not raifed of a proper fize, and the flates, from want of honefty, are broken to encreafe the number, we need not be furprifed that thefe quarries do not fucceed. Limeftone is not very general ; very large blocks of a yellow kind are in great abundance near Cultra, on the jfhore of Carrickfergus bay ; likewife at Carthefpie, on the fliore of Strangford lough, near Comber, there is a reddifti coloured granular limeftone, very hard and fparkling; but the great, and probably inexhauflible magazine of this moft ufeful foflil, is found in the vici- nity OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 15 nity of Moira. This feems to be a continuation of that body, which, with little interruption, is to be met with along the coaft, from Magilligan in the county of Derry, following the headlands of the county of An- trim, to that range of mountains, which run north of Lifburn, and thence turning towards the weft, it is loft after traverfmg the fertile grounds of Magheragall and Soldierfton, in the gently Hoping hills, which overhang the river Lagan between Moira and Magheralin. The quarries in that neighbourhood are very near the fur- face ; they confift of horizontal ftrata intermixed with flints, in fome places ftratified, in others in detached pieces of various forms and fizes ; it is common to fee three of thefe large flints, like rollers, a yard long, and twelve inches each in diameter,* ftand perpendicularly over one another, and joined by a narrow neck of limeftone, funnel fliaped, as if in a liquid ftate they had been poured into a cavity made to receive them. Shells of different kinds are found in this ftone; ,and I once faw part of a rib bone exactly refembling the rib of a cow, taken out of a block of this white limeftone, which was as hard as marble. The marine exuvia; found in hills fo many miles diftant from the fea, and fo many feet above its furface, muft be a very intereft- ing fubjecl of contemplation for thofe, who are engaged in any of thofe philofophical fefts, that upon hoftile * Several are in the yard of the Society. In 16 STATISTICAL SURVEY principles endeavour to account for the various changes this globe has undergone. In a drain, which runs from one of thefe quarries, a body of red .and yellow veined marble has been cut through, which promifes to polifh well, and will pro- bably prove an acquifition. Quarries of a blackifli and very clofe grained ftone are opened, in feveral places, in contact with the limeftone j they are very hard, and ftand the hammer remarkably well. Granite is to be met with in detached mafles, and of various colours and fmenefs, in many parts of this county, but, as a great body, it is confined to the barony of Mourne, the lordfnip of Newry, part of Upper Iveagh, and a very fmall portion of the barony of KinaUrty. As the granite country is approached from the different points of the compafs, a few ftones of this fpecies are perceived in the fields and ditches ; by degrees thefe grow more frequent, and the com- mon flaty ftone of the adjacent county decreafes, until at length they are nearly loft, and almoft every {lone on the furface is granite, and every rock is of the fame. The granite country begins on the eaftern coafl, about a mile beyond the village of Dundrum ; from thence it continues in an oblique line north-weft to the moun- tain of Slieve Croob, where in the eaftern branch of die rirer Lagan it is intermixed with the flaty rock, and alfo with a beautiful and fine grained reddifli grit, that gives a very fmooth furface, when applied to a grinding OF THE COUNTY OF pOWN. 17 grinding (lone, and lies in feparate blocks of many tons weight ; from hence it turns to the weft, along the top of Slieve-na-boly, where it takes its courfe to the fouth-weft, and afterwards through the parifties of Drumgoolan and Drumballyroney, to the lordfhip of Newry, which it alfo traverfes, and at length joins the granite hills of the county of Louth. Notwithftanding granite is the predominant ftoue in the diftricT: I have pointed out, it does not entirely exclude the fchift, or flate, which is often feen in contact with it, and raifmg its head from a furrounding mafs of the former, which itfelf is again entirely inclofed, or fet in fchift. From thefe mountains flow the two principal rivers of the county, the Bann and the Lagan, befides Newry river, and various fmaller ftreams. Quarries of this ftone are opened in many places, particularly In the neigh- bourhood of Newry, Rathfryland, and in different parts along the face of the mountains ; from the little river of Annalong there is an exportation to other parts on the coaft. This county likewife abounds with many other kinds of foffils, clays of different finenefs, marie, limeftone gravel, &c. Upon the whole, the county of Down, from the nature of its rocks, and from the minerals already found, feems to deferve the attention of an able mineralogift ; it has already been traverfed by a very induftrious one, whofe labours I dare fay will be productive of bene- fit, by pointing out many ufeful fubftances, which have hitherto been looked upon with neglect. D SECT. i8 STATISTICAL SURVEY SECT. 7. Mineral Waters. THE mineral waters of this county are of two kinds, chalybeate and fulphur. The chalybeate are numerous ; thofe, which are known, amount to eight, namely, i. Ardmillan, on the lough of Strangford, in the parifh of Tullynakill , 2. Killaghee, three miles weft of Donaghadee; 3. Granlhaw ; thefe two are both in the barony of Ardes ; 4. Kirkdonnell, about three miles north-weft of Newtown ; 5. Magheralin ; 6. Dromore ; 7. Newry ; and 8. at Tierkelly, two miles from Rathfryland. Thefe waters differ from each other, chiefly in the different degrees of ftrength of the mineral impregnation. They are all, except Newry, ftrong chalybeates, as appears from their fer- ruginous tafte, the purple colour they ftrike with galls and fumach, the blue tincture they exhibit with log- wood, and the ochreous contents they yield by evapo- ration. The following account of experiments made on feveral of them is taken from the Hiftory of the County of Down-; they were made in May 1743, I have not heard of any further trials fmce that period. Newry fpa was examined the fourth of May, on' the fpot, at one in the afternoon ; and it ftruck a delicate purple with galls, and a deep violet, or blue, with log- wood ; hence it is a chalybeate, though of the weaker clafs i however, it is confiderable enough to deferve notice, OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 19 notice, for it depofits an ochre, which upon calcination turns red, and is attracted by the loadflonej and moreover it yields by evaporation a greater proportion of contents than the famous Tunbridge wells. For, as that yielded two grains and a quarter from a quart, this yielded almofl three grains from the fame quan- tity. Dromore fpa flood (for by cutting a drain it has dif- appeared) in the town by the river fide, with an expo- fure to the fouth ; but being covered with an arch and trees, the fun had no power over it. Its tafte was ftrongly ferruginous, and it flruck a very deep purple with galls, and a light blue with logwood ; a light purple with brandy and rectified fpirits of wine j all evidences of an impregnation with iron, and it ap- peared to have few other contents ; for it made a lather with foap, and did not curdle milk boiled with it, and by the hydrometer it appeared to be of the fame fpecific gravity with the water of the neighbour- ing river. Its operation was purgative, and it was often drank with fuccefs in the gravel,. Granfhaw is one of the richeft chalybeates in the county, as appeared by an examination made May 20, 1743, at fix o'clock in the evening, (a time of day the lead advantageous for thefe trials) when it ftruck a deep purple with galls, not far different from ink ; and it is covered with a thick fcum, white and yellow, and, by evaporation yields five grains of ochreous fedi- D 2 ment merit from a quart, which is a greater quantity than the celebrated Aftrope water yielded, and more than double what Tunbridge water affords from the fame quantity ; by comparifon made with the fimple Englifh chalybeates, it appears to be of the fame ftrength as the flrongeft of them. It retains its qualities after being kept a fortnight, and has been prefcribed fuc- cefsfully, as it fits lightly on the ftomach, and pafles off quickly ; and has been found ferviceable for the gravel. Killaghee water lies about three miles almoft north of the former ; the tafte and fcum appeared to be the fame as at Granfhaw ; it ftruck a deep purple with galls, but not fb quick, nor fo much tending to black as the other. Upon trial thefe waters have been found to bear carriage to Dublin, and, after having been kept a month, to retain all their diftinclive quali- ties, their aftringent and ferruginous tafte,' and their {hiking the fame colours with galls and logwood ; fparkling in the glafs, and not the leaft fetid. This experiment proves, that our indigenous waters might be tranfported to Dublin, and to other places, and drank there to advantage, provided the fame care was taken in bottling, corking, and rofining on the fpot 1 , as was taken in the two cafes above mentioned. Tierkelly water is alfo a very ftrong chalybeate, as ap- pears from its thick blue fcum, from its ftriking a claret colour with galls, and a durable blue with logwood ; whilft OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. at whilft it appears by thefe trials to be well faturated with iron, it is otherwife exceedingly light, and free from any conliderable mixture of heterogeneous mat- ter. This water does not appear to have been much ufed, but from feveral cafual trials has been found effectual for the fcurvy, both internally and externally wfed. Befides the chalybeate waters this county pof- fefTes, there is another kind much more rare, and more worthy of attention, as it is in many cafes attended with great virtues 5 this is the fulphureo-chalybeate water of Ballynahinch ;. this water rifes about two miles from the town, towards the north-weft, on the Jkirts of Slieve Croob mountain. It is very clear, cold, and .of a very difagreeable tafte and fmell, like the fulphureous water of Aix-la-Chapelle. The quan- tity taken from three pints to, three quarts ; it fome- times vomits, and fometimes purges, but thefe effects are accidental, as its chief operation is by urine. Its virtues referable thofe of other fulphureous waters, particularly in its efficacy in fcorbutic diforders j it is applied outwardly as well as taken inwardly, great be- nefit often arifing from bathing in it. The impregnat- ing principles of this water will appear by the follow- ing experiment made on the fpqt and in Dublin, above fixty miles diftance, after being taken up eight days. A filver fixpence, being immerfed in it for the fpace of twelve minutes at the fountain head, came out partly of a leaden, and partly of a copper colour. That, which was 22 STATISTICAL SURVEY was tranfmitted to Dublin, became of a dufky brown and yellowifh colour, being hurt by carriage and hot weather ; but it (till retained its fulphureous fmell, and heightened the colour of gold and of copper. - As moft of our fulphureous waters bear carriage, if they were carefully bottled and corked, and brought cool, they might, no doubt, be conveyed to any diftance, without diminution of their virtues. This water is alfo impregnated with iron, as it gives the purple colour with galls, and the blue with logwood, fo that there is a combination of both minerals in it. Six grains of iediment, obtained by evaporating three and one -half pints, yielded a brackifh and bitter tafte, made an ebullition with oil of vitriol and fpirit of fait, fparkled much, flunk, and burned on a hot iron ; and an infufion of it in diflilled water exhibited the fame appearances with oil of tartar, per deliquium,. arid milk, as the bitter purging fait does -, fo that, befides ful- phur - and iron, there is alfo fome calcareous nitre, though not in quantity fufficient to make it; a purging water. Upon the whole then, to advance the credit of our domeftic mineral waters, feems an object wor- thy of attention, by Ihewing, that they poflefs all the eflential ingredients of the foreign ones, that, mixed ; with certain fubftances, they excite the fame appear- ances, and laftly, that the virtues of each are found to be much alike, and that, confequently, ours may, in mofl cafes, be happily fubftituted in their room, thereby putting OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 23 putting the benefits to 4 be obtained from them within the reach of ten perfons for one, that is now enabled to enjoy them. We may add to them an alum fpring, in the townland of Clarn, to the weft of Clough, on Mr. Forde's eftate ; the ftrength of it has not yet been afcertained by any trial. SECT. 8. Waters. BESIDES the four principal rivers of this county, the Bann, the Lagan, Newry, and Ballynahiuch rivers, few countries abound more in fprings or running ftreams ; for, exclufive of fuch brooks as have their fources on the fides of hills, there are many others, that ilTue from lakes, which are not only ferviceable for domeftic ufes, and for all the purpofes of huf- bandry, but are likewife eafily 'adapted to machinery, and are, in general, from their nature, particularly fa- vourable to the art of bleaching, in all its branches. The rapid fall in the rivers of this country makes them much left advantageous, when viewed in the light of waters fitted for navigation, than as powers capable of fetting at work the machinery required in a manufac- turing country; in this line the Bann ranks foremofl, whether we confider the length of its courfe, the quantity of its water, or the number of bleach-greens eftablifhed on its banks. The eaftern and weftern fources 24 STATISTICAL SURVEY fburces of this river take their rife at a fmall diftance from ekch other, in that part of the mountains of Mourne called the Deer's meadow, and, after diverg- ing from each ether, join a little to the eaftward of Rathfryland, -where it becomes a large river, flows through M'Cay's-bridge toBanbridge, thence N.N.W. by Sea-Patrick and Hall's-mill, to Gilford and Porta- down, where it makes a noble appearance, and, after a courfe of near thirty miles, falls into Lough Neagh near the Bann-foot ferry, in the county of Armagh. Near Portadown it is joined by the Newry Canal, which unites the bay of Carlingford with the above- mentioned lough. The river Lagan rifes in two fmall ftreams ; the eaftern fource fprings from that part of the mountain of Slieve-Croob, which lies in the barony of Kinalarty; the weftern from the mountain of Slieve-na-boly, in the barony of Upper Iveagh; they unite a little to the north-eaft of Waringsford, from whence it flows to the north-weft through the town of Dromore to Gill- hall, and, being there augmented by another rivulet from two loughs fouth of Dromore, pafles in a north- wefterly direction under the bridges of Donoghclony, Gihon, and Magh'eralin, where it turns^ north-eaft, and rolls on until it arrives near Moiraj flows next under Spencer's-bridge, the Maze-bridge, pafles through a fmall part of Lifburn, Drum-bridge, Shaw's-bridge, and, at length, under the bridge of Belfaft, where it empties OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN, 2; empties itfelf into the bay of Carrickfergus, having run in the whole, after various windings, a courfe of near thirty miles from its fource. Newry River, or, as it is otherwife called, the Water of Newry, promifed, and for ages performed, as little as any ftream in Ireland. It is neither confiderable from the length of its courfe, there being but a few miles from its fource to its fall, nor from its fize ; and, with refpeft to its body of water, it was only navigable in confequence of the tide flowing up, and, of confe- quence, only fo long, and fo far, as it flowed. It rifes near Rathfryland towards the weft, and in the barony of Upper Iveagh ; taking firft a fouth-weftern courfe, then tending to the north, runs under Crown-bridge and Sheep-bridge ; it then turns nearly weft, towards the valley which feparates Down from Armagh, where it takes a fudden turn to the fouth, and foon after runs into Carlingford bay. The canal has taken away thofe impediments, which were irremediable in the river of Newry, and, by" joining this river to the Bann, has opened a communi- cation with Lough Neagh, by *which veflels of fifty and fixty tons pafs through the heart of Ulfter. This affords a direcl inftance of what has fo often been laid down upon the fubjeft of canals, that, by a junction of loughs and rivers, through the interpofition of ju- dicious and well executed cuts, many parts of this kingdom may, at no immoderate expence, be rendered, E in '*6 STATISTICAL SURVEY in this refpeft, as commodious as any in the world; the beneficial confequences of this canal being feen, and confidered, is a ftronger elucidation of this matter, than any words can afford. Whilft I am on the fub- jeft of canals, it may not be improper to mention, that the good effefts of the canal from Lough Neagh to Belfaft are, in a great meafure, loft by the manage- ment of that part of it, which runs from Lifburn to Belfaft. The original defect feems to have been, from the idea of making the river Lagan navigable, which, having a fall of fo many feet, and being a mountain river, and, of courfe, fubject to great floods, is the moft unfit that can be imagined for the purpofes of naviga- tion, being a great part of the year rendered fo, by the burfting of its banks, whofe breaches cannot be re- paired without draining a level, and interrupting the pafTage of boats; befides the expence incurred by con- tinual repairs. Had a canal been executed between the towns above mentioned, without any connexion with the river, and with the fame fkill as the part lat- terally finifhed, the benefits would have been great in- deed, and the communication certain and fpeedy; but, as matters are fituated at prefent, more time is con- fumed in the paflage up the river Lagan, when there is a pafTage, than would be fufficient for the whole, on a well executed and level cut. Leaving this naviga- tion, therefore, in the unfinifhed ftate, in which it is, rauft be not only a public lo/s, but a lofs to the pro- prietor; OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 37 prietor; and it would be an undertaking worthy fome perfon of weight and influence, to reconcile, if poffible, all interefts, and finally to complete fo ufeful a work. Ballynahinch River rifes from four different (burces, each of which UTues from a feparate lake ; thefe four branches united form a pretty confiderable river, which taking a courfe E. S. E. by Ballynahinch, Kilmore, and other places, falls into the fouth-weft branch of Strang- ford Lough. There are many other ft reams of lefs note in the county, which it would be unneceflary to mention, but which, in their courfe, are productive of many advan- tages, turning, as they flow, mills of every denomina- tion, that are in ufe in this country, and which are ca- pable of doing ftill morej which capability, as we in- creafe in wealth and induftry, it is to be hoped will be turned to advantage. The number of fmall lakes, or loughs, is very great ; they form one of the many natural beauties, with which this county abounds. A few of them have been taken advantage of, and, united with planting, make a prin- cipal feature in fome of the moft pleafing fituations; but, in general, they lie in remote places, and arc to- tally deftitute of wood, that beautiful accompanyment to water. Thefe lakes, in general, abound with fifti; pike, trout, eels, perch, and roach, of a confiderable fize, are found in moft of them , thofe, which are deep, E 2 produce a* STATISTICAL SURVEY produce the two firft mentioned, equally large and well flavoured. Thefe are treafures, however, for fome future day, as there are not any means made ufe of to obtain a regular fupply; eels, indeed, are fome- times entrapped, by means of boxes placed acrofs the outlets of thefe lakes, on their migration to the fea, during the autumnal rains. CHAPTER OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 29 CHAPTER II. STATE OF PROPERTY. i SECTION i. EJlateSy and their Management. NOTWITHSTANDING there are fome very large eftatej in this county, property is much divided, and has all the different gradations, from the moft opulent noble- man, to the tenant in perpetuity, who farms his own freehold. The management of eftates is very fimple ; it confifts in letting the different farms, receiving the rents, and in regulating the turf-bogs. This latter branch of management requires a confiderable degree of attention, to prevent wafle, which now is a matter of ferious consideration, as fuel, that eflential to life and comfort, is likely to be fcarce, and that at no very remote period ; in many parts, it is already fo difficult to be procured, that a whole day is confumed in going for, and returning with one load. The confequence of a failure in the article of turf-bog, in a country fa populous, jo STATISTICAL SURVEY populous, and fo full of manufactures, it is hard to conjecture, and fhould certainly be a flrong ftimulus to exertion in landlords, firft to prevent depredations oa fo efTential an ingredient to the comfort of their te- nants, and alfo to make every trial to fupply its defi- ciency with coals, if this county is fo fortunate as to contain any quantity of that valuable mineral. One circumftance, -which fimplifies the management of eftates very much in this kingdom, is the cuflom of the tenant keeping the premifes in repair ; no wafte is here committed with the idea of the landlord paying for it, nor any deduction in the yearly rent under that head ; the fole expenfe is the expenfe of receiving, and the only trouble, that of fetting the lands and regulat- ing th,e turf-bogs. % SECT. 2. Tenures. I believe I fhall not be very wrong in faying, that moft of the property of the county of Down, except the bimop's lands, is freehold ; on feveral eftates there are leafes for ever, many of them of confiderablc value, others as low as forty or fifty pounds per c annum; thefe having been fet in the middle, or in the beginning of the laft century, are at a low rent, and when pat up to (ale, from coming within the reach of fa many purchafers, bring a much greater proportional price than more extenfive traces. SECT. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. SECT. 3. Rental. THE rental of the county of Down is very confide- rable, not lefs I, have reafon to think from the very beft information, than twenty {hillings the Irifh acre, allowing for the mountains and -bogs, &c. which may be computed at 44,658 acres, the furplus of the total acres of the county above 300,000 ; fo that the rental of the county may very fairly be given at 300,0007. ; though the greateft eflate is let much lower than this, yet there are others let fo much higher as fully to make up the deficiency. Lands in the neighbourhood of the large towns, fuch as Belfaft and Newry, fet be- yond their value, merely as a matter of convenience to the opulent inhabitants, not as farms. Therefore, they are not to be confidered, as giving in the lead de- gree a general idea of what the rental produces ; what is mentioned above merely refers to the average rent of the cultivable land. CHAPTER 32 STATISTICAL SURVEY CHAPTER III. BUILDINGS. SECTION i. Hottfes of Proprietors. BESIDES the fcveral fpacious habitations of the prin- cipal proprietors of this county, there are numerous and elegant modern built manfions belonging to the gentlemen ; and others alfo, of an earlier date, mo- dernized with tafte and judgment. Thofe, though pleafing and enchanting objefts of confideration, as fo many proofs of the attachment of their owners to the foil, from whence they derive their refources, do not fo properly come within the idea of an agricultural re- port, as the farm houfes and offices. SECT. 2. Farm Houfes and Offices^ tsfc. WHICH, as may be fuppofed from the general fize of the farms, are neither large nor convenient ; they confift for the moft part of a low cottage, the dwelling OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 33 dwelling houfe, which contains a kitchen, and two or three rooms on the ground floor opening into each other, without any apartments over head j and fel- dom containing any other fire place than that of the kitchen ; thofe in the other rooms having been fhut up on the alteration in the hearth-money tax. Had par- liament at that period made every houfe with two fire- places pay for one, at the ufual rate, little lofs would have accrued to the revenue, as very few would in that cafe have built up the fecond ; but the additional two and eight-pence-halfpenny, on one fide, paid for two hearths, and the temptation of not paying any thing by having but one, has operated both againft the revenue and the comfort of the people, who for fo trifling a confideration have deprived themfelves of the fatisfadlion of a fecond fire, and confequently no longer poflefs the advantage of ventilation, which from an open chimney they formerly obtained in their bed rooms, in which a circulation of air is not at prefent known, the vent which produced it, in concert with the cafual opening of the door, being now clofed ; befides, the windows are feldom made to open, and whtre they have been made with that intention, they are fo often out of order, or have fo many things laid upon the inner fafh, that being a work of time to ac- complifli it, it is feldom attempted. It mufl in a great meafure be owing to the clofenefs of thefe apartments, to the total exclufion of frefti air, that fevers, when F once 34 once got into a family, feldom leave it, until they have attacked every individual. Where farms are large the houfes are in proportion good, and amongfl this clafs you fee proportional attention to comfort and cleanli- nefs in every department, within doors and without j many farmers of this clafs have houfes with a fecond flory, dated roofs, and all the offices neceflary towards carrying on their bufmefs to advantage, whilft thofe on a fmaller fcale, from the want of proper offices, are ever labouring under fome inconvenience attended with lofs, which, though not much felt at the inftant, amounts in the end to fomething ferious. Amongft the refident gentlemen much attention is paid to their farm yards, &c. and there are fome very capital ones ; but in every cow-houfe I have feen, except that at Mount Stewart, there is a material defect, in the want of a paflage to carry in food and deliver ir before the flakes, inftead of fqueezing between each beaft. The bullock houfe at Mount Panther is remarkably well conftrucled likewife, for attending the cattle, having two rows with their heads towards each other, and a communication from one end of the building to the other between them, where turnips, &c. for the d^y's provifion may be kept. The pigfty is alfo very well contrived, efpecially the feeding troughs, into which the pigs can only put their mouths, and are thus pre- vented from trampling their food. Barns are not-very large, nor is there that occasion for having them fo roomy OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 35 roomy as in countries where the produce of a large farm is houfed at harveft ; here it is abfolutely nece fary to fuffer the crop to remain in flacks for fome time, that it may be perfectly faved ; when put in too foon it heats and grows fufly j befides, grain in the ft raw can be fecured much better from vermin on well contrived hovels than in any houfe. I underfland that they are fo fenfible of this in England, they flack much more of their grain than they formerly did. A well fized barn, one proportioned to the farm, is abfolutely neceflary ; nothing prevents the internal operations of hufbandry from going on with fpirit, and indeed with economy, fo much as being hampered, which is too much the cafe with the farmers in this county ; in this particular, however, they are improving every year. The materials ufed are, flone and lime for the walls, for the roofs, timber raifed from the bogs, and alfo foreign timber, but the high price of the latter has been a very great bar to improvement, for fome years paft ; yet a great deal has been done within this laft year, notwithflanding this obftacle. The ufuai cover- ing is thatch, but in many of the new buildings flates have been fubflituted ; and if the quarries of that ma- terial were properly worked, the ufe of flraw would be much abridged. The cottages of the labourers, and weavers, who have no land, are but poor, yet even thefe are fuperior to what they were ; and as the ge- peral circumflances of the country alter for the better, F 2 fo 5 6 STATISTICAL SURVEY fo is their fituation ameliorated. Great attention has been paid by many of the gentlemen, to have comfor- table, and often elegant cottages built for their la- bourers. This is an attention not only hnmane, but politic; for the more comfortable their fituation, the lefs willing they muft be to leave it, and, confequently, the more fedulous not to commit any of thofe faults likely to bring on their difmiffal. SECT. 3. Cottages. ON the fubjeft of cottagers much has been faid, and many humane perfons have turned their thoughts to- wards ameliorating their fituation, which certainly in every country might admit of improvement j in this county, moft of thofe who come into this defcription, are tradefmen, principally weavers, and labourers, the latter dependant on their employers ; the former free to choofe their place of abode j labourers, of courfe, are bound to their matters, and whilft they remain with them, their comforts muft depend partly on the character of their mafter, partly on their bargain with him, but moft. of all upon their own conduct. Perfons of this defcription muft be, in a great degree, attached to the foil ; but fo much of the farmer's comfort like- wife depends on his fervant's fidelity, and propriety of behaviour in the different functions he has to fulfil, and OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 37 and it is fo much his intereft to encourage a faithful fervant, that, in the general courfe of circumftances, no interference can be ventured on between perfons fo mutually connected, without the rifk of mutual injury. With refpeft to tradefmen, who compofe the moft numerous portion of cottagers, their cafe is totally dif- ferent ; being quite unconnected with agriculture, in- terference, with regard to them, cannot in any way injure its interefls, and might much promote it, by providing them with habitations, c. which would prevent them from grafping at fmall farms, as foon as they can fave a little money by their exertions. In villages where fuel is convenient, they might be better accommodated with fuitable fettlements, and, without interruption, purfue their different vocations to much more effect; and proprietors might find their account, when confiderable tracts of land are out of leafe, in laying apart fome portion of it for this purpofe. A convenient houfe, a garden, and, if thought necefTary, grafs for a cow, would fecure to the landlord a profit, more than adequate to the expenfe and trouble; and if .the village increafed, of which there is little doubt, it would afford a ready market to the neighbouring farmers. A code of regulations might be drawn for the general good, with which every new fettler fhould be made acquainted, and fpeedy expulfion (hould be the confequence of a breach of them, which might be eafily 38 STATISTICAL SURVEY eafily fecured, by taking a bond, with a penalty, on their refuting to quit after a certain notice. From confidering the manner, in which perfons of this de- fcription are tofled about and harrafled, I have taken the liberty of fuggefting this idea, which, properly pur fued, might lead to fomething beneficial. CHAPTER Of THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 39 CHAPTER IV. MODE OF OCCUPATION. SECTION I. Size of Farms. THE farms of this county naturally divide theni- felves into two kinds j the firft, fuch as farmers pof- fefs, and from which, without having recourfe to any other branch of induflry, they fupport their families ; the fecond, fuch as are held by weavers and other tradefmen, and are not fufficient for their maintenance, without the intervention of fome other occupation, un- connected with agriculture : the former run from twenty to forty, fifty, and, in fome inftances, fo far as an hundred acres; the latter contain every diftinftion,. fronl one to twenty acres ; fome of this laft mentioned clafs may not be weavers themfelves, but moft of them employ looms. The minute divifion of lands, which fo much pre- vails in this county, is owing to various caufes ; many farms have been brought to this fituation, by the holders 40 STATISTICAL SURVEY holders of them portioning each child with their fhare of the land ; others, by the temptation of a profit rent, a much eafier way of living than by labour, let off part of their lands to under-tenants, that, on the ex- piration of the leafes, were taken as tenants by the landlords, who thus anfwered two purpofes ; one, of providing for thofe already found on their eftates, and the other, of increafing their interefl by the number of freeholds. But, from whatever caufe this divifion has arifen, it certainly has proved very prejudicial to agri- culture, and not very conducive to the general comfort of the clafs of men, whom we are fpeaking of, as muft be evident to thofe, who have paid attention to the fituation of the country; in years of plenty they may do tolerably well, as they will have lefs to buy, and what they want may be obtained at an eafier rate; but in times of fcarcity their lot is much more hard, and fraught with more difficulties, than the mere manu- facturer's, for the former has all the labour and expenfe of ground, befides the rent, without a fubfiftence, whilft the latter has only the increafed price of provi- fions to ftruggle with. The number of petty land- holders, who have been ruined, and obliged to difpofe of their little properties, by the lair, two years of fcarcity, is too ftrong a corroboration of what is here advanced, to admit of contradiction. In this cafe, as in many others, it is much eafier to fee the evil, than to point out the remedy; and this mode of occupying land OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 41 land feems to have taken too deep root in the fyflern, to be either eafily or fpeedily altered. The further fubdivifion of land may be prevented; claufes may be inferted in leafes, to prevent the alienation of land in fmaller portions ; but it will be impoffible, I fear, to bring together the disjointed parcels, fo as to form, in their flead, farms, on which a regular and profefTed huf- bandman can exifl. The moft profitable fize of farms has never yet been afcertained, but to common fenfe it mufl be very plain, that no farm can be profitably occupied, that will not give conftant employment to a certain number of men, and a certain number of cattle ; for every hour, that either the one or the other is with- out an objecl: tending to the general end, is a certain lofs. No farm, to fpeak of farming as a profeffion, fliould contain fewer acres, than would give conftant employment to two horfes or oxen, becaufe every day they are idle is a charge againft the profit; but in this country, could things be brought to that fituation, that two farms, taken together, fhould employ two draft beafts, all work, that requires two, being performed by a mutual lending of cattle (provincially neighbouring), a vtry great point would be gained, as much, I think, as can be expected ; and even to advance fo far muft be the work of time, not to be accompanied with cir-i cumftances of hardmip to the prefent tenants or their heirs. But, whilft thefe obfervations offer themfelves, from the recent impreffions of the ruin and emigration G Of 4 2 STATISTICAL SURVEY of fo many individuals of this clafs, nothing can be further from the ideas of the writer than the fuppo- fition, that it is impoflible for the holder of a few acres to thrive upon them; but it requires a greater propor- tion of fteadinefs, exertion, and induftry, to fupply the place of conftant employment in the farm, than is ge- nerally fuppofed, and a greater degree of thought and quicknefs are requifite, to prevent lofs of time in the necefTary attendance, than fall to the fhare of thofe, who are moll frequently to be met with. A cottager, \vhofe holding is juft fufficient to maintain his cow or two, with a well inclofed and well cultivated garden, who makes no attempt to raife a crop of grain, and who is either at conftant work with fome farmer, or is ' mafler of a trade, has an enviable lot compared with the farmer, whofe half-manured and half-cultivated fields are a conftant fource of difappointment to him- felf, and of lofs to the public. What ftrikes me upon the fubjeft is this, that the induftrious cottager, whether labourer or weaver, is, in his way, as beneficial to the public, and as comfortable to himfelf, as any other de- nomination of peribns, but that every gradation from him to the real farmer, with fome exceptions, is^only a gradation of difficulties. But, whilfl; I have thus dated the moft flriking difadvantages, at leaft in my idea, of fmall farms, it is but fair to mention one cir- cumftance in their favour ; the very great exertions of the occupiers towards raifing a quantity of potatoes fufficient OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 43 Sufficient for their confumption ; this, along with th,e fucceeding crop of grain, in fome degree counterba- lances the mifmanagement attending them; for, to ob- tain that defirable and neceflary object, every method is ufed in making manure, by which, at leaft, one crop fucceeds a fallow. Character of the Partners. IT is a difficult matter to give a general character of the inhabitants of any extenfive diftricl:, especially where there is a very great difference in their Situation and circumftances. The farmer of an extenfive traft, whofe pofleffions put him nearly on a par with gentlemen of fmall incomes, will naturally aflume the character of that rank, to which he at leaft approaches ; whilft the renter of a few acres finks, nearly to the level of the tradefman or labourer. It is, therefore, neither in one or the other of thefe denominations, that we are to look for the general charafteriftic of our farmers, but in the middle clafs, the pofleflbrs of from twenty to fifty acres: thefe we (hall find to be a refpe&able body of men, whether confidered in point of underftanding, or morals; ftiarp and clever in their dealings, as may be expefted from the clofe population of the country, the conftant intercourfe, and continual making of bar- gains, as well as their regular attendance on markets and fairs, which are held in every town, and which an- G 2 reforted 44 STATISTICAL SURVEY reforted to for amufement and fociety, as well as for bufmefs. It is not, therefore, in this country that we are to look for the rural fimplicity of the paftoral ages ; the children, being early initiated into the habits of induftry, foon feera to know the value of their labours; and by acquiring, at that period, fome little claim to property, gain a degree of knowledge, which never afterwards leaves them; and that their habits of in- duftry are even increafing, muft be apparent to every obferver, from the increafing comforts, both in their habitations and drefs. After having faid fo much, it will not be deemed too ftrong an aflertion to add, that, as tenants, they are unexceptionable; and that an eftate, portioned out amongft men of this defcription, where nothing is deducted for repairs, where there are no poor rates, and where tithes are moderate, muft be productive, and not difficult to manage. SECT. 2. Rent in Money, in kind, in perfonal Services. THE rent is always paid in money; fome landlords have dainty fowl; but perfonal fervices are never ex- acted, except in the cafe of cottiers, who generally are bound to pay the rent of their little holdings in labour. SECT. "OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 45 SECT. 3. Tithes, ARE very moderately fet in the county of Down-, incumbency bargains are very common; the rate from is. to if. 6d. per acre on the whole farm ; one or more fubflantial men binding themfelves in each town- land, for the payment of the whole tithes of it. Po- tatoes do not pay tithe ; in fome parifhes there is a modus for flax, in others none. Upon the ^hole, the people are^at leaft as leniently dealt with by the clergy, as they are by thofe proprietors, in whofe hands the tithes of their refpeclive eflates are vefted ; and the in- terference of a tithe farmer being in general difpenfed with, as well as the annual fetting, the whole bufmefs is generally fettled in that amicable manner, fo highly creditable to the clergy, and fo comfortable for the people. SECT. 4. Of Poor Rates. , WE have none. SECT. 5. ARE generally freehold j fome for lives and years, others for lives alone. Some idea of the divifion of land 46 STATISTICAL SURVEY land may be formed from the number of freeholders, amounting to 6000 in the election of 1790 ; fmce that period they are confiderably increafed. SECT. < Expenje and Profit. I SHALL not attempt to calculate the expenfe and profit of the farmers of this county ; their fyftem is for the mofbpart fo little regular, that nothing very exaft can be given upon the fubjeft j but I {hall ftate the particulars of two farms, of fifty acres each, one ma- naged fo far fyftematically, that clover, to a certain amount, is fown every year, and allowed to continue two years, and when two years old regularly broken up ; and the other, in the common method of plough- ing the heart out of the ground, and letting it come to grafs of itfelf. Particulars of Mr. Gracey's farm, in Lecale, of fifty acres : eight acres wheat, eight acres barley, eight acres oats, eight acres potatoes, fixteen> acres of clover, one and two years old, and two acres of meadow ; ftock, feven cows and a bull, feven young cattle, fifteen flieep, three pigs, and fix horfes ; all on fixteen acres of clover. Particulars of a farm of fifty acres, managed in the ufual way, without clover, &c. : wheat four acres, barley four acres, oats eight acres, potatoes four acres, meadow four acres, grafs twenty- fix acres j ftock, four horfes, eight cows, fix young cattle, OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 47 cattle, and a few ftieep. Thus we fee, that by means of clover there are twelve acres more in crop, , than oa land of equal quality without it ; and that iixteen acres of clover feed one-third more ftock, than twenty-fix acres of common grafs, and in a much better manner. If we go on to calculate the produce of both farms, we mail find very near ioo/. per annum difference in the value ; and had one half of the clover been cut and given to cattle in the houfe, it would have much, increafed the difference. If, then, the introduction of clover alone gives fo decided a fuperiority, how much greater would the fuperiority be, if to it was added green food for cattle in winter, and the introduction of ameliorating crops between each crop of grain ? It is by fuperior management, more than by fuperiority of foil, that Norfolk produces better than any part of England. I muft add, that Mr. Gracey's farm is cul- tivated in a very complete manner. CHAPTER 48 STATISTICAL SURVEY CHAPTER V. IMPLEMENTS. THE implements of husbandry in general ufe are few and fimple. Cars for draught, ploughs for til- lage, of no great ingenuity in their fabric, but light and ftrong; harrows either for one or two horfes, differing from each other in fize, not in conftruftion ; except in fomc inftances, where the latter have a hinge in the middle, to accommodate the fhape of the imple- ment to the ridge. In the hands of gentlemen, and of fome firfl rate farmers, there are many new imple- ments. In their fyftem carts are often preferred to cars, and although thefe in large farms may give way to them, with fmall farmers they muft hold their place j the expenfe of the former being above the reach of their finances. If no other inconvenience was to be the refult, it would not be of much confe- quence ; as a car well fitted with all its furniture, of fideboards, for carrying manure, potatoes, &c. and a crib, calculated for holding a load of turf, is fufficient for moft purpofes, either of carriage or of agriculture, on See. page 49. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 49 on a fmall farm. One improvement ftill remains to be adopted in their conftrudUon ; having the wheels to turn on the axis, inftead of the axis turning with them ; this would facilitate theirjgkvement, and pre- vent them from hurting die-^ptas, which in turning ihort they are apt to do. Carts of a light kind, for i one horfe, on level roads, would probably be an im- provement, efpecially for conveying bulky materials ; but whether their being introduced into the general fyftem of rural economy, in this hilly country, would be of material utility, I am not fo well convinced ; that vehicle, whofe application is lead confined, as being adapted to every variety of furface, which is moft handy, leaft liable to be put out of order, and the cheapefl, certainly has confiderable and well founded pretenfions ; and, though gentlemen are very commen- dable in making trial of every thing, which feems an improvement, they fhould confider maturely before they go to great expenfe in procuring a new machine, whilft one is at hand, which at one-third of the coft may anfwer their purpofes much better. Ploughs of many forts have been introduced by attentive cultivators ; the Scotch plough, invented by Small, and imported by Mr. Chrifty, feems to be getting into general ufe amongft gentlemen farmers ; it cer- tainly, when well managed, and in a foil not too much incumbered with flones, does its work in a very maf- terly manner, from the formation of the mold-board in H particular -, 5 o STATISTICAL SURVEY particular ; it flirs the ground, and reduces it to a de- gree of firrenefs more expeditioufly than thofe in com- mon ufe, whilft the fhare is calculated to cut and raife the furrow from the bottom, which, by this meansy with lefs toil to the hoffes y is completely laid in its place. The expenfe of this plough is about five pounds j this will for fome time operate againfl its general ufe, as well as the difficulty of getting therri made, which cannbt be done by every common fmith or carpenter ; I have given a drawing of this imple- ment, which will convey a better idea than any defcrip- tion. The Rotheram plough, ufed by Mr. Ward, at Bangor, does its work very neatly, and whh great ap- pearance of eafe ; I faw two horfes not remarkable for fize plough up a rufhy field without difficulty, the land was not {tony, and the fin upon the fhare cut through the roots of the rufhes without a check ; when the ground is ftony, a fock is put on without a fin. At the Bifhop of Dromore's, Englifft. ploughs are alfo ufed with fuccefs, and alfo by the farmer in the park at Hillfborough, who, when in the Bifiiop's fervice, in- troduced ploughing without a driver ; a cuftom, which is daily gaining ground. By Mr. Crawford, of Craw- ford's-burn, a drill plough was ufed for feveral years, which diftributed the feed with great exaclnefs ; but, as it does not anfwer for ftony ground, he has of late laid it afide. Befides thefe ploughs, Mr. Chrifty ufes a ftripping plough, for taking away the earth from the potatoc Potato e "Washer.-- Seepage OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 51 potatoe drills ; a double mold<-board plough for earth- ing them up ; alfo a plough for taking them out of the ground, which laft inftrument, I underfland, does the bufmefs very completely : a drawing of which is here- unto annexed. The fame gentleman ufes a horfe-hoe- ing plough, in all operations where it is required. Likewife a drill-barrow,* for beans, &c. Of harrows I have not much to fay, only, that the above mentioned ingenious cultivator places the teeth with thp edge towards the line of draught, having them previoufly formed like the blade of a knife, the better to cut the furrows. His harrow for going be- tween the potatoe drills, and eradicating the weeds be- fore they are horfe-hoed, is a very nice machine j by means of the handles, and a hinge in the middle, they can be accommodated to any diftance : a drawing ac- companies this. Befides this, he ufes a potatoe or turnip cutter, and a ftraw ditto ; likewiie a potatoe wafher, his own invention, of which I have alfo made a drawing j by taking out one of the bars the potatoes are put in, this is replaced, and by turning the handle, the wafher Handing about half way in water, the bufi- nef% is quickly and effectually done. But the ftraw cutter, imported by Mr. Moore of Eglantine, is a mofl complete machine ; the knives are placed in a wheel, the ftraw in a box, which regularly delivers it, and it is * Seminators for the drill, of a new conftruftion, may be feen at the repofitory of the Society. 2 CUt 51 STATISTICAL SURVEY cut to any length, from half an inch to two inches, according to the manner it is fet. A potatoe-cutter at Mr. Douglas's, of Grace-hall, deferves mention , the potatoes are put into a hopper, and fall from thence upon a cylinder, in which knives are placed at equal diftances, their edges downward ; there is then fixed in the fide of the machine oppofite, and jufl below the hopper, a number of blades equal to that ia the cylin- der, and adapted to the interfaces ; the hopper being filled with potatoes, the cylinder is turned by means of a handle like a grinding-ftone ; which motion making the potatoes fall, in their defcent they are cut by the knives, and received into a box below : a bufhel of potatoes can be cut in this way in a few minutes. Mr. Chrifty claims the merit of erecting the firft threfhing machine in this kingdom ; I (hall here quote his own words from a letter to me containing much valuable information. " In the year 1796, I was at great pains in infpedting many of the beft machines in Scotland, making draughts of them, and a model to erect one on my farm, on the beft principles. I em- ployed a good workman, who ha4 done fomething in that way before, but had never attempted, nor .ever feen one on my plan, who executed the work by my directions, and put me in pofleffion of a machine, which, although not fo elegant in the workmanfhip as fome others he has fince made, yet does the bufmefs as effectually and expeditioufly as any I have fqen in my Hough for- ffi&itiq cut R>tatoes f.Sl. Knife Plan of the -Mouldboard ed Jleehive -P. 2/6'. ^ OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 53 my late journey through fome of the moft improved parts of Scotland ; and it has one improvement on all thofe, that have come under my infpeclion, which is what I call equalizing levers for adjufting the draught of the horfes, which effectually prevents one horfc from drawing lefs than another." Mr. Chrifty has adapted to this machine one for rolling and fcotching flax ; likewife a fleel mill for flour ; and he has alfo added millftones for grinding oats, &c. After this it is unnecefTary to add, that Mr. Chrifty has a head ad- mirably fitted for inventing or improving machinery. Mr. Ward, of Bangor, has a threfhing machine like- wife, erected by the maker of Mr. Chrifty's ; the houfe which contains it being fo lofty, that the horfes work underneath in turning the large wheel, fimplifies it very much. The attendance required in threfliing days is, two or three horfes and a driver ; a man to throw up the {heaves, one to unbind them and make them ready for the peribn, who feeds the machine ; and another to take away the ftraw. The man, who throws up the {heaves, can likewife take away the grain from the fan ; but to fill that up, and meafure it, requires the interference of another. The whole num- ber to carry on the bufinefs effectually, five men and a boy to drive ; with this force three times the quantity of grain is got out, befides its being half cleaned ; but the greateft advantage attending it is the facility, with which a great quantity of grain is got ready for mar- ket, 54 STATISTICAL SURVEY ket, in a comparatively fliort time, and the opportunity of employing men and horfes under cover in bad wea- ther. The expenfe of one of thefe machines, (fuch as are mentioned above) is nearly ioo/. the intereft of which would pay for the threfliing of one hundred and twenty boles of oats, of ten buftiels each, at one {hilling per bole, which is the ufual price ; to which, if the actual expenfe of the operation by the machine, and the wear and tare of it are added, it will not be found to anfwer, except on larger farms than are to be met with in this country j but I underftand they are now made in Scotland of various dimenfions, and adapted to the fze of every farm. In many fituations a great improvement might be made by having them moved by water, which would fave a great confump- tion of horfes, on whom the labour is very fevere. A convenient ftraw houfe ought always to accompany a threfliing machine, to prevent the fodder from being fpoiled j which even expofure to the air renders lefs gratefultq cattle. Fans for winnowing are in general ufe, fome with fmgle, others with dbuble blafts ; but, to clean grain completely, the boards for feparating {he ftrong from the weak grain fhould be moveable on a pivot, to en- large or contract the fpace, through which the grain falls, according to the degree of cleannefs, that is intended ; one at Mr. Chrifty's, on this conjunction, feparates the grain as effectually as the barn floor, or winnowing OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 55 Winnowing out of doors. Rollers are ufed with great fuccefs in light grounds ; and even in heavy land, when dry, I have ufed a roller after a ploughing and harrowing, and previous to another flirring; in that Cafe I found it nearly equal to a ploughing, the cloddy parts being completely reduced by the operation. The turnip drill-barrow, ufed in the park at Hillfborough, which is pufhed by a man as a common wheel-barrow, is very light, goes on very quickly by changing the wheeler, and diftributes the feed with great precifion. I have been thus particular in defcribing the different implements, ufed in this county, to fhew that we have, in the farming way, many perfons attentive to what- ever is looked upon as likely to promote improvement in hufbandry, and likewife to difTeminate, as far as it is in my power, the knowledge of what is ufefuh CHAPTER 56 STATISTICAL SURVEY CHAPTER VI. I N C L O S'l Jft G. SECTION n Fences. THE inclofures (I wifh I could fay fences) of th* county of Down are a general difgrace to it; with ibme exceptions, they confift of a ditch and bank, from two to four feet wide by the fame dimenfions in depth, without quicks of ariy kind, or fometimes with a few plants of furze ftuck into the face of the bank, or fome of the feed of the fame fown on the top : this laft mode, if generally adopted, would at lead be a good tempo- rary fence, and afford melter to cattle, and promote the growth of grafs, which, from want of fuch encourage- ment, is very late in rifing through the greateft part of this country , but furze, when fown on the top of the bank, unlefs cut with care and attention, grows thin at the bottom, and dies in a few years. Another kind of inclofure, very much in ufe, efpecially in the ftony and mountainous OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 57 mountainous parts, is the dry-ftone wall ; this, though a very unfightly fence, and, from the manner in which it is made, requiring, in common with the other, con- tinual repair, has this merit at leaft, that, in making it, the ground is cleared of part of its encumbrance, and that it ftands upon a very fmall furface j befides, it is moflly found in places, not only where ftones abound in the foil, but where the rock, being but a little way under the ground, makes finking difficult, if not im- prafticable. Notwithftanding this general cenfure on the mode of inclofing, there is not any country where the art of raifing hedges is better underflood, and more completely carried into execution, than it is here by numerous individuals, both gentlemen and farmers ; and it is rather a matter of furprife, that their example does not more generally influence their neighbours. The additional expence of quicks is a mere trifle, when compared with the utility and beauty of the practice; its advantages need not to be dwelt on, they are appa- rent to every eye, in the fecurity they afford to the crops, the protection they impart to the grafs from the withering blafls of the early months, and the ornament the"y beftow on the face of the country. If landlords were to make it a condition, on the renewal of leafes, that all hedges between farms fhould be made n'.-vv^ and planted with white-thorn quicks and trees of af- ferent kinds, the banks well backed up, fo as to protect them from cattle, it would, in a courfe of time, and I that 58 STATISTICAL SURVEY that of no great length, make this one of the moft charming counties in Ireland : fuppofe the trees and quicks were given as an inducement, the fum would cot be great on the whole ; and as leafes in general fall gradually, the di(burfements would be gradual, and come at the fitted time imaginable, along with an in- creafing income. Although there is great induftry exerted by the farmers, in manuring and improving, yet the want of good inclofures gives a general ap- pearance of flovenlinefs to their labours, which in other refpefts they do not deferve ; and it is often to be re- _ gretted, that a field of potatoes, drilled in a moft com- plete manner, fhould be furrounded by a ditch, not ca- pable of affording it the protection neceflary to it, and which it merits fo well. If the time, which is annually loft in repairing old fences, was laid out with .judgment, in making a certain portion of new ones every year, in a very fhort time it would preclude the neceflity of the former, befides all the other benefits, that would accrue. The fences moftly in ufe amongft thofe occupiers, who have fuperior ideas of their utility and beauty, are trenches and banks, varying in fize and dimenfions, according to the fituation of the grounds, or the fancy of the maker ; the trenches are made often fo large as fix feet wide by five in depth, but five by four is more ufual, the bank, of confequence, proportionate to the trench; the latter dimenfions form a fufficient defence ip moft cafes, and where the quicks are carefully wed for OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 59 for three or four years, cattle will not readily attempt to pafs it. In weeding young hedges, great care fliould be taken to avoid breaking the tender {hoots, which is moft effectually done by beginning at the bottom, put- ting in the hand between the plants, or, where room is wanting, the fingers only, and neatly drawing the weeds downward j afterwards you may proceed to thofe above, which may be done with lefs danger of mifchief, the fhoots being more vifible. An obfervatioa well worth communicating was made to me by a gen- tleman near Moira, who is a very accurate judge, that quicks grow more rapidly in fmall than in large ditches, in confequence of which he has altered his mode of making them; but, that the fence may be effectual from the beginning, he backs his banks up very high, and makes a little parapet on the brink of the gripe, which anfwers the double purpofe of ftrengthening the fence, and of protecting the thorns from being fpoiled by cattle browfing on them from the front. Another gentleman, in the fame neighbourhood, always cuts his quicks after being fet two years, and finds that, after this operation, they grow with fo much vigour, that at the end of four or five years he has a fence, ftronger by much than in the ufual mode of not cutting them, until four or five years planted ; but it muft be noticed, that he cuts them quite clofe to the bank. One ob- jeftion to fences made in this way, efpecially where the fields are fmall, is the quantity of ground confumed by 12 them; 60 STATISTICAL. SURVEY themj this objection is certainly juft; but in this coun- try, where timber is fo fcarce, there is no other method of protecting the quicks ; but, when thefe are grown to a proper height and thicknefs, why fliould not the trench be filled up? which may be done partly with ftones, thereby preferving its quality as a drain; and the ftones being covered with earth, the land may be cultivated to the edge, fo that nothing of it fhall be loft but the bank, and even it not entirely fo, as in time it will afford fome grafs. This mode I find to anfwer particularly well on the fides of hills, nor do I fee why, in moft fituations, it may not with equal propriety be carried into execution. Sunk fences are getting much into fafhion in gen- tlemens' improvements ; they are, without doubt, the beft adapted of any others to form the neceflary divj- fions in a demefne, as, with them, you may follow every inclination of the ground, without breaking in upon the beauty of the whole, aqd have at the fame time the convenience of a diteh and drain, without the disadvantage of injuring your view, befides the benefit of a quantity of earth, which, when properly mixed with lime or dung, forms a fupply of manure for the c adjoining grounds ; another circumftance in their fa- vour is this, you lofe only the breadth of the drain, .the land being profitable to the brink. White-thorn quicks are thofe in general ufe; they are generally planted in fingle rows, and are no more than one or two OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 61 two years old ; fome gentlemen, who are^ more atten- tive, plant two rows, and have their plants three or four years old -, this is a great advantage in ra'ifing a fence expedition fly, but it is more expenfive, and old quicks are hard to be obtained. There are various opinions upon the exact place where the thorns fhould be planted ; fome perfons fet them on the foil, others a foot above it, as they are not, in that fituation, fo much in the way of the weeds; but certainly, the nearer they are to the good foil the better for them, and their rapid growth will amply repay the trouble of keeping them clean. The quicks moftly ufed in this county are brought from Dublin and other places; they are to be met with in all the markets in fpring, and coft from three to five {hillings per thoufand, ac- cording to their quality; this regular demand for them is a good fymptom, and gives great reafon to hope, that, with fome attention in the managers of eftates, and with fome encouragement from their landlords, and alfo from fome inducements held out on this head by the Agricultural Society of the county of Down, the nakednefs of our land will not much longer be a reproach to us. SECT. STATISTICAL SURVEY SfcCT* 2. Gates. WHERE fences are neglefted, it would be unnatural to expecl, that much attention fhould be paid to gates ; confequently there are very few, except amongfl thofc perfons, who are careful in forming and preferving their hedges. The ufuai method of putting cattle into the fields is, by a bufh ftuck in between two jambs of done or foets, which is put into its place, or removed from it, at the evident peril of the fingers. Some good effecT:, however, attends this want of gates, for, where a gate is feen neatly made and painted, and judicioufly hung, it makes a pleafing impreflion, whilft in a coun- try, where fuch conveniencies are common, it would be patted by unnoticed. In the conflruftion of gates, an evident improvement was pointed out to me by Mr. Chrifty of Kircuflbck; the diagonal ought to be dove- tailed into the upper part of that fide of the gate, by which it hangs j the narrow part or neck of the dove- tail being the lower, of courfe the weight of the far- thej part of the gate is completely counteracted, for the more it prefTes, the tighter the joint is pulled, which cannot give way, unlefs fome lateral preflure is applied to remove it from its place. Something of this OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 63 this kind is abfolutely neceflary, to remedy the de- fect incident to moft gates, that of drooping at the points, and being wrecked to pieces by rubbing oa the ground In opening and (butting. CHAPTER STATISTICAL SURVEY* CHAPTER VII. ' > ', ARABLE LAND. SECTION i. TILLAGE is the dividing or breaking the ground, by fpade, plough, hoe, or any other inflruments, which divide by their force or action. Land is fitted for the production of vegetables, by dividing the foil ; and the more the particles of the earth are divided, the more the internal pores or furfaces are multiplied : the more furfaces there are formed by divifion, the more the earth is enabled to furnifti food for plants, and confe- quently the more fruitful it is. Tillage and manure both contribute to this end ; they mutually aflift each other ; and it is on a judicious management of both that fucccfs in agriculture depends. That ftrong land requires a greater proportion of one and the other, than land of a lighter texture, muft be allowed ; but a confiderable degree of attention muft be paid, to re- medy OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 65 medy the defefts of the latter, as well as of the for- mer, which will appear more clearly by confidering the defefts of each. In ftrong land the natural pores, or interfaces, are too fmall, the artificial ones are too large ; this defect is increafed by infufficient tillage ; of this moft farmers of any experience are aware, and, by the different operations of hufbandry joined with manure, endeavour to open what is too clofe, to admit the paflage of the roots in its natural flate, and to clofe what is too open to afford the necefTary preffure. Strong ground breaks into clods or lumps, when badly tilled ; roots cannot penetrate into, but get between thefe, where they perifh for want of nourifhment. Light land has its natural, as well as its artificial pores, too large. Pores, that are too large in any land, can be of little ufe to roots, except to afford them a paffage to other cavities more proper for them ; for if, in any place, they lie open to the air, they are dried up and fpoiled before they reach them ; for no root can take in any nourishment from any cavity, unlefs it comes in contact with, and paffes againft the fuperficies of that cavity, which includes it j but a root is not preffed by the fuperficies of a cavity, whofe diameter is greater than the root, and confequently it cannot be nourifhed therein. From this ftatement we find, that ftrong land requires to be opened, for the admiflion of roots ; light land to be clofed, to prevent their paffing too frely, and without a proper degree of prefTure ; the great K object .66 object, therefore, of tillage is, to bring the ground to that ftate, in which the root can pafs freely in fearch of its proper food, and at the fame time to have fuch a de- gree of firmnefs, as will in its paffage afford the root its necefTary fupport. The land in this county being gene- rally in its quality light loam, and rendered much more fo by a coniiderable quantity of lime, &c. and the idea, that much ploughing breaks the heart of it, being very prevalent, has made me dwell upon this fubject, and endeavour to point out the refult of a defective fyftera of tillage ; the evils of which are fo ably expofed in the writings of the claffical Tull, the father of the horfe- hoeing hufbandry , and who, however he might have erred by adhering too clofely to the idea of tillage without manure, has done more towards explaining the true principles of managing the different foils, thaa any writer on rural affairs, I believe I may fay, in this> or any other country. Let us now fee, how far the general practice here agrees with the above-mentioned principles of cultiva- tion. The firfl object with the farmer is, to enrich his ground with lime, marie, or fand ; after this, his next object is, to reap the benefit of his induflry ; accord- ingly he breaks up his ground as foon as it has re- ceived the intended advantage from the manure ; oa this he fows oats, which he repeats year after year upx>n one ploughing, until his land, from the quantity of manure and imperfect cultivation, lofes all power of production. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 67 production. When ground is treated in this barbarous manner, the foot finks into it after harrowing as into a bed of afhes, whilft that, which is properly tilled, has an elafticity to the tread, that can eafily be diftinguifhed from the dead foftnefs juft mentioned ; fome land there is, however, of fuch a fortunate texture, that even this treatment does not ruin it, but what is the confequence ? It encourages other farmers to go on with this deftruc- tive practice, until their land is fo completely exhaufted, that it is incapable even of yielding grafs, and can only be recovered by lying in lea, and the application of earth, that has not yet felt the baneful influence of the fyftem fo generally in ufe. There is fcarcely any part of this county, in which the effect of land thus abufed may not be feen j as foon as the farina of the feed is gone, and the roots are left to fhift for themfelves, the hollownefs of the ground is fuch, as not to afford them nourishment ; in confequence the plants die, and leave their place to be occupied by weeds, which from their conftitution are better enabled to flruggle with accu- mulated difficulties. SECT. \ Fallowing, FALLOWING is feldom praftifed, except in a few in- ftances where a gentleman or farmer of experience and K 2 fpirit 6S STATISTICAL SURVEY fpirit wifties to bring a piece of land into cultivation, that has never born crops before, or that has been hurt by the mode of mifmanagement mentioned in the firft feftion; fpeedily to accomplish either purpofes this muft be a good method ; but except there is fome urgent reafon, it ought never to be reforted to, as its place can generally be fupplied by a fallow crop, which, if well managed, will at leaft pay the expenfe, and leave the ground in as good a ftate as a fimple fallow. It is a curious circumftance, that a fallow, and a fallow crop, although their mode of afting are fo very different, fhould be attended with nearly the fame advantageous effects ; the firft afts by expofing the earth to the fun and air, the latter by the exclufion of both ; and the more perfectly the one is expofed, an4 the other (haded, the more completely the intende4 advantage is gained. SECT. 3. Rotation of Crops. ON a judicious rotation of crops depend the regular profits of farming; we may, certainly, by laying on confiderable quantities of manure, force a very great produce for a few years ; but that muft have a period, for ftrong ftimulants in the end muft exhauft; but land treated in the Norfolk method, where turnips or clover OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 69 clover invariably precede barley or wheat, may like that country retain its productive qualities without di minution, probably for ages. And when we add to thefe ameliorating vegetables juft fpoken of, potatoes, cabbages, carrots, peas, beans, vetches, &c. the rota* lion of crops may be varied ad infinitum ; adapting the change of fpecies to the nature of the foil. In this county, except from the diverfity given by potatoes, (with fome few exceptions) we have nothing but the one dull round of crops of grain upon the fame field j until being worn out it is given up, and another por- tion is attacked with the fame fenfelefs obftinacy, and reduced to the fame Aate. Nothing is more common than to hear a farmer fay, his ground will produce but one good crop* after potatoes, and nothing is more common than to fee him, with that convidlion on his mind, rifk another crop without even a fecond plough-, ing; whereas, if he laid down this field with clover or hay-feed, he would nearly have a certainty of four years good produce from one manuring ; fir ft potatoes, fecond barley or oats, third clover or hay, and fourth oats, excellent, or probably wheat. Thus, by dividing a farm into fix parts, and manuring every year one-. fixth, there will be two-fixths in grain, and two-fixths under preparation for grain, two more for grafs, or any other management agreeable to this fyftem. The only part of this county, where any thing refembling a rotation is purfued, is in the barony of Lecalc ; I mean generally^ 70 STATISTICAL SURVEY generally, for in many parts there are perfons fully aware of the mifchief of continued cropping without grafs or fallow. But even in Lecale, two, and fome- times three crops are fucceffively taken. Marie has fo much enriched their ground, and they are fo very care- ful in the management of their potatoes, and fow fo much clover, that they fuffer much lefs by this prac- tice than might be expected ; although their produce is certainly not equal to what it would be under a more perfect fyftem. The following is the courfe of crops on Mr. Gracey's farm, near Bailee j firft, THE POTATOE COURSE. j. Potatoes drilled and manured with 160 car- loads per acre. ?. Wheat, one ploughing to ridge it up. 3. Oats, two ploughings. 4. Barley, three ploughings. . Clover. MARLING COURSE, 1. Oats. 2. Barley, "3, Barley. 4. Oats, 5. Barley, two or three ploughings* tf. Clover. In OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 71 In the firft courfe, if clover was fowed over the wheat, and came in inftead of 3. oats, the courfe would be excellent, as the clover might be fucceeded by any crop of grain ; or if peas were to form the third, the effeft would be equal. The marling courfe might be much improved alfo, by fowing clover with the fecond barley crop. One obfervation, however, muft be made f efpecYmg marie, that it has fo great an effect in ame- liorating the foil, to which it is congenial, that a lefs regular rotation may be admitted for fome years after it is introduced ; the fame obfervatiotl will apply to lime, but the fame objection lies againft both, that they leave the ground in a worfe ftate than they found it, when followed too far. Many farmers, I underftand, have gone fo far as to take ten or even twice that number of crops, upon the ftrength of marling ; but they begin now to be fenfible of the impropriety of this mode. Amongft many different courfes of crops, I noted the following, which will fhew, that in Lecale there is more fyftem than in the other parts of the county ; and this advantage I believe is entirely owing to the general ufe of clover ; which, though it is not (b often as it fhould be in its right place, is invariably had recourfe to in the end, as will appear by what follows. LEA. fa STATISTICAL SURVEY LEA. 1. Oats, one ploughing. 2. Wheat, two ditto. 3. Oats, one or two ditto* 4. Barley, three ploughings* 5. Clover. Or, i. Potatoes, 2. Flax, 3. Wheat, two ploughings, and fome manure* 4. Barley, three ploughings. 5. Clover. ANOTHER COURSE4 1. Potatoes i 2. Barley, ridged up* 7. Barley, three ploughings. 4< Clover, two or three years. Or, i. Potatoes, or, i. oats. 2. Flax, 2. wheat. 3. Barley, - 3. oats. 4. Barley, 4; potatoes. 5. Clover, 5. barley and clover. Wheat is moflly fown after potatoes, fometimes after clover, but the crops are reckoned thin, which is not furprifing, as the clover is generally fown after two or more crops of grain j if wheat fucceeded clover, which fucceeded barley after potatoes, the cafe would be very different ', but if wheat is better after potatoes than any other preparation, why fhould not clover be harrowed over the wheat in fpring ? the harrowing will improve the wheat, and the upright growth of wheat OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 73 wheat is very favourable to young clover. la addition to the rotation of crops, which begin by a fallow, there is another courfe, which muft be adverted to, that upon land, which, by the aid of lime or marie, is enabled to produce, independent of a fallow j many farms having been drefled with thefe manures at a great expenfe, a judicious management of them is of great confequence; this courfe, from the enriching qualities of thefe fub- flances, which make a total change in the land, may admit of a greater latitude, and a lay of clover or grafs may very properly be confidered as not much inferior to a fallow. The courfes, which I have oblerved as mod deferving attention on land fo improved, that had been for fome years in grafs, and, confequently, free from weeds, and which had acquired a pretty ftrong fward, are as follows; fir ft, oats on one ploughing, the furrows well cleared, fo as to afford an additional covering to the feed; fecondly, wheat, often on one ploughing, and often very good ; third, barley, two or three ploughings, the produce great : with this laft clover or grafs are fown, and the land fuffered to lie for three years ; where the grouad is light, wheat is ofttft the firft crop after grafs ; and when *he foil is qf that nature, the wheat fhould be followed by barley, and laid down again. In this way land may be kept clean and in good heart for a number of years. A Ikilful farmer, in the neighbourhood of Lifburn, told ine, that, by managing his fields in this way, at the end J. 'f 7+ of twenty-five years after liming they were as rich as the firfl day. Marfhall, in his Rural (Economy of the Midland Counties, fpeaking of the Leicefler manage- ment in breaking up their grafs-grounds, exprefTes himfelf thus : u If fallowing can be difpenfed with in any cafe, it may be under the management of this dif- trift, where only three arable crops are taken, before the land be laid down again to grafs." In another place he fays, " What a new fyflem of hulbandry is this ; at firfl: fight flovenly in the extreme ; yet it is poffible that, before I have been twelve months longer in this diflrift, I may conceive it to be for lands, -which are equally productive of grafs and corn, an eligible fyflem of management." What would Mr. Marshall fay of our mode ? Ten or more crops following. The labour attending this plan is fmall, fix ploiightngs in all ; one for oats, two for wheat, three for barley. The great objection to this fyflem is, the fear of weeds, which may intrude from three fucceffive corn crops i but, if the land has been free from them in the begin- ning, I fhould think, by particular attention in weeding the fecond crop, and by a complete winter fallow for the third, this evil might be avoided. To carry* this plan into execution with effect, that part of the farm, on which it is to be praclifed, fhould be divided into equal fields, as nearly of the fame quality as poffible ; for on this circumflance a good deal depends, as light laud is much more liable to weeds than, heavy. I fhall now OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 75 ROW take leave of this fubjeft by obferving, that, in moft cafes, beginning with a fallow crop is to be pre- ferred, and what here is propofed is ftill under the conviction of the fuperiority of that mode, and is merely to be confidered as an improvement of the old and in- judicious management of this diftrift, in which the permanent manures of lime and marie are fo copioufly ufed, that a proper application of their valuable qua- lities is of the greateft confequence. SECT. 4. - Crops commonly cultivated ; their fesd, culture^ produce^ SsV. THE crops commonly cultivated in this county are, wheat, rye, bere, barley, oats, peas, flax, potatoes. WHEAT. i ft. Preparation. The general preparation for wheat is a potatoe fallow ; the manure, of courfe, dung : but a confiderable quantity is fown in other methods j it is ofte"n fown after clover, which is ploughed up in June or July, and once or twice more before feed-time. If the ground is not thought fufficiently rich, dung or a,(hes are applied, fometimes before the laft ploughing, and fometimes as a top-drefllng ; it is alfo fown after flax, the procefs the fame; it has likewife been, {own 76 STATISTICAL SURVEY with fucceffron lay, which practice Is gaining ground, and after oats, which have been fown on lay. 2d. Sort. The fort mofl in ufe is a kind of brown wheat, thin in the flcin, which weighs well ; befides this the red lammas; but for light foils the white velvet is much approved of: this is a beautiful grain, and the bran is fo white, I fhould think it very advan- tageous to the miller. Colonel Ward imported fome of this kind from York, in the year 1800; this he dib- bled, and had a return of forty fold : I faw the field in June 1 80 1, when in ear; nothing could exceed the beauty of it; a fpecimen he fent me is exceedingly ne. Cone wheat he tried in the fame field, but it did not ripen fo well ; fome of this latter fpecies, fown by a gentleman near Moira, fucceeded remarkably well. I faw a flieaf, tied by a ftrap made of the double length of the ftraw, that yielded eighteen pounds of wheat ; the ftraw was of courfe very long, and as ftrong as a reed. 3t. Steeping. This operation feems to be lofing ground, as it is now confidered of little ufe, except in feparating the good from the bad grain, which may be as effectually performed by proper winnowing. It feems very extraordinary, that any fnbftance, imbibed by the feed before fowing, could prevent the fmut, a diforder that is e-ntirely confined to the ear, and often to a few grains in the ear; it feems to proceed from, want of impregnation, not from the root, and is more frequently OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 77 frequently obferved, when frofts or high winds prevail at the time of blo^Toming. The experience of the three laft years has nearly convinced me, that there is little connexion between the quality of the feed, and the diforder in queftion. The feed wheat of the year 1 799 was remarkably bad, and yet in this part of the county the produce of the following year, 1800, was quite free from fmut, and good in every particular ; but this being fown produced the enfuing year, 1801, grain very much infected with that complaint. 4. Seedy quantity foiun. About four buihels to at* Irifh. acre is the general allowance; this makes two and one-half bufhels to the Englifh acre ; Mr. Chrifty fows five bufhels per Irifh acre. I fhall quote his own words : " I am in the practice of fowing five bufhels on an Irifh acre, which is considerably thicker than is ufually done in this neighbourhood. I have long beea of the judgment, that one of the many caufes, why the land in general is fo extremely weedy, is that of thin, fowing, as- I have never feen the ground fo clean as after a thick crop, nor ever faw a thia one without abundance of weeds fucceeding it." Mr. Gr-acey of j Lecale fows two and one-half hundred weight a barrel* which is about half a bufhel lefs. The opinions of thefe fkilful cultivators coincide with my own ex-. perience; the queftion is not to obtain the greateft quantity in proportion to the feed, but the greateftj quantity upon a given piece of ground. 5th. Time. 78 STATISTICAL SURVEY 5th. Time of fa-wing. The time of fowing varies confiderably, from the beginning of Oclober to the be- ginning of March, through all the intermediate months. When fallowing was in fafhion, wheat was fown early in October, but fince wheat has fo generally fucceeded potatoes, the fowing depends upon the time the pota- toes are dug, which can feldom be accoinplifhed until the -latter end of that month, or the beginning of No- vember ; but, for fome years part, confiderable quan- tities have been fown fo late as the month of March, without diminution in produce. The Rev. Mr. Coch- ran, of the Ards, thus writes to me on this fubjecT: : " You enquire, Sir, whether wheat is fown in fpring ; I have done it frequently ; I have fown it in Oftober, and in the beginning of March following I fowed wheat in the fame field, on the immediately adjoining ridges, in the fame ftate of flrength. I had as great weight from my March fowing as from the October ; as it was not expofed to the dangers c>f winter, I gave it lefs feed, and it was ripe fourteen days after the October fowing, I would prefer fowing in. the latter end of February, or beginning of March, |o fowing in January, and have as good profitable crops from' my fpring as from my autumn fowing." About Lifburn wheat is fown in fpring with great advantage, and in many other parts of this county j the fpecies fown is not fpring wheat, but the fame as is ufual for the autumnal fowing v 6th. No OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 79 6th. No other culture is beflowed on the growing wheat, than pulling out the larger weeds, and ib*me- times rolling, and harrowing, which lafl is found very advantageous, except in one inftance, where a gentle- man covered a thin piece of wheat with frefti foil, which increafed the fize of the heads to an extraordi- nary degree. Top-drefling is fo feldom ufed it need fcarcely be regiflered ; but I have tried turf-afhes with effec"t, both thofe made in the houfe, and thofe burned in the air for the purpofe ; the quantity confiderable, from twenty to thirty car-loads per acre. Where it was laid, it could ba diftinguifhed at the diflance of half a mile. 7th. Harvejl is- not very regular ; that, which is fown in autumn, is generally earlier than oats or barley, that fown in fpring about a fortnight later. Wheat is bound in double {traps here, and immediately llooked, in which fituation it remains until fit to bring in. Thofe, who have a confiderable quantity, flack it on hovels, to keep it fafe from vermin. All grain in this country is flacked out of doors, as the climate will not admit of a large quantity being houfed at harveft. 8th". Threjfjing. For feed wheat is generally laflied, as in this way the grains are not bruifed by the feet, nor b/ the flail. And for the market it is the better way, as the befl grain is got out without the fmall being mixed j after lafhing the fheaves are tied up and, threftucd, 8e STATISTICAL SURVEY threfhed, to obtain the fmall grain. The threfhing machines feem peculiarly well adapted for wheat. pth. Produce. Various \ differing according to the foil and culture, from fifteen hundred to five and twenty hundred per acre ; medium produce, about a ton. loth. Mamifafture of bread is moftly confined to towns, which are fupplied from the flour mills, where there is a conftant market for wheiat. Farmers, who grow wheat, generally make the frnaller grain into a coarfer kind of bread for family ufe, baked in cakes on a griddle without barm. It would be much to the advantage of the country in general, if wheaten bread was more in ufe amongft the farmers ; for the produce of a middle crop of wheat is much greater, in point of iood, than that of a good crop of oats ; befides, where thatching is fo much in demand, from the number of cabins on the fmall farms, wheat ftraw would, from its fuperior duration, be a matter of confiderable eco- nomy both in the article of labour and manure. Rye is feldom fown, except on bogs ; white rye is generally the fort. The quantity of feed not well afcer- tained, I fuppofe about two bufliels ; time of f6wing, the fame as wheat ; cut about the fame period ; pro- duce much the fame ; moftly made into bread \ fome fold to diftillers and tanners. Bere, or winter barley. Managed in*every particular wheat j but in general earlier ripe, by ten days or a fortnight. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 81 a. fortnight. Application ; fold for malting, or fome- times made into meal, of which a great quantity was ufed in the dear feafons of 1800 and 1801 ; the pro- duce much the fame as of wheat. BARLEY. I ft. Preparation.-r~-Ba.rlcy is often prepared for by a potatoe fallow j when that is not the cafe, it has gene- rally two or three ploughings ; if the ground has not been richly manured with marie, lime, or fand, dung is the ufual manure ; the quantity varies from forty to fixty car-loads per acre, which is fometimes ploughed in, and fometimes fpread on the ground, the feed fown, and both dung and feed covered from the furrows. From this method the produce is often, great, but often weedy. 2d. Sort. In the eaftern part of the county the long- eared, or two-rowed barlqy, is always fown; in the weflern it is generally the four-rowed : the firft is efteemed the moft profitable for the malfter ; the latter I take to produce more to the farmer ; but it is very troublefome to drefs for the market, as the awns ad- here clofely to the grain, and require a fecond threlhing to get them off. 3d. Seed; quantity about five bufliels j in Lecalc 9 much more, two and one-half hundred weight being M the 3z STATISTICAL SURVEY the ufual allowance, that is, nearly fix buftiels. All broad caft ; except in one inftance, when Mr. Craw- ford, of Crawford 's-burn, made ufe of the drill plough ; with this machine he fowed three acres with four bufliels of feed, and found the crop fuffi- ciently thick, and the barley much better grain than ufual ; he thinks it might be fown with even a fmaller quantity, for he tried a number of drills with a lefs proportion, and could not obferve any difference in the produce. This machine fows five drills at nine inches diftance, or three at eighteen ; a horfe, one man, and a. boy, will fow three or four acres a day ; though the mold falls in behind the hollow coulter, Mr. Crawford always rolls the ground after fowing, which he thinks an excellent practice, whatever may be the mode of fowing. The drill plough requires ground very fine, and free from rocks and ftones. An experiment made by the Rev. Mr. Moore, of Clough, deferves to be mentioned j being ftruck with the quantity of feed ufually fown, particularly in the approaching famine of the fpring of 1 800, he dibbled an acre of ground with twenty-four quarts of barley, and although it was fown late, and the dry weather which imme- diately followed was very unfavourable, the produce was nearly equal to that of the furrounding country ; and, if to that was added the faving of more than five bufhels of feed, the experiment upon the whole was in favour of the dibbling. 4th. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 83 4th. Time of fmving from the latter end of March until the beginning of May ; fo much depends upon the feafon, it is very difficult to determine, what is the moft proper time for fowing; this year, 1801, for example, was favourable to early fown barley, unfa- vourable to that, which ,was fown late, and yet the ground in the beginning of May had a more promifing appearance than in the beginning of April. Much de- pends upon judgment, in taking the ground in proper order ; but, as much depends upon the circumftances of the weather after fowing, it is a moft eligible thing to have ground properly dry for the feedj if, how- ever, it is nearly devoid of moifture at that period, and that rain does not fpeedily follow, the grain -does not equally vegetate, and that, which . remains ^without growing for any time, . never overtakes the reft, but remains green at harveft, whilft the firft fprouted feed is ripe. Barley appears to me more liable to this, mif- fortune than any other grain; the caufe of which is probably the advanced feafon, at which it is generally committed to the ground, and its confequent drynefs. I fhould think it a good method, where a confiderable quantity of this grain is to be fown, to let the fewer in dry weather follow the plough as clofe as poffible, after the laft ftirring, before the moifture evaporates, rolling the ground immediately. ; which tends not only to keep it from efcaping, but from the finenefs it gives the furface, permits any cafual fhowers to penetrate * M 2 with $4 STATISTICAL SURVEY with more facility. Sowing under furrow has the ad- vantage of imparting to the feed more moifture than the iifual mode, and certainly protects it better 1 from the depredations of birds, &c. 5th. Steeping though not cuftomary for barley, night probably be ufeful in dry feafons. In a letter to the Bath fociety this method of preparing the feed is mentioned with high encomiums ; the fleep, water taken from a dunghill ; great care ought certainly to be taken after the fleeping, to prevent any of the feed from lying on the furface, which would infallibly fpoil it, after being brought nearly to a ftate of vegetation by the fteep. 6th. No cnlture is given whil-ft growing, except faking out the larger weeds. 7th. ffarveft fometimes as early as the latter end of Auguft, but generally through the month" of Sep- tember, and in backward years as late as the firft week in October. The grain all ftooked in the field ; ten Cleaves ftanding, and two to cover, compofe a ftook. Grain of every kind is brought home and flacked as foon as fit ; for in this country it will not keep in barns, until it gets completely dry in that iituation. 8th. Tlirejtnn^ except in two inftances above-men- tioned, is performed in the ufual way ; when- barley is threftied by the bulk, eight bufhels are reckoned equal to ten of oats, and paid for accordingly. Four-rowed barley is not fo eafily feparated from the awns as the two-rowed ; OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 85 two-rowed j after it has been threfhed it is neceflary to beat it, either with flails or mallets, to make it ready for market. cjth. Produce from flxteen hundred weight to one and a half ton. The produce of Lecale is nearly a ton, fometimes more, and often left j about Moira, Magheralin, and in the neighbourhood of the towns towards the weftern part of the county, the produce is greater, from a ton to a ton and a half, that is, from ten to fifteen" barrels ; and in that part of the country it is the four-rowed fort which is fown. This, how- ever, is more owing, I fhould think, to the quality of the land, than to the fuperiority of the fpecies. icth. Seldom made into bread except in times of fcarcity. OATS. > lit. Preparation. Tillage. Oats being the principal grain cultivated in this county, are fown after every preparation both of tillage and manure, and are often fown upon ground in fuch a ftate, as to be unfit to be fown with any grain. The beft and cleaned crops are obtained after potatoes ; the manure dung or afties. Very fine crops are alfo obtained after lime, or marie, or fand, upon one ploughing; for, as has been men- tioned in the beginning of this chapter, more than one ploughing 86 STATISTICAL SURVEY ploughing is feldotn given. The only perfon I know, who gives more than one ploughing, except Mr.Chrifty, is Mr. Gracey, of Lecale ; their obfervations upon the fecond ftirring accord with my own experience, that it not only increufes the quantity but the quality of the grain. \ 2d. Sort. The fpecies cultivated are the Poland, the Blanter, light-foot, and by fome perfons the white Holland. The Poland oats are very white, early, and very prolific on rich ground ; but where they are good, the flraw is in general coarfe. The Blanter has finer ftraw, is of a more yellow colour, does not produce fo much in general on the fame quantity of ground, but from the thinnefs of the hull yields remarkably well in meal ; this kind of oat is very hardy, does not eafily fhake in high winds, nor is it neceflary to cut in whilft greenifh, to prevent its being loft in handling, like the Poland. The light-foot is a fmall grain with very fine ftraw, the ear confined to the top of the (Iraw, which grows to a great length, and will fuccecd where the other forts will not ; it is not profitable to the farmer, who has rich ground, but to the mealman very much fo, from the finenefs of the hull. The white Holland refembles the Poland in being early ripe, requiring to be cut before it is completely co- loured, and in the greatnefs of its produce on rich ground, but excels it in weight of meal, from the fu- perior finenefs of the hull. 3d. Never OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 87 3d. Never fleeped. 4th. Seed t quantity foivn. About ten Winchefter bufhels to the Irifh acre ; Mr. Chrifty thinks he has better crops by lowing eleven bufhels. 5th. Time of fiwing. As early in fpring as the ground will admit of; the earlier they are fown, in ge- neral the better the crop. 6th. Culture whilji growirjg.-~-Pu\\'mg out thirties, and other large weeds. 7th. Harvejl. Generally a week or ten days after barley -, treated in the field in all refpefts like barley, and flacked at home. 8th. Produce. Moil various ; being every gradation from thirty to one hundred bufhels per acre. The latter, upon rich ground lately limed, not uncommon, or after a crop of potatoes, on land newly broken upj from fixty to feventy bufhels the average upon good land, with the ufual preparation one ploughing. pth. Threjhing. The price of threfhing is. id. per bole of ten Winchefter bufheh. loth. Mamtfafture into Bread. Baked into thin cakes on the griddle, with water and fait ; I never have met with it baked with barm; fomethnes carraway-feeds are mixed with it, and fometimes it is mixed with but- ter ; however, it is moftly ufed, and, I believe, pre- ferred fimply, as already mentioned. There is a va- riety of it, called a bonaught, which is a thick round cake, baked on the clear turf coal, and often ufed oa thq 88 STATISTICAL SURVEY the firft making of meal after harvefl j formerly oats, defigned for meal, were dried on kilns, with wooden ribs, covered with ftraw to prevent the grain from falling through^hem ; at prefent, there are kilns at molt of the mills, covered with tiles or thin iron plates, which do the bufmefs more fpeedily: but the meal of oats, previoufly dried on the old wooden kilns, is reckoned fweeter j being more gradually dried probably has that effect. FLAX. i ft. Preparation* Some years ago the prevalent idea refpefting flax was, the impoffibility of obtaining a good crop, without fowing it after potatoes ; in confequence of which, a portion of ground, according to the extent f the farm, or the demands of the family, was always fet apart on the potatoe ground, as it is termed, for fow- ing their lint upon; amongft many, efpecially fmall far- mers, this is ftill the practice; but others, who faw farther, found it was abfurd to dedicate theii beft pre- pared ground to a crop, that would be nearly as good upon land not fo well conditioned for the production of grain j in confequence of which, much flax is' now jaifed upon ftubbles, that have fuffered much by re- peated crops of grain ; for an additional ploughing or two will, on fuch land, fecure at lead a tolerable pro- duce i and when it is iuteaded to refreih it by a fallow crop, OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 89 crop, of by grafs, for which flax is a good preparative, the idea, though not according to an approved rota- tion, is not fo reprehenfible as many others. Fallowing, I underfland, is a fuperior preparation for flax, and I have feen very fine crops on rich and mellow lay. A foil approaching to clay is reckoned the beft for it, as it gives a firmnefs of texture, which enables it to bear the many operations it is obliged, to undergo. 2d fort There are two kinds of flax- feed imported, Dutch feed and American ; the Dutch is beft adapted to heavy, the New England to light foils. The price of the former is generally higher than the latter, but the increafed produce, on a foil fit for it, amply com- penfates for the difference. 3d. Seed, quantity fonun, &c. I fhall here take the liberty of inferting, in Mr. Chrifty's own words, his account of the manner, in which he cultivates this fun- damental article of our ftaple manufacture. " Flax. This I fow moftly after wheat, giving the land one fur- row before winter, with a crop and common ploughing in fpring, when it is ready to be fown. The land is finely harrowed before the feed is fown, and then har- rowed with a clofe harrow with fifty- fix teeth, which does not fink the feed too deep; the furrows are neatly {hovelled up, the ft ones gathered off and thrown into them, and the whole is rolled. I generally fow three and one-half bufhels on an Irifn acre, and find it fufficiently thick. Laft fummer, 1800, proving favour- N able 90 STATISTICAL SURVEY able for faving the feed, I flacked up the flax, and, from the produce of what I have already beat out, I am difpofed to think I (hall have from twelve to four- teen hogfheads of good feed, and probably 240 ftones of flax (i61b. to the flone), worth in the whole i8o/. from eighteen bufhels, fown on little more than five acres, which certainly is a very good return. I have, indeed, often heard it aliened, that flax is an exhauft- ing crop in the extreme , to prove what truth there is in that aflertion, I caufed flax and barley to be fown on alternate ridges, m a field laft year, which I defign to fow with oats this feafon, expecting the crop will ftiew the difference if there is any, and fatisfy me as to the propriety of perfifting in the culture of flax." The refult of this experiment was, that not the fmalleft difference could be perceived between the oats pro- duced on the alternate ridges of barley and flax. Mr. Gracey, of Lecale, informs me, that feven pecks, equal to three and one-half bufhels, is the ufwal quan- tity fown in his neighbourhood. A curious circum- ftance, refpedYing fiax-feed, occurred to Mr. Cowan in this parifh of Annahilt: he obferved, when the firft breaking was giving to fome flax of his, after it had been fteeped and grafted, that the feed, -which came from the boles, feemed quite frefh; in confequence of which he had it gathered and carefully laid by. This occurred in the harveft of 1800; in 1801 he fowed this and had a crop equal to that produced by feed imported. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 91 imported. This is a ftrong faft, which proves two things, the hardinefs of flax-feed, and that our own feed is equal to that imported. Some perfons fow much thicker, with the idea of making the flax finer. 4th. Time of fonv'wg. As early as the feafon will admit. It is an old faying, that March tow is as good as April flax ; I need fcarcely obferve, that tow is the fecond quality for fpinning, after the hackle. 5th. Culture ivhilft growing. Very careful weeding, not only of the larger but of the (mailer weeds; this is generally performed, when the flax is about three inches high, and after rain, as the weeds draw eafier at that time, than when the ground is hard. 6th. Harveft. Flax is generally pulled, when the crop is only intended for fpinning, as foon as the boles are grown to their full fize, rather before they begin, to aflume a brownifh hue j but fometimes it i$ necefTary to pull it before that period, when it begins, as it is exprefled, to fire, that is, when there are oblong blackifh fpots upon the {kin, which caufe the flax to break off in the drefling at the place where they ap- pear ; this is. moft frequent in wet feafons, and feems to be the confequence of the leaves of the plant falling upon the ftem, to which they adhere, and which is rotted by this means. This accident is by mofl farmers attributed to lightning. When the feed is intended to be faved, it is neceflary !& allow the flax to ftand, until the boles arc com- N 2, letel 92 STATISTICAL SURVEY pletely filled, and the feed aflumes within a brown co- lour, which encreafes until it has the fame hue as the foreign , after this it {lands in flooks, until it is fuffi- ciently dry to allow of its being flacked, which muft be on hovels, to prevent the depredations of vermin, that are very fond of the feed. In this fituation it re- mains, until it is neceflary or convenient to free the feed from its covering; which is performed, firfl, by rippling or drawing |he flax through a row of fpikes, fixed in a plank clofe enough to draw off the boles, * r i which are then bruifed, by which operation the feed is freed, and after w^ aed by winnowing. The flax produced r.ich flands until it is ripe, is reckoned n: (h and more coarfe than that, J) which is pulled green ; but this, I fliould fancy, was more owing to ignorance in handling it, than from any real defect; at leafl, fuch was the opinion of a very fkilful hackkr, with whom I converted upon the fubject. It is much to be wifhed, that we could favc our own feed, and preferve the quality of our flax. The next flep towards fitting the flax for fpianing, after it is pulled, is watering. This is performed by finking it either in running or flagnant water, and keeping it in its pofition, either by the weight of fods or Hones, until the inner part of the plant is fo rotted, that, in the future operations of breaking and fcotching, the rind or outfide covering, which affords the ma- terial for fpinning, may eafily be feparated from it j in the. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 93 the water it is kept, until by the feel it is judged to be fit for grading, that is, to be fpread as thin and as re- gularly as poffible upon a meadow or pafture field, until the procefs begun in the water is completed by the fun and rain ; the advantage of a dry day is then taken, when it is lifted tied in bundles or beets, and fo kept until it is fent to the mill. Some perfons have the firft operations (after it is houfed) of breaking and making it into handfuls performed at home, others have them performed at the mills ; the firft is reckoned the fafeft, the laft the moft expeditious. In all opera- tions the flax muft be dry, or it will work unkindly (the provincialifm), and be attended with lofs; at the mill it is finally freed, by beetling and fcotching, from the pith or inner part, which, being totally ufelefs for any purpofe of manufacture, or, I believe, of manure, is thrown -away. G raffing flax is a tedious procefs, which often confumes many weeks, and at a time when, the former year's crop being nearly exhaufted, the price is ufually high. The following fpeedy and effectual method of preparing it for the mill was lately communicated to me by a gentleman of veracity, and (kill in rurkl matters. Let the flax be watered the ufual time; then take it out, and fpread it fo as to dry it completely ; then tie it into fheaves as at firft, and immerfe it in water a fecond time for twenty-four hours, after which, when dried, it will be completely fit for the mill. This method, 1 underftand, is much praclifedl 94 STATISTICAL SURVEY praftifed in different places, and is not more hazardous than the old way, though fb much quicker. Watering the flax is a critical procefs; a day too much rots the rind as well as the pith ; a day too little makes it harfli, but, as that may be corrected by the grafting, it is the fafer fide to err on. When flax is early ripe, in the latter end of July, or beginning of Augufl, or when the weather is warm, it requires a ftiorter time in the water, from fix to nine days; a cer- tain f)gn of its taking with the water is, a frothy fcum arifing to the furface. More time is required in ftag- nant than in running water, which alfo makes it of a fairer colour, but that is a matter of no confequence ; the water of turf-bogs is very favourable, when it has been long expofed to the air. Produce Is moftly computed according to the quan- tity of feed fown, not according to the ground ; in the common mode of fowing, a bufhel is ufually given to a rood of ground; from twelve to fifteen flones of fixtcen pounds each is reckoned a good crop, but eighteen and even twenty have been known; this, however, is un- common; we may therefore take fifty ftones to the acre as a fair average; Mr. ChrUty's is forty*eight; this, at 1 1/, 4$d. per flone, is a noble return. By the fame gentleman's ftatement, from two and one-half hogftieads to three of feed may be expected; this, added to the flax, makes it fuperior to any other crop, but then it is attended with a trouble and expenfe, OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 95 expenfe, which deduct very much from the profit, which, notwithfianding, where the crop is tolerable, is confiderable. The expences are rent, feed, fowing, weeding, ftoning, pulling, watering, taking out and graffing, lifting, drying, fcotching at the mills ; thefe amount to from 8/. to io/. per acre; fifty (tones at i ij-. 4|ut previous to this I harrow this ridge of earth with a harrow of the defcription above-mentioned, but nar- rower, which breaks the clod, and levels it for throw- ing up equally by the double mold-board plough. When the potatoes are pretty far advanced, and it is time to give them the laft covering, I caufe the {tripping plough to pafs through them again, taking a furrow from OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. IQI from the drills at a diftance not likely to hurt their roots ; deepening the furrow, and raifmg fine mold, which being harrowed is again thrown up as high as poflible ; and when fuch weeds as fpring up amongft the ftalks are pulled up, I fend men with (hovels to mend any fpots, where the earth has not been laid up clofe enough by the plough, and fo the work is finifhed." For the fake of connexion I (hall quote the remainder of this ingenious gentleman's obfervations. " In taking out the potatoes at the end of the feafon, I have tried various methods, but have never been able to do it fo much to my fatisfacYion, as by ufmg a plough of my own conftrucYion, with two mold-boards, which I fhift alternately from one fide to the other, throwing the potatoes always one way, both going down one row and returning up another. With this plough, and a fmall harrow, which accompanies it, I find I can take them out fufficiently clean, and more expeditioufly than by any other mode I have feen. I cannot fay with certainty, what quantity of potatoes I life for the feed of an acre, having never paid jpuch attention to it. The quantity muft always depend on the fize of the potatoes ufed, as large ones will not go fo far as a fmaller kind. A confiderable part of the feed I ufed laft year confifted of the eyes, fcooped out inflead of cutting, and having found them to anfwer, I defign to plant no other fets hereafter ; for feven months paft I have directed, that all the large potatoes, ' that ^. STATISTICAL SURVEY that were ufed in the family, fhould have the eyes taken out, and by that means I expect to have a large quan- tity of feed in fpring of the beft kind, as I efteem thofe taken from large roots preferable to fmall ones." This account of the culture of potatoes differs from the general practice, in the fuperior care beftowed on them whilft growing, in taking the earth twice from them, and harrowing the intervals, which certainly muft very much conduce to their growth and the.' cleanlinefs oP the ground. Quantity of feed. In the lazy-bed way, on old grafs ground, the quantity of feed is much more than eithe? in the mixed mode, or in the drill method. Sort. There are an infinite variety of potatoes, and every day new varieties are produced from feed; I dare fay I could reckon twenty or even thirty different kinds, all efteemed good : the earlieft I have met with are the Early dwarfs, called fo not from the fize of the potatoe, but from the fhortnefs of the {talk, which only bears the rudiments of blofToms, and never any feed; beftdes this kind the Long white is much ap- proved of, being both early and good to eat. The Black potatoe ftill keeps its ground, as it is prolific, and requires lefs manure than other kinds ; and the Apple potatoe, by being the beft for late ufe, though not very productive, is likely to keep its place. I muft not here pafs by an obfervation of Dr. Darwin, in his Phytologia ; who fays, in fection 17.2, that potatoes are OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 103 are amongft thofe plants, -which do not produce blof- foms the firfl year from the feed. In anfwer to this I beg leave to fay, that they not only bear blofToms, but feed, the firft year, as perfect as at any period, and that I have now in my pofieffion feveral potatoe-apples ga- thered from ftalks, produced from feed, which I fowed and tranfplanted myfelf in the fpring of 1801 ; the feed was fown in boxes, and kept in the houfe until the plants were fufficiently large to remove ; nor are thofe potatoes, which grow on the ftalksy and which the Doflof calls aerialj peculiar to any kind, but are fre- quently met with in favourable feafons, when the ftalks are luxuriant, and in rich. foil, like Major Trowel's. Time of planting. For early planting, February, March ; for a full crop, the latter end of April, or the beginning of May ; in boggy ground, any time in the month of May, or even the beginning of June. Plant- ing potatoes, that have budded in the houfe, and have been hardened gradually by the admiffion of air, is die mofl expeditious way of raifing early potatoes, pro- .vided proper ftcps are taken to fecure the buds from froft. - The culture whilft growing has been fully detailed in Mr. Chrifty's account. Time of taking up. Different, according to the time of planting, and the fpecies of potatoes* They never fhould be put together in large quantities, unlefs they : are completely ripe, and tolerably dry ; for they lofe their STATISTICAL SURVEY their tafle and firmnefs, from fweating too much in large heaps, when prematurely raifed; many perfons attribute the diforder called curl to this caufe. ^be method of keeping tkem.-^-ln heaps in the fields, fblidly covered with earth, fufficient to keep out rain and froft; from thefe heaps they are taken into the houfe in fpring, and, by turning, and picking the buds as they appear, may be kept (except the early kinds) good and fit for ufe, until new potatoes are ready ; the apple potatoe, with proper care, I believe, might be kept more than a year. Potatoes are moft advantageoufly applied to the fol- lowing purpofes; firft, to making of flour and flarch, the procefs in both cafes the fame; reducing them raw to a pafle, which, being diluted in water, affords a quantity of either the one or the other, equal at leaft to a feventh part of the grofs weight of potatoes. Excellent barm or yeaft is made by boiling, peeling, and bruifing them, and then adding a fufficient quan- tity of barm to fet them in a ftate of fermentation, aher which nothing more is required than to add more po- tatoes as they are wanted ; this, mixed with flour, makes as light bread as that produced from malt. On propagating Potatoes from Cuttings of the Stalks. In the year 1801 fome ftalks of potatoes of a particular kind were cut off by a worm: thefe I fet down; they produced potatoes at every joint, but more refembling aerial potatoes than thofe, which grow under ground : an . PLAN OF A BOILER USED BY THE RIGHT HON. ROBERT WARD, AT BANGOR, FOR STEAMING POTATOES, By which a very fmall quantity of fire prepares a pipe full of potatoes, put into it in bafkets, and taken out in the fame manner, by means of a fmall windlafs fixed in the loft. Section of the Boiler. REFERENCES. A. .Openings into the flues, of which there are four.^B. Brick flue, that furrounds the boiler, and conveys the fmoke into ( the chimney. C. The flue that leads into the chimney. D. Pipe for drawing off the water. E. Tin veflel, which being placed on the flue heats the water, before it goes into the boiler. F. Ciftern to fupply water for the boiler. G. The fire under the boiler, which is inclofed in the hollow fpace and (hikes againft M. and. pafles off through the four metal flues A. into the brick flues B. H. VefTel for holding the potatoes. I. Small pipe for letting off the condenfed water. K. Aperture for the fteam to pafs from the boiler into the veflel. L. The height the water mould be kept at. NOTE. It takes two and a half hours to heat the boiler to the proper degree of heat for fteam ; and forty minutes for the potatoes, which are put into the boiler in bafkecs, and when fufficiently done, are lifted out without breaking. The openings of the metal flues mould be placed as far diltant from the flue, which leads to the chimney, as poflible, that the heat may be' detained in the flue, which incircles the work. Page 104. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 10; an accident happened to them, which prevented my cutting them this year, but I hope to have it in my power to repeat the experiment, with the refult of which the Society {hall be acquainted.* Produce. On old lea, not great, from two hundred to three hundred bufliels, or, if the ground is rich and mellow, a greater quantity, on land properly prepared by ullage and manure, much greater; but potatoes, like all other vegetables, are in proportion to the good- nefs of the foil and culture. As to the foil moft con- genial to potatoes, a rich mellow loam, neither too wet nor too dry, feems to be that in which they flourifh moft; but, with care and attention, they are profitable on every foil, and in every fituation. Turf-bogs and moory grounds feem to pofTefs the quality of preferving potatoes from degenerating, as well as that of throwing out confiderable crops; and in this county, when thofe foils are frequently applied to their culture, the curl is little known, .and frequent applications of a change of feed are made from other parts where this advantage is not enjoyed. Of the caufe of curled potatoes I have never yet heard a fatisfa&ory account, but I think I can fay, that frequent changes from boggy and moory foils, to thofe of a different quality, are found the bed preventative; as fuch it is confidered in England. In p Staffordshire * See Experiments on planting aittings ofJlalLs of potatoes* by the Rev. Mr. Moore, Tranfadtions of the Dublin Society, Vol. II. part 2. p. 217. io6 STATISTICAL SURVEY Staffordshire there is a conftant intercourfe between the lowlands and the moors for change of feed, which they reckon to have the wifhed for effect, in prevent- ing the curl. Manner of keeping Potatoes. Generally in heaps in the fields, where they are covered fufficiently deep to prevent froft from penetrating to them; {haw is often put next the potatoes, to affift in keeping the moifture from hurting them, but the beft thing is a thin fod, fuch as houfes are covered with before -the thatch is laid on. Turf-bog refills both rain and froft better than any other covering. SECT. 5. Crops not commonly cultivated* ^ ALTHOUGH the culture of green crops is not much praftifed, the neceffity of cultivating them feems to be generally underftood amongfl the gentlemen of this county, who, by offering premiums for their encourage- ment to little farmers, and by fhewing the example themfelves, bid fair for introducing this important branch of hufbandry, which, if it once becomes gene- ral, will tend, more than any other meafure, to alter our general fyftem for the better. One great obftacle to this improvement arifes from the populoufnefs of the country, which renders it difficult to protect turnips, &c. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 107 &c. from the depredations of thofe who, without prin- ciple or induftry, are continually on the alert to take advantage of their more diligent neighbours; but, if any thing like a general attention to this branch of hufbandry could be brought about, it would do more than divide the lofs; it would interefl more perfons in their prefervation, and in the end put a total flop to the plunder. Turnips have been partially cultivated for many years, but nothing like a general cultivation has yet taken place. It would be ufelefs, then, to expatiate on the utility of a vegetable, the valuable qualities of which are fo univerfally known; it is fufficient to fay, that they have anfwered the expectation of every per- fon, ,who has tried them. The mode, in which they feem to fucceed beft, as we have not expert hoers in this country, is in drills of two feet afunder, the dung juft covered, the feed fown by a drill barrow, and im- mediately rolled ; the culture, whilft growing, a com- plete horfe hoeing, the weeds between the plants being pulled by hand, the ground, of courfe, made as fine before the fowing as poffible. In this method crops of turnips are every year raifed in the park at Hills- borough, equal to any, I jfhall venture to fay, in Eng- land. If the ground is not completely hoed by hand, or in the drills, the work is but half done. The tan- kand or Norfolk turnip is a very great producer, but P 2 growing xo8 .STATISTICAL SURVEY growing fo much above the ground, it is more liable to injury from froft, &c. than the red or large ~ green, which grow more into the foil ; the Swedifh is the mofl hardy of all, and as it fucceeds better than any other by tranfplantation, it is very valuable on this ac- count likewife, as, by having a nurfery of thefe, the drills, if any part of them mifsj may be made good', they fliould be fown in March, as they are of flower growth than the others. Cabbages, as food for cattle, are even lefs in ufe than turnips, though fuperior to them in produce and in quality, when properly given. The management of this vegetable is perfectly underftood, being cultivated in every garden ; all that is wanting is to extend it to the fields. Raifmg cabbage plants is in foine parts of this county a very beneficial article of hufbandryj many acres of the feed of the different kinds, both for funamer and winter ufe, for the fupply of this and the neighbouring counties, being fown every year. There are two feafons for fowing thefe feeds; for thofe, which are to Hand the winter, the time of fowing is from the middle of July to the firfl week in Auguft (fometimes later, but the fuccefs not fo certain). The rnpft ap- proved mode of fowing is on a fallow, the manure foil and lime, or dung, dung the better; the land is ploughed in ridges before feed-time, then harrowed, the feed fown j another flight harrowing is then given, and the furrows OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 109 furrows nicely ihovelled; the quantity of feed near twenty .pounds to the Irifh acre. Cabbage-feed is fometimes fown on ground, from which a crop of early potatoes has been talcen; this is a very beneficial way, as three crops may be had from the fame ground in ; wo years, the plants being drawn in time to make room for fpring corn. The other feafon for fowing thefe feeds is in ipring, to anfwer for the fummer planting. Farmers, who fow any quantity of land ia this way, often fell their whole crop to perfons, whofe occupation it is to carry the plants to the different rnar-r kets, many of them at the diftanc'e of thirty or forty miles. The different kinds of plants are tied up ia bundles of 120 each, which are fold at various prices, from four- pence to one {hilling per hundred, according to the demand; kail plants are much cheaper, the feed being generally faved here ; the cabbage-feed imported from England, the price from 6s. 6d. to 'js. yd: per Ib. The kind molt in demand are the early York or pom- pet, and the fugar-loaf for fummer; the Savoy, large Dutch cabbage, and kail of different kinds for winter. The price, at which an acre of cabbage-plants fells, is often very great ; fo much as thirty guineas have been given ; when there is a profpeft of fcarcity the price is much enhanced, as the early cabbage is the firfl vege- table for ufe in fpring. Kail, as food for cattle, is amongft the moft bene- ficial vegetables; by planting it at different feafons, a conflant no STATISTICAL SURVEY conftant fupply may be kept up, from the time cattle are honied, until grafs is ready for them in fpring; that, which is planted in fpring, will be ready for ufe in No- vember or December; that, which is planted later, for the fucceeding months, at which time the firfl cut will be ready to produce a crop of fprouts: the hardieft kinds feem to be the borecole, and the green and red curled ; for milch cows they are a mod fuperior food, giving the butter a tafte and colour equal to the finefl grafs. Rape is alfo of great confequence, from the quantity of nutritious food it affords to cattle and fheep, and from its thriving in foils where other plants of the braffica tribe are not productive; befides, it will anfwer when fet out at a much later period of the year than any other, ad might always fucceed the early dug potatoes, and be cleared from the ground in time to fow barley. However advantageous the cultivation of thefe vegetables may be to the real farmer, they would, jf properly attended to, be ftill more beneficial to the holder of a few acres; for, with a fupply of green food for his one or two cows in winter, and a patch of clover to mow in fummer, he might have a conftant refource in milk and butter for his family or the mar- ket, and an increasing fund of manure afforded by his cattle kept in the flail with a fufficiency of food, inftead of turning them out to trample upon his land in the moft improper feafon, and to fcatter at random about the OF THE COUNTY OF* DOWN. i the fields the fource of his future harvefts. The Agri- cultural Society of this county having taken up this matter fo warmly, makes it unnecefTary for me to dwell any longer upon this fubjecl; I fhall therefore mention fome other vegetables, which, in their proper foils, mufl prove advantageous to the farmer. Carrots, in fandy or light loamy foils; at Eglantine Mr. Moore has fed his horfes on carrots this winter, 1801; they pre- fer them to any food, look well, and are in good fpirits. Parfnips the fame gentleman finds excellent; and I am informed by the Rev. William Moore, his brother, that fome bullocks of his, which had been fed with pota- toes, upon having parfnips given to them, immediately kft the potatoes until the parfnips were finished. Beans ; although patches of beans are to be feen in open fields, in feveral places, they are not cultivated to any effect, except by Mr. Chrifty, who has fown them after wheat, and horfe-hoed them ; but a confiderable part of them having been ftolen, he could not afcer- tain the produce. Vetches, alfo, have been tried by Mr. Moore, both for green food and for winter feed- ing. ' This year he intends extending his crop, from the fdccefs of lafl year's produce. Hemp I underftood had been cultivated in the neigh- bourhood of Hollywood, but after the moft diligent inquiry made by a very intelligent gentleman, no fads- factory account could be obtained, relative to the quan- tity ii2 STATISTICAL SURVEY tity of feed fown. It was never fteeped when pulled, but kept to be peeled in winter by hand, and the ftalk burned for fuel ; confequently it was coarfe, and fold lower than foreign hemp. It is now given up, and thofe who cultivated it declare, that they find potatoes more profitable. Having now taken notice of all the different objeft$ of cultivation in this county, as far as I have been able to obtain information, I (hall here mfert a few oblerva- tk>ns, that are connected with the foregoing fubjefts, which, probably, might have been with more propriety otherwife placed, but which did not occur before. With fome exceptions, tillage is performed by horfes, two in a plough ; the quantity done in a day is various ; die depth according to the foil j where trie underftra- tm is clay, there may be an advantage in turning it up ; where till, or a fharp gravel occur, to do fo is reckoned hurtful ; as it is in Norfolk to difturb the pan, which, once touched, requires fcven years to fub- due. In old lea, or in hills that are fteep, it will take five days to plough an Irifii acre ; in ftubble from two to three days ; fo much depends upon the ground, fo much upon the horfes, and fo much upon the (Kill of the holder, it is not eafy to determine the exacT: quan- tity, but I think it' may be fet down at the fifth of an acre of lea, and the third of" an acre of ftubble. Where , farms are fo fmall as not to admit the keeping of more thaa OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 113 than one horfe, ploughing is done by two neighbours joining , each lends his horfe, and in whofefoever land the plough is, the owner of the land holds the plough. Each harrows his own ground, draws out his own manure, &c. Where no horfe is kept, ploughing is hired at $s. $d. per day, with meat for man and hode, or for five days work of a man, at any time you choofe to call him. Except in demefnes bullocks are not ufed, horfes are thought more expeditious, and to be better calculated for drawing lime, taking grain to market, &c. I was once witnefs to a mofl decided fuperiority , in horfes, in Lord Downfhire's park j they were ploughing, without a driver, alternate ridges, with four bullocks and a driver j for a confiderable time that I ftaid, the horfes went three bouts for every two bouts of the bullocks. In this county, ploughing without a driver was introduced by Mathew Gafoigne, when in the Biftiop of Dromore's fervice : he is now farmer in the park of Hillfborough. Harvefting* -The economy, with which grain is cut and handled in this county, deferves praife and imita- tion ; it is reaped quite clofe to the ground, and not a head left; we have no fuch perfons as gleaners, the farmer attends the reapers, ties and fets up the (heaves, carefully gathering the ears ; if the grain is thick, it requires an attendant (provincially bandfter) to five reapers ; if it is thin, he may attend one or two more. H4 STATISTICAL SURVEY It is accounted difgracefnl to fee heads of grain feat* tered about after cutting ; and long ftubble left on the ground to be ploughed in, is thought to be of no fer- vice ; cutting all the Araw with the grain, and carrying It home, makes more manure ; befides it is very diffi- cult, in turning a furrow, to cover a long and coarfe Hubble, fo as to bury it completely. On the proper depth, at which gram Jhould be faun. There are many opinions on this fubject ; but it ap- pears to me that, howfoever depth of covering may contribute to the protection of the feed, in a more advanced flate it has little to do with the goodnefs of the crop. In an early period the following advantages attend it: ift. It prevents the feed from becoming a prey to birds, becaufe the farma is exhaufted before it gets above the furface, and, confequently, it ceafes to be an object to them, which they very foon find out. 7dly. It prevents wheat from being thrown out of the ground by froft. sdly. AH grain grows more regu- larly from equal covering, which implies equal moif- ture. But as to depth of covering contributing in any other way to the goodnefs of a crop, I cannot think there is any foundation. My reafons for thi opinion are founded oil the nature of roots, and are as follow : every fpecies of grain has a double root 5 the firfl, or feminal root, puihed out immediately on the germina- tion or budding of the grain ; this bud is nourifhed by the OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. itf, the farina, until the firfl root is capable of giving it fupport, which it does until the fecond or coronal root is required i this, then, is at the period the plant begins to obtain the firft joint or approach to culmination 5 as- foon as this root has eftabliftied itfelf, the firft root, be- ing no longer neceflary, dies ; which may be perceived on pulling up a plant after that ftage in its growth ; and which plainly (hews it can be of no further ufe. From this period, therefore, all the functions of fupporting the plant devolve upon the coronal root ; which efta- blifhes itfelf, and feeks its food, nearly on the furface. It is for this reafon that top-dreflings operate to fuch advantage upon all culmiferous plants, which draw their nouriftiment from the very place the manure is laid. Dr. Hunter, of York, who was well acquainted with this diftincYion in roots, does not mention the exact time of putting out the coronal or furface roots, which is exactly at the time the plant begins to Ipindle ; in very early fown wheat, in mild feafons, this fome- times happens before winter, but generally in fpring ; in fpring corn it occurs at the time mentioned. There is a difadvantage, however, attendant on deep covered feed, that never has been adverted to in writing by any perfon, fo far as I have met with, except Dr. Darwin, in that moft ingenious book, his Phytologia ; it is this : the thread, or fine Item, which comes from the feminal root to the furface, the longer it is the greater chance it has of being cut, before the formation of the coronal, 02 which ii6 STATISTICAL SURVEY which is certain deftruftion to the plant; this cutting being the operation of a worm, for I have- feen it at work, the chance of being cut is in proportion to the length of the thread, or ftem, which is exaftly from the place the grain falls to the furface. CHAPTER OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 117 CHAPTER VIII. GRASS, SECTION i. Natural Meadows and Grajjet. FROM the great inequality of furface in this county, confiderable trails of flat meadow grounds lying toge- ther cannot be expected, yet on the fides of the rivers, particularly of the Ban, the Lagan, &c. there are many excellent and extenfive meadows, which are annually 4 enriched by the natural overflowing of the waters, and the vallies, which lie amongft the hills, are generally very rich, and are capable, if not naturally good, of being macle fo by levelling and draining, for they con- tain the fmefl particles of mold waftied from the fur- rounding hills for ages ; and from the peculiar confor- mation of the grounds, few farms of any extent are without the benefit of fome mowing ground. Never- thelefs, little comparative advantage is taken of thele favourable circumftances ; the meadows, generally fpeaking, ri8 STATISTICAL SURVEY fpeaking, are left to nature, and thofe, which lie on the fides of rivers and fmaller ftreams, which are very nu- merous, often receive more injury than good from their fituation ; for they are fed fo late in fpring, that to obtain a quantity of grafs for hay, they are cut juft at the period the waters begin to rife, from which error the crop is often loft by floods, or fo much hurt by the earthy particles conveyed by them, as to be rendered ufelefs for any other purpofe than that of making dung. Quantity in general feems fo much to be preferred to quality, that in thofe grounds, which from their nature and fituation are liable to produce the coarfer grafles, the time of cutting is generally fo late, that all the juices are fled before that operation is performed,, and a dry harfh food is provided for cattle, inftead of that fine and balmy hay obtained by early cutting and favourable weather. Many of the fineft and moft pro- ductive meadows we have are thofe, which lie on the fkirts of turf-bogs, juft where the junction is formed between the peaty earth and the loam i the fertility of this compound foil is very great indeed, the vegetation, moft rapid, and the natural grafles of the very beft Icind ; which plainly fhews, that a judicious mixture of thefe foils is productive of very great benefit. Could we be. prevailed on to try the Wiltfhire mode of ma* waging meadow grounds, as given by Mr. Davies, our own miiinanagement -would fopn be exploded. la WUtfture OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 119 Wiltfhire, one of the molt confiderable dairy counties in England, the meadows are hained up and cut early, whether the crop is heavy or light; the confequencc of which practice is, that the hay is of fo fuperior a quality, as to keep the fineft cow to her milk, or the largeft ox to his flefh ; and they reckon, where the crop of hay is fmall from cutting it early, that they obtain a quantity of after-grafs at leaft equal to the deficiency in point of hay ; befides the advantage of long days and good weather in making it. . 7 Improvements. The principal improvements, which are required, ieem to be the following : i ft. Draining of wet mea- dow grounds, rather by open than covered drains ; the latter,, : jf not more liable to be out of order than the former, are more difficult to repair j befides, where the foil is tenacious, covered drains will not have the effect, as the water cannot penetrate to them. adly. By deftroying the coarfe herbage, which may be done by digging it up and burning it, or breaking up the furface by a crop of potatoes, and afterwards laying it down with a judicious feleclion of grafs feeds, which with care may be obtained, and forming the furface b as to prevent water from lodging on it. 3dly. By watering, if poffible. 4thly. By manuring. 5thly. By a proper degree of attention to the mode of flocking, by- no STATISTICAL SURVEY by which poaching, that deftruftion to rich meadow ground, is avoided; and laftly, by cutting in proper time. This is one principal object of attention, becaufe, as I have already obferved, the hay is of fuperior qua- lity> the after-grafs can be fed without injury to the ground, whilft it is dry, as it generally is at the begin- ning of autumn, and the feeds of the coarfer grafles, which ripen late, are hereby deflroyed. SECT. 2. Artificial GraJJes. THE grafles generally made ufe of, for laying down land for mowing or pafturc, are the red clover (trifo- lium pratenfe), white clover (trifolium repens), trefoil (medicago lupulina), rye grafs (lolium perenne), white grafs (holcus mollis), likewife hay-feeds of different kinds, promifcuoufly gathered from the towns, in the choice of which not much care is beftowed. In the north part of the barony of Ards, and in the adjoining parts of the barony of Caftlereagh, where the foil is clay, and where red clover has not yet fucceeded, rye grafs and white grafs are fown, and attended tc with great care, both for meadow, pafture, and for foiling in the houfe ; in the latter cafe, a mixture of the two is fuppcfed to make the feed more plentiful, as -well" as more grateful to the cattle.* Many perfons have an idea, that fowing grafs fe.eds, although more productive OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. ut productive than the mere fpring of natural herbage for the firfl year, hurts the future produce and exhaufls the ground ; but this effec"l I could never obferve, and in the diflrifts above-mentioned, the fowing of graft feed is reckoned to prepare the ground moft excellently for future crops of grain. In the fame part of the country the farmers are particularly careful in faving their rye grafs, &c. Hay; after mowing it is gathered, bound into fheaves, and flooked like grain; in that fituation it remains until it is thoroughly dry, and free from all danger of heating, as hay-feeds of every kind are eafily hurt by being warmed in the flack. Hay-feed fown in autumn fucceeds remarkably well ; one of the befl crops of hay I ever faw was produced this year, 1 80 1, from feed fown in the month of September 1800, the ground effectually broken by large harrows before it was fown, and afterwards lightly covered with fmaller ones. Clover. Clover being of fuch confequerice, not only as food for cattle, and, confequently, as a means of raifing manure, but likewife as a cleaner of the ground, and a preparative for raifing fuperior crops of grain, I fhall here throw together 'feveral detached pieces of infor- mation I have collected. 3 The we STATISTICAL SURVEY ' The little farmers have a peculiar mode of fowing clover in their gardens, which deferves to be generally known, and to be praftifed by thofe, who farm upon an extenfive fcale, efpecially when by any accident clover of the former year has failed ; the feed is fown in fpring, as foon as the feafon will admit, with a fmall quantity of oats or barley (two or three bufhels to the acre), the green blade of which may be cut as foon as its length will afford ; afterwards it will fprout and give another crop ; by this time the clover will have gained fo great a degree of ftrengtfe, that in a favour- able feafon it will likewife be fufficiently long to mow ; as I have often feen it. The advantages attending this management are, ift. the gaming a quantity of green food the year it is fown ; and adly, that the clover, by the cutting of the grain at two periods, is freed from the danger of being fmothered, and is kept completely free from weeds. It is ufual with thofe, who follow this mode, to manure with afh.es after the firft or fe- cond cutting ; the effecl: is great. Afties are certainly the beft manure for clover, as they fpread when dry more even than any other manure 5 dung, when laid on clover, cannot be made fo fine as to prevent fome lumps from being unbroke, and a very fmall piece is fufficient to rot the plant it covers. Clover, fown in September, fucceeds remarkably well, and if on flubble, ploughed for the purpofe, fome of the grain that fheds in reaping fhould grow up with it, it will not only afford OF THE COUNTY OF D'OWN. 123 afford protection to the young plant in winter, but it will increafe the quantity of green food in fpring. Should chickweed appear at that feafon, a few cows turned upon it in dry weather will foon devour that weed, and free the clover from the incumbrance. In fome foils harrowing in clover over wheat in fpring, is found to anfwer better than any other cul- ture. The Rev. Mr. Fletcher, who has a fandy foil near the race-courfe of the Maze, purfues this method upon wheat after potatoes, and finds the wheat much improved by the operation ; in his foil it is abfolutely neceflary, he thinks, to commit the clover to the mold of a potatoe fallow, which of courfe muft be very fine, if the drilled method is followed ; and he mentions a curious circumftance in fupport of his opinion. In a field of fix acres, four of which were in drilled pota- toes, and two in the lazy-bed way, but previoufly ploughed as if for drilling, he fowed wheat : in fpring, clover was fown over the whole, and the ground lightly harrowed ; the feed of the fame quality , the clover was excellent after the drilled potatoes, but in the two acres fet in the ridge way it failed completely. The .only way he could account for it was, that the fubfoil (a clay) thrown up by trenching in the potatoes rendered the ground an unfit nidus for the feed. Al- though this gentleman's farm is in the county of An- trim, I hope I fhall be excufed for flepping over the river, in confideration of this piece of practical infor- R 2 mation. i24 STATISTICAL SURVEY mation. Mir. Chrifty of Kircuflbck, in Lower Iveagh* sear Waringftown, finds that clover does not fucceed well after flax, -the ground binds too much; his foil a good loam on clay. Mr. Waring of Moira fays, that clover fown with barley or oats, after potatoes that have been dunged well, is often fmothered by the luxuriancy of the grain; but when he fets potatoes twice on the fame ground^ only manuring for the firit crop, his clover is very fine, the ground not being fo rank, and the weeds totally fubduedj his foil a fine loam upon a limeftone bottom, and reckoned the fineft land in the county. Trefut. Trefoil fucceeds better than red clover, according to Mr. Gracey of Lecale, on ground inclined to clay, and 1 once faw a crop of it at Larkfield equal to any red clover. As there is a confiderable difference in the price of the two feeds, amounting in fome years to twenty {hillings per acre, it is extraordinary that more of it is not fown ; it is as cheap as hay-feed, and much luperior^ for grazing or cutting green. White Clover, Is not much fown, except by gentlemen for laying down lawns, or any favourite piece of ground, that is immediately OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 125 immediately required to be brought to a fward, for which this grafs is peculiarly calculated, as it throws out roots from every joint, forming in one year a com- plete cover to the foil. It feems, better calculated for grazing than for cutting, as it does not grow very long. SECT. 3. Hay Harveft. ' kar>^a^b io sis foot i ii ;lu& ':'#.*. ?d-q THE time for making hay extends from the begin- ning of July until the beginning of October ; that is, from the time the meadows about the towns and gen- tlemens' places are cut, until thofe in the mountainous and remote parts are made up. Saving (provincially, wenning) hay is thus performed. After the mowers the grafs is ftiaken out, and the day following, if the weather permits, it is turned in rows with rakes or forks, after which it is made into fmall cocks, called lap-cocks. This operation is conducted in the follgw- ing manner : one perfon goes before with a rake, and takes in as much ground as can be reached; a fmall armful of the grafs, gathered from this fpace into a ridge, is taken by another perfon, who clofely follows, fhakes it, and with the hands and knees neatly folds it into a fmall round heap, with a hole paffing through it like a muff, and lightly lays it on the ground; as many pairs may be employed in this way as are aecelTary to , lap iz6 STATISTICAL SURVEY lap the whole of the field. In this fituation the graft is fuffered to remain, until being fufficiently withered, in the courfe of one day, by (baking and turning, it is in a proper ftate to be put into tramp-cocks, which are jnade of different fizes, according to the condition of the hay, and fo it is fuffered to remain until it is taken in. This mode of making hay feems adapted both to dry and moift climates, but particularly to the latter, as the lightnefs, with which it is put together, gives a free paflage to the air, and the roundnefs of the external furface throws off the rain. Hay lapped judicioufly, though not perfectly dry, will often come out, after \ many days rain, free from injury, as the upper furface forms a defence, the quantity put together is fo fmall, as to prevent its being injured by preffure and want of air. In very wet feafons it is not unufual, during a fair moment, to (hake and lap the hay over again, which tends very much to preferve its colour, and if the weather changes for the better, it is much fooner ready to be tramped. Even lifting the lap-cocks from one place to another gives them air, and allows the ground to dry, which is a great point. In a dry cli- mate this mode of making hay is well calculated to wither the grafs, without expofing too much of its furface to the air; but in a dry climate, or even in this climate, in favourable weather, it would be advifeable, in many cafes, to lap the grafs immediately after the firft (baking out, in which cafe it would preferve its fragrance OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 127 fragrance and colour, inftead of having both deftroyed by too much expofure ; for the great defeft in our mode is, the expofing our grafs until the juices are to- tally gone, and looking upon the heating of our hay, even in a flight degree, as its deftruction. A medium between the rapid manner, in which the hay is carried in England, and our tardy method, would probably be the fortunate one: the great degree of moiflure, which generally prevails in this country, muft, I fhould think, prevent us from implicitly following them ; at the fame time it muft be allowed, that the dread of putting up our hay too foon often produces a greater evil, than would be the confequence even of a confiderable de- gree of heating, whereas a flight degree is found bene- ficial. Another error, towards which there is a general propenfity, is the length of time the hay in this county is fuffered to remain in the meadows after it is made up ; the effefts of this are feen in the quantity wafted, both in the bottoms from the moifture of the ground, and on the tops and outfides from the fun and rain. This is fo very unnecefTary a piece of bad husbandry, fo little can be faid in defence of it, it is furprifing it has not ceafed, with many other practices equally flovenly and wafteful. jfffer-grafs. STATISTICAL SURVEY After-grafs. The management of after-grafs requires judgment ; cattle fhould not be turned into it until they can enjoy a full bite, nor fhould they be kept out of it fo long, as to let it be deftroyed by their trampling. It has been a queflion, whether after-grafs left upon the ground acls as a manure. I have feen it tried, but I could not perceive, that the ground was much benefited by it; provided the meadows were (hut up in proper time, and the lofs of food is fo very great, it fhould not be given up for any thing lefs than certainty. A good flock of after-grafs is one of the beft fupplies to keep up cattle, that have been taken in good condition from the paflures. The after-grafs this year, 1801, was fo luxuriant, as to afford in many places a good crop, very much owing to the early cutting of the meadows, A .method of faving it I faw, which anfwered per- fectly, was to mix it in the flack with layers of oat- ftraw ; this kept the foft hay from clapping together, and, by communicating fome of its juices to the ftraw, it improved its quality, which was very perceivable from the eagernefs of all kinds of cattle to eat it. The following catalogue of grafTes, with their cha- racters, was furnifhed to me by Mr. Templeton, of Orange-grove, near Belfaft, with all the liberality of a man OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 129 man of fcience. This gentleman's garden, although in the county of Antrim, is too remarkable to pafs unmen- tioned ; it contains almoft every plant, that will live in this country in the open air, provided as nearly as pof. fible with their appropriate foils ; rocks, limeftone, moor and bog, fand, clay, &c. all have been brought, in their feveral provinces, to affift in the fupport of one of the moft curious botanical collections in this king- dom. Alopecurus pratenfis. This is one of our earlieft fhooting grafles, (hooting in the beginning of May, and poflefling the good quality of bearing leaves in plenty, high on the flem, and thofe leaves not too rigid. Cynofurus criftatus A good leafy grafs. Of this I have given a drawing, as from the feed which adheres, I look upon it as a moft nutritive grafs. J. D. Brlza media. Leafy, and liked by all forts of cattle. Daflylis glomerata. Cock's-foot grafs. Mr. Sole, in the Bath Tranfaclions, fays, this grafs is refufed by cat- tle; I know that horfes feem to like it, and as it grows well in the fhade, I think, where other grafles will not grow, it might be worth cultivation. Mr. Templeton, My observations on this grafs are, that both horfes and cows eat it greedily; that it forms one of the principal grafles around Lifburn, famous for its meadows ; and that, after being cut, it fprings as quickly as clover, being the firft vifible after raking the meadows. The feeds of this grafs are not difficult to gather, A draw- Jog accompanies this. J. D. s Fejluca 136 STATISTICAL SURVEY Fejluca ovina. A good grafs on (beep paftures, but not an object of cultivation. Feftuca duriufcula. Mr. Sole, in the Bath Tranfao tions, mentions this as a mofl excellent grafs, and well worth cultivation. Feftuca pratenfis.-r- Meadow fefcue grafs ; one of our beft graJTes both for pafture and hay. Feftuca elatior, A flrong grafs, and might be well worth cultivating in moift clay foils. Fejluca loliacea, Nearly allied to feftuca pratenfis, a good grafs, requiring a moift foil. Feftuca jluitansy float fefcue* An excellent grafs; but, to cultivate it, marfhy ground would alone bring it to perfection. A field of mine liable to be flooded by every heavy rain, and from which, by repeated cuttings, the bufhes which formerly covered it are pearly extirpated, is now covered with this grafs, which affords the fineft pafture. Mr. Templeton. This grafs grows with wonderful vigour in bogs, that are cut over, and in the drains^ that flow from them. The feeds of this grafs are very nutritive, as \ may be known by their fattening ducks, that are within reach of thofe places where they grow ; they nvift like- wife be very palatable to them, as, when they once find them out, there is the greatefl difficulty in getting them to remain at home.' Horfes and cows are fo fond of this grafs, they often rifle their lives in queft of it. J. D. Holcus OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 131 Holcus lanatus. White grafs. This is the white hay fo much prized in this country, but Mr. Sole agrees with me, Bath Tranfaclions, p. 147, that it is neither good for meadows nor pafture. Mr.Templeton. Imuft beg leave to diffent both from Mr. Templeton and Mr. Sole; upon foils rich and well prepared this grafs throws up a great quantity both of leaves and ftems, and feems pe- culiarly grateful to all kinds of cattle. On turf-bogs, that have been manured with afties or dung, this is one of the firft graffes, both as to quantity and quality. When cut merely for hay, it ought to be taken before the ears clofe, juft when it has attained its greateft height; but when the feed is to be faved, they muft be allowed to clofe, otherwife, the procefs of fructification not being completed, the feed will not grow. J. D. Lolium perenne. Rye-grafs ; the moft excellent early pafture grafs we have on dry grounds; I have obferved it to be particularly fine on the ftony loams of the county of Down ; it appears to me better for pallure than hay. Phleum pratenfe. This is the far famed Timothy- grafs, but I think it does not deferve the great name it has got, it is of too rigid a confidence ; as farmers fay it does not bulk well, and as it is one of the latefl graffes, others much better growing with it will be fpoiled, be- fore it is fit for cutting. Mr.Templeton. Notwithfland- ing this refpectable opinion, I have feen very fine crops, all of this grafs, or nearly fo, in the neighbourhood of Caftle-Dobbs, in the county of Antrim; and although s 2 it i $z STATISTICAL SURVEY it may have a ftem too rigid, there muft be a confide r- able quantity of nutriment in its long and full ear. With refpeft to grades, there is one diftinftion, which I do not recollect to have met with ; thofe, which are cultivated for grazing, that is, merely for their leaves, ought to be of the moft leafy kind; thofe for hay ought, I think, to be of thofe kinds, which produce tall Items and full ears j thefe partake more of the nature of grain, and are confequently the moft nutritious: this obfervation extends only to one or two years after the ground is laid to grafs; after that period, the grafs na- tural to the foil will extirpate all others. J. D. Phleum nodofum. A variety of the former, grows in moift grounds, and is not fo rigid, and more leafy. Poa aquatica. Could it bear to be cultivated out of water, it might be a valuable grafs. Poa pratenfts. This certainly poflefTes every quality requifite for meadow and pafture ; it grows on a great variety of foils, moift, dry, clay, loam, and fand, and ia all is one of the beft graffes. >y Poa /rmW/'j-.-^-Perhaps only excelled by the former* dgroftis Jlolonifera Joint grafs of our farmers, is the principal covering of our moid fields; in fome fitu- ations we may reckon it one of our moft valuable graffes, but when it gets into our arable grounds, ks long creeping {hoots do confiderable damage. Of this f jraik. I have given a drawing; it is one of the raoft beautiful as well as the beft of our graffes, but when allowed OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 133 allowed to ftand long, from the weaknefs of its ftem, and the numerous roots it throws out at its joints, it gets too clofe, and lofes its colour. J. D. The following graflcs I obferved growing in dif- ferent fituations; Mr. Templeton was fo good to name them for me. Anthoxanthum odoratutn. Vernal grafs. This is a fweet, fine, and early grafs ; it is to be met with on moft foils; I have obferved, however, that it is more luxuriant in reclaimed turf-bog than in any other foil: indeed ground of this nature is particularly favourable to moft kinds of graflfes. This is the grafs fo much re- commended by the Dublin Society, as giving the fweet fcent to hay; it is not very productive, but it is very early. Avena elatior. Tall oat grafs. This grafs is a trouble^ fome weed in arable land; as a grafs for hay it is amongft the moft productive, an inftance of which I was witnefs to in a field, that was intended for tillage; but on the promifmg appearance the land fhewed at the feafon of ploughing, inftead of being broken up, it was moderately dunged, in confequence of which it produced a moft luxuriant crop. The ground had > been in tillage for fome years, and every fpecies of grain, that was fown, was fpoiled by the knotty roots of the grafs. As a weed it is very troublefome, but it may- be extirpated by repeated pickings; letting the ground reft alfo deftroys it. Bromus t 134 STATISTICAL SURVEY BromuS) of all kinds. The bromus mollis is an early and productive grafs, efpecially for the firft year j the car abounds with mealy fubftance, which makes it very &c. for which it is well calculated, as it preferves its ver- dure the whole year. There are many varieties of this tree beautifully variegated ; fome of them in the gar- dens at HilMborough above thirty feet high. This wood, being white, is much ufed for inlaying. White-thorn ; cratagus. In every foil and fituation ; it grows, however, largeft in the deepeft ground. The growth of hedges, formed of this plant, is a good cri- terion to judge of the quality of the foil. The wood of this tree is very hard and clofe, and, when old, is much ufed for cogs in mill-work. Beech; fagus Delights in a dry or gravelly ground, in which it grows very faft, with a fmooth and clear bark, and yet fome of the largeft beech in this county are at Waringftown, which is not a dry foil. This timber is of great ufe to turners, 8rc. but when of a eertaia fize, is doubly valuable for beams to beetle white linen, or before it is made up for market, and alfo for making the beetles. X Hornbeam; 154 STATISTICAL SURVEY Hornbeam; carpinus Is much ufed for hedges r for which it is very good ; when fufFered to grow to any fize it is ufed for the fame purpofes as beech. I have heard from a perfon, on whofe information I have the ftrongeft dependance, that this tree grows much larger in this county than in any part of England ; it will grow on almoft any foil and expofure. Sycamore; acer. One of the hardiefl trees we have; yet a very curious faft concerning it is, that it does not thrive at Waringftown, where moft trees grow better than in mod parts of the county. CheRnut-, fagus. This is a moft valuable tree, the wood of uncommon duration, reckoned in England fuperior to oak for pofts and rails, the moft trying ufc any timber can be put to; when of a proper fize it is excellent for furniture, taking a very good polifh. It is a hardy tree, growing on moft foils; the largeft I have feen are thofe at Orange-Grove in the county of Antrim, the foil a deep fandy loam. Horfe-cheftnut; aefculus. Grows in moft foils and fituations, beft in a fandy loam. This tree does not require much culture, and being quick of growth, is proper to plant where cover is fpeedily required* I have not heard of this tree being tried as timber. Poplar; pcpulus. Of this tree there are many va- rieties, all quick growers; though they agree with wet and boggy foils, they will do well almoft in any fitna- tion. The abele, or large-leaved white poplar, is a moft OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 155- moft beautiful tree, of wonderful quick growth; I meafured ftioots of it laft year, and not in wet foil, of more than fix feet; the white poplar, with fmaller leaves, is little inferior to it. There is a variety of the abele, with dark-coloured leaves, but not equal to it in beauty. The black poplar is very frequent, and alfo the afpeh-tree, both valuable for their growing in foils where other trees do not thrive. Befides, there are numbers of the tacamahacca, or balfam poplar, propa- gated for the beauty of their leaves, and the quicknefs >.vith which they rife. All thefe trees grow freely from cuttings, the laft in particular; but there feem to be two kinds of the laft, one of which is a flow grower, and only to be diftinguifhed from the other by that circumftance. Doctor Anderfon mentions the taca- mahacca, as making a moft impenetrable hedge ia 2 very (hort time, by twifting the branches together at the top, the fecond year after planting. The wood o all the former kinds, particularly the abele, is ufeful for; many purpofes, efpecially for flooring, being whiter than any other timber; it is alfo ufeful for turners ; in England it is ufed by bellows-makers in preference to any other, and alfo for heels for ihoes. Platanus orienialis-\ have not feen any where in this county, except at Moira; it is a tree of curious foliage, each leaf being regularly palmatedj it is a well- ftzed tree, much branched. / 156 STATISTICAL SURVEY Platanus occidentalis. Called fo becaufe it came from America, as the former came from Afia. This is a quick growing and very beautiful tree, eafily propa- gated by cuttings, but what fize it would grow to I do not know, never having feen any old trees of this kind j it likes a moifr, foil : one in fuch a fituation, near the bridge at Tullamore park, is a well fized tree. Elm tree -, vlmits. Of this tree there are many va-. rieties ; all are good timber, -but from their roots run- ning fo much upon the furface, they are liable to be blown down ; which defect has been in fome degree remedied, by engrafting the different kinds of Englifti elms, moft fubjeft to this misfortune, upon Scotch flocks ; one circumftance, however, muft be mentioned, that the graft is very fubjecl: to die after tranfplanta- tion. But, notwithftanding the above-mentioned difad- vantage, upon a deep foil there is no tree more worthy of cultivation, both for beauty and ufe, than the English elm ; for flooring it is very fine ; for the purpofes of conveying water under ground it is unrivalled in dura- tion, and, by the ftraitnefs of its Jftem, excellently adapt- ed for that purpofe. Lime tree ; tilia. This is one of our moft ornament tal trees ; it grows rapidly in foils congenial to it, deep aad moift loams. It is not very nfeful for timber, be- Jog moftly applied to light and nice work ; fuch as i carving, making models for buildings, bowls, difheSj Sec. being too foft for any ftrong work. Fir OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 157 Fir tree; pintts. Of this tree there are many kinds cultivated in this county ; the Scotch fir is the mofl general ; being fb hardy, and affording at an early age fo much fhelter, has given it a preference to every other kind, as a nurfe to more tender trees ; being merely planted for that purpofe, great care fhould be taken, left it fhould fmother what it is meant to pre- ferve ; which it often does, by being planted too thick, and allowed to ftand too long. How valuable a tree it is in itfelf, when planted in good foil, and allowed to ftand until of a proper age, may be feen in many parts of this county, but no where to greater advantage than along the river fide at Redemon. Both the filver and fpruce firs have grown, in proper foils, to a very con- flderable fize ; whilft young they are mofl ornamental, but as they advance they lofe much of their beauty, by lofing their under-branches, efpecially when planted thick. In ftrong foils, they grow to a confiderable fize, and are excellent timber. The Balm of Gilead fir, though beautiful when young, feldom furvives above twenty years ; and the Weymouth, though a quick grower, has not generally fucceeded ; the largeft I have feen are at Hillfborough, but they are furpafTed in the fame foil both by the fpruce and filver firs. The firft Weymouth pine was planted in England, at Long- leat in Wilt/hire, by the firft Lord Weymouth, in 1696, the old ftump ftill remains. The Pinafter has fucceeded remarkably well at Tulhmorc park, where ie 158 STATISTICAL SURVEY it forms a pleafmg variety, and promifes to be a great- acquifition to the planter ; there are a few of them in other places ; they have fomewhat of the appearance of the Scotch fir, but the leaves are much larger, and their branches more fpreading. In the plantations at Montalto are two of the black fpruce of America; they are about twenty years old, rich in colour, and thickly clothed to the bottom. Amongft the many kinds of trees, which have been introduced here within the laft fixty, or probably fe- venty years, the larch feems to be the greatefl acquifi- tion ; whether it is confidered, as an ornamental tree, as a nurfe to others, or as a valuable improvement in point of timber : viewed in the firft light, it is one of the moft pi&urefque trees, either fmgle or as a fkirting to a lawn, for -which the elegance of its pendent branches feem peculiarly adapted : in the fecond ia- flance, its extreme hardinefs qualifies it to. aflifl more tender plants, until they are once completely efta- blifhed ; and in the laft, it is fuperior almoft to any tree, in duration and ftrength. In Switzerland, where thefe trees abound, they are converted to every ufe ; the houfes are built, furnifhed, and covered with them j the rofm, which flows from them, flops every joint, and makes them impervious to the weather. As this tree has fcarcely been long enough naturalized here, to judge of its durability, we muft and may be fatisfied with the various tefliraonies from the countries, in which OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 159 which it is better known ; as to its ftrength, that I have feen tried in many inftances, from extreme youth to forty or fifty years of age : in the firft cafe, it is as tight as an oak fapling ; in the fecond, it is fit for lad- ders, cars, &c. having all the toughnefs of afh, with- out its heavinefs. Dr. Anderfon, who is indefatigable in his refearches, where the good of mankind is con- cerned, has collected a number of facts refpecting the advantages attendant on the cultivation of this tree, which I mould recommend to the perufal of every per- fon, who is a planter, or likely to become one, either on a great or a fmall fcale. He there fliews the diffe- rent ufes the wood of it may be applied to, from the (haft of a broom to the building of a {hip, and ho\v completely qualified it is, in every gradation, to fulfil the expectations of the planter ; and alfo with what certainty it grows on every foil, from the mofl fertile loam to the moft flony mountain. For this latter in- formation, we need not go out of our own county, where it is cultivated, though not in the- degree it de- fer ves, from the deep clay about Moira, to the rocky mountains of Mourne. The late Lord Claubraffil planted, a vaft number of them, at Tullamore park, as nurfes for his oaks, pruning them to prevent their hurting, by the quicknefs of their growth, what they were intended to protect. The neceflary thinnings of thefe trees, I uhderfland, has produced a confiderable profit to the owner, and advantage to the country j and 160 STATISTICAL SURVEY and from the quality of the timber at every age will, it is to be hoped, be a means of extending its culture. By planting this tree thick, and by regular weedings, a conftant fupply of wood may be had, for a number of the purpofes of agriculture, where grofs timber is not required, as for hafts for different kinds of tools, for ruitic gates and paling, but particularly for pofts, as it bears the trying viciffitudes from wet to dry, better than any wood we know. Sallow ; fal/'x. -'All the varieties of this tree are ufe- ful in their way ; fome of them are of a flow growth, and do not arrive at any great fize ; fome of them, on the contrary, grow quickly, arrive at a confiderable height and thicknefs, and afford for many purpofes ex- cellent timber. The kinds, which are molt frequently planted in this country, are ift. the common ballcet- maker's willow ; this has the two perfections, of tough branches at an early age, and, when allowed to {land, that of growing to a large tree, and of affording good timber : the fecond is, the fweet, or bay-leaved wil- low, from the broadnefs and polifh of its leaves ; this grows not fo quickly as the firft, but is much fuperior in beauty : the third fort is diftinguifhed in this county by the name of gaugamel (a name given to it by a drunken gardener) ; this is beyond all the other kinds, for the rapid progrefs it makes in every foil } its branches, when young, are tender, and not fit for baf- kets or hoops j but, when grown to a tree, its timber is light OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 161 light and firm, fit for many purpofes, both to the cabi- net-maker and the farmer : one of the handieft ploughs I ever faw, was made of this tree, and, at the fame time, the (Irongeft. There is another, a very low growing tree, of this fpecies, with long and (lender (hoots of a reddifli colour, with almond-fliaped leaves, which I underftand is of French origin j the young branches are remarkably tough, and are ufed by the gardeners about London, for tying up parcels : this, if cultivated, would be a great acquisition to baflcet- tnakers, as, befides its toughnefs, the (hoots are of an equal thicknefs, which is a great objeft. Although this tree does not grow large, it throws out numerous (hoots, fuch as are defcribed. Upon the whole, the fallow is well worth attention, from its quick growth, its eafy cultivation, and its many ufeful properties, and, in many fituations, for its ornamental ones, parti- cularly the weeping and the golden willows. Walnut ; juglans.-r-The general ufe of mahogany has much difcouraged the propagation of this tree, which was more cultivated for its timber than for its fruit, in this country, where it ripens but feldom : the high price of'the former (hould again introduce it, as it is a beautiful wood, and very durable. This tree delights in a firm rich foil, in which it grows to great dimen- fions. The trees of this kind, which grew in the vil- lage of Lambeg, on the verge of this county, fufficiently Y prove *6> STATISTICAL SURVEY prove this aflertion ; as likewife that noble tree in the yard adjoining "Waringftown houfe. The Cherry tree ; prunus, grows to a great fize not fo much ufed for cabinet work as formerly ; it ift liable to worm-eat, unlefs constantly rubbed with lin- feed-oil. Evergreen oak ; quercus. The oldeft in this county is at Bangor ; it is mentioned in the Hiflory of the county of Down, written fifty years ago. There arp fome good trees of this kind alfo at Hilliborough, but the moft beautiful is at Larchfield ; it puts out fome- thing like bloflbms, but never bears acorns. Laburnum ; cytifus.Qne of the firft woods, this or any other country produces, for cabinet work : it bears fineering remarkably well. A circumftance refpefting this tree deferves notice : hares, I underftand, will not attack the bark of any young timber, amongft which laburnum is planted ; they prefer it to all others. The following are mentioned more as curious and ornamental, than as ufeful plants. Tulip tree ; liriodendron. In many improvements ; it is remarkable for the fhape of its leaves ; I have not heard of its flowering. '*- Laurel ; prunus, -. grows in fome foils, efpecially about Moira. Portugal laurel likewife grows to a con- fiderable height and thicknefs. I have heard from un- doubted authority, that in England they do not grow with OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 163 with the fame vigour, owing, probably, to feverer winters. Evergreens of all kinds fucceed remarkably well, but efpecially along the fea fhore, where myrtles grow to a confiderable lize, without covering of any kind during the winter months. Upon the whole, this country is very favourable to planting ; the deep lands produce, of courfe, larger timber than {hallow foils, but the wood of the latter, though longer coming to its growth, is of fuperior hardnefs and durability ; though not fo large at a given period of its growth, it is much fooner fit for ufe. I fhall here infert, as a matter both of utility and of curioflty, the dimenilons of a number of different kinds of trees, growing nearly upon the fame foil within the compafs of a few acres ; the foil, fuch as a great part of this county affords, a kindly loam, with rock or gravel at no great depth from the furface in any part. CIRCUMFERENCE STATISTICAL SURVEY CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE FOLLOWING TREES, Between ffty and Jixty years of age y upon the foil above-men- tioned, taken Jix feet from the ground. T. I. Afh, "-''-- - - 36 The afh remarkably tall and clean, with the bark white. Beech, - ja % f 5 9 to fix feet, on a gravelly fwell. f Silver, -50 I Spruce, - 5 10 I Scotch, .43 The Riga fir is faid to be of this fpecies. Firs i Larch, - 49 From its fuperior height, and preferving its thicknefs, fup- pofed to contain equal to the filver fir. Oak, - - fiat - 3 6 Nearly as tall as the larch, and very clean. Black poplar, - - 43 f Englifri nar- 1 Elms < row leaved, j ^ Scotch, ' - 46 Remarkably ftraight and clean. Alder, - - - - 33 Clean and good ; the ground not fufficiently moift. Birch, - - - - 30 Bark as white as fnow, wood Tery hard. Evergreen oak, - 8 o It branches out at five feet high. Horfe cheftnut, - 4 'O Sycamore, - - - 4 3 to fix feet ; very valuable for beams, and beetles for bleach mills, and for turner's ufc. Lime, - - - - 6 o In deeper ground than any of the reft. Walnut, OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. i6j ' ' " , ; '" * Walnut, --. 40 Gaugamel fallow, 3 6 Not growing in favourable foil ; a cutting of one of thefe fal- lows, planted in a favourable fituation eighteen years ago, ;. is now four feet in circumfe- rence, and near thirty in height. Sweet cheftnut, * 4 6 From this flatement it appears, that upon foils fuch as I have defcribed this to be, and that the prices of all kinds of timber were the fame, fuppofng the timber to be proportioned to the meafurement given, that the moft profitable would be the beech, lime, and fyca- more, next the firs, and that the oak ranks among the loweft ; but we muft confider, that at fifty years old the oak is only beginning to grow, whilft fome of the others are verging to decay. The elms rank high ; and the larch, being free from knots, is timber to the top. The evergreen oak is a fingle tree, therefore nothing can be faid pofitively refpecting it, and it is not above five feet until the ftem divides. The growth of timber here given is not mentioned as particularly large for the time of planting, but as a general view of the progrefs of different trees, upon a foil fuch as I have defcribed, and which, with fome variation, is the general foil of the county. Many places might be fixed on, where the growth is much. greater ', 1 66 STATISTICAL SURVEY greater ; but the quality of the wood makes up, in a great degree, for its want of fize ; which yet is not, upon the whole, very low. In the weflern parts of the county, where the foil is deeper, the growth of trees is much more rapid ; but I underftand the wood is not near fo hard nor fo durable. In making planta- tions, the nature of the foil ought always to be at- tended to, in the trees that are to be permanent ; thefe might be planted at fuch diftances as they are intended to remain, the intervals rilled with fuch others, as are likely to afford them (heller, which from time to time may be taken away, (as neceffity requires) to give room to the favoured kinds. Planting in clumps his been much in fafhion, not only in this county, but in other parts : this does not feem very well adapted to an unequal furface. In a hilly country, fldrtings or belts round the "hills have a much better effect, by tending to take off from the too great inequality of the general outline ; an extenfive hill all under planting, is, without doubt, a noble ob- ject, and gives fome fcope to the imagination, but a clump on the top of a hill has not, in general, fo plea- fing an effect ; befides, trees are much flower in making a progtefs in that fituation ; and I believe it is very well known, in expofed countries, that the only way to make trees thrive on the top of a high ground is by beginning to plant at the bottom. The natural flicker afforded them, when fo placed, and the general fuperiority OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 167 fuperiority of earth, give a freedom to their growth, which gradually fupplies thofe above them with pro- tection, until the whole is covered. Notwithftanding what has been faid of the general nakednefs of this county, there are fome parts of it, which do not by any means deferve the imputation ; all the weftern parts of it, from Belfaft, along the banks of the Lagan, to Hillfborough, and from thence to the weft of the great road to Dublin, through the whole extent of that county, afford in that direction an exception ; and around the gentlemen's feats, there are many wooded fcenes, which ftiew what the hills, and vales, and rivers of the county of Down, when ornamented by the hand of tafle, are capable of be- coming. Price of timber. The quantity of timber fold in this county is fo fmall, moft heavy works being carried on with foreign timber, that there is no regular price fixed for it, except when it is cut up for particular purpofes ; all that can be mentioned with any degree of certainty, are the component parts of a car, which fell according to their fuppofed qualities, or the fcarcity of the mate- rials. Car (hafts fell from 6s. 6d. to 8s. Sd. per pair. Wheel timber, about Ss. 8d. the pair. An axletree, about 2s. %d. or 3-r. Outward flats, when of afli, i s. *i\d. The bottom of the car is generally done with deal. The STATISTICAL SURVEY s. J. The price of making a car is . - - 8 8 Of a plough, fuch as we ufe, - - - 2 8 Of harrows, from is. "j^d. to ;>t - 2 8| Of a crib, or cart, for drawing turf, - 3 3 Where whole trees are fold, they are valued ac- cording to the quantity of the above-mentioned fcant- lings they will afford. Afti is the kind moftly ufed for farming purpofes ; alder is at leafl as good, though \t feldom fells fp high. CHAPTER OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 169 CHAPTER XI. WASTES. THE only part of the county, which can in any de- gree be referred to the above title, is contained in the mountains of Mourne, and of Upper Iveagh ; and even thefe afford, in mofl places, fupport to a hardy race of cattle and ftieep, bred by the farmers in their neighbourhood, and likewife to a number of others, brought from the lowlands for the fummer's run ; on thefe mountains they thrive well, and often are taken away fat at the latter end of September ; but a later flay is reckoned hurtful. Thefe mountains are computed to contain abouf^ 30,000 acres, and are in many parts interlperfed witfc vallies/that afford grafs to cattle, and alfo with turf- bog, which, from the fcarcity of that article in Lecale, is likely to turn out very advantageous to the owners of thofe parts, which lie within the reach of that ba- rony. A road lately run into one of thofe bogs has z made made ground, that a year or two pafl would not have produced one /hilling per acre, now worth four guineas ; but the greater portion of thefe mountains is compofed of rocky fteeps and precipices, fo as to preclude any poffibility of improving them, but by planting, which has been performed on one part to the extent, I have heard, of three hundred acres by the late Lord Clan- braffil, who for many years planted from thirty to fixty thoufand trees annually, with which he com- pletely covered one of the lower mountains, clofe to which his mofl uncommon improvement is fituated, in which every variety of wood, water, mountain, com- bine with frequent views of the fea, to form a fuccef- fion of the moll romantic fcenery. In another part, Mr. Needham inclofed and planted a confiderable tract on the Mourne fide, where he refided feveral fum- mersj of Jate I have heard nothing has been added to this improvement, which, from the growth of the trees, and the beauty of the ftreams which flow through it, promifed to be little inferior to Tullamore park. Where planting has been attempted on thefe moun- tains, every tree almoft has given way to the larch, which feems here to flourish as in its native foil. Boes. * . OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 171 .;-. ' Ct i-.l,''- , t - .. !. -riLiJo t l:;I-j Bogs. The bogs of this county can be no objefts of agri- cultural improvement, as bogs ; in many places there is not a fufficient quantity for the fupply of the inhabit- ants, who, from their attachment to turf as fuel, bring it from the diftance of eight or ten miles. In other places, where it is in greater plenty, it will be attacked with increafmg rapidity, as the little detached pieces in their neighbourhood are worn out; and the prices, at which bog fets in many fituations, are fuch, as no other land, let its fertility or flate of cultivation be what it may, could produce. Where bogs are cut to the fand or clay, the ufual method of improving them is by fetting potatoes, to which this kind of ground feems particularly propi- tious, efpecially if fome of the boggy parts remain to mix with the under-ftratum, which thus becomes a fine loam, fandy or clayey according to the nature of the bottom. Thefe grounds, from their low fituation, are particularly favourable for the production of grafs, and, from the fame circumftance, often admit of irri- gation, to which this compound foil feems remarkably well adapted ; befides, there is generally fome rill near at hand, which, with care, may be conduced over z 2 the 17* STATISTICAL SURVEY the furface, to which afties may likewife be ap- plied, obtained with little expenfe on the fpot, as the clay and bog intermixed burn with great faci- lity, and produce a confiderable quantity of excellent manure. CHAPTER OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 173 CHAPTER XII. IMPROVEMENTS. SECTION i. Draining. NOTWITHSTANDING the general appearance of the foil, and the fhape of the grounds in this county, which might feem to preclude the neceflity of draining, a great deal has been done in that way, and much is ftill re- quired. The hills abound with fprings; fome fhew; themfelves on the tops, fome on the declivities, but moft towards the bottoms, and in the ftrongeft and beft part of the foil. Under-ground draining is very well underftood, and, where rocks do not interfere, it is not Difficult to execute, from the abundance of ftone in moft places to be found on the furface. The drains are funk until the fpring is come at, then they arc filled with ftones, as near the furface as can be done without fearing interruption from the plough or ipade; fome perfons throw the ftones promifcuoufly in, but the 174 STATISTICAL SURVEY the moft approved mode is to lay them neatly at the bottom, and then to throw the remainder as level as can be done, covering them with whins or ftraw, to prevent the earth from falling between the (tones. When ftones are not to be had, fod-drains are in ufe, a. fpade and {hovel of a particular kind being the im- plements to take out the undermoft fpit, fo as to leave a (houlder for an inverted fod to reft on. Thefe drains are moft liable to get out of order, from the fod rot- ting and giving way, but where {tones are not to be ob- tained, there is no alternative. The nearer the furface the drains are filled, they are the more effectual, as, in that cafe, they alfo intercept, on fteep hills more efpe- cially, fome of the furface water. I have not yet learned whether draining, in Dr. Anderfon's method by tapping, has here been praftifed, but I {hould ima- gine in this country it might anfwer ; I {hall mention an inftance in which, without intention, it perfectly fucceeded. In the middle, or rather towards the latter end of the dry weather in the year 1 800, it was found neceflary to clean a well in this neighbourhood, about half way towards the fummit of a hill, fuch as this country abounds withj after the well was cleared, very little water made its way; it was then refolved upon to fink the well, formerly about two feet, to four feet; this was done, and ftill very little water came, upon which a large iron crow was forced into the ground; this, after a few ftrokes, funk into a loofe gravel about two OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 175 two feet; on pulling out the inftrument, the water in- flantly followed, and has continued to run until this day; the confequence of which, befides a regular ftream of excellent water, was, that the back-yard be- longing to the houfe where this operation was per- formed, and which, having been cut out of the hill, was ten feet lower than the well, and, previous to the well being funk, never could be kept dry, has from that day loft every appearance of damp, except when it falls from the fky. A very neat method of making open drains I have feen in different places, by floping the edges of the drains, and fowing grafs-feed; but when this is done, the good earth ought always to be kept to cover the under. Stratum, laid bare in forming the declivity. SECT. 2. Paring and Burning. THE regular fyftem of paring and burning land is only praftifed in the mountainous parts, and in fome few places where moory foil abounds; it is generally performed by putting a fin or feather upon the fock, that the grafly part may alone be cut; when this is done, by ploughing lengthways the furrows are cut acrofs, and put into heaps, which, when fufficiently dry, are burned, fpread, and ploughed into the ground. Excellent crops of grain are procured by this manage- ment, 176 STATISTICAL SURVEY ment, and of late potatoes have been tried, and have fucceeded beyond expectation; for them the ground Jhould be burned juft before the time of fetting, and the afties fpread hot; if a little coarfe litter is added, it is reckoned an advantage, as it keeps the potatoes from being in immediate cootaft with the afties. In the fpring of 1 80 1 I tried a fair experiment on a boggy piece of ground, between dung and afhes on alternate ridges, and could not perceive any difference, the ptoi* duce being equal. Afhes made on the fkirts of bogs are much ufed, both for crops of grain and of grafs ; in both ways they are excellent; the quantity ufed de- pends on the flate of the ground; the effeft vifible for two or three years: when clay is mixed with the fluff to be burned, it increafes the quantity, as welJ as ex- tends the duration. In many parts of this county it is cuftomary to burn the low and deep -parts of the hills, which, from being partly bog and partly clay, ' burn well, and afford much afhes. Clay alone, when burned, which may be done by conftrufting a kiln for the pur- pofe, with flues like a brick-kiln, forms a flrong and lafling manure; the fame quantity u{ed as of dung: when the clay is once properly fet on fire, it will bora any fubftance thrown on it, how wet foever it may be. The difficulty is to get the kiln completely fired at firft; for this purpofe the clay mufl be dry for the firft da) r , and a proper quantity of fuel allowed; on the firft day's management much of the fuccefs depeflds. SECT. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 177 SECT. 3. Manuring. DUNG is principally applied towards raifing potatoes, in fome inflances for grain of all the different forts; but to raife potatoes, every effort is ufed by the beft farmers to increafe its quantity, and even the little far- rSeVs are very induftrious in this particular, increafing its quantity by many additional fubflances, earth, bog, clay, &c. according to their foils, and the opportu- nities they may have of obtaining them. For bog or moor a mixture of clay is excellent, although it .fhould cdrTtain fome ftones, which aifift in compreffing and dividing the boggy foils. For clay or gravel a mixture of bog is very well adapted, to correct the clofenefs of the one, or the fharpnefs of the other; but the great error in the management of dunghills feems to be their improvident fituation, by which the rich water that flows from them, is loft. The mode adopted by a far- mer in this county deferves to be noticed and followed; his dunghill being placed on a rifing ground, he mads a cut from it, with two or three flops, to fave the water in its defcent; above thefe flops he always threw in a quantity of earth, which being faturated with the moif- ture from the dung, he removed it, and again filled the trench. This man's attention to every branch of hut- bandry was directed by equal fagacity, and, from being A a a labourer, t7 STATISTICAL SURVEY a labourer, he took a farm, not twenty acres, and died lately worth 5 oo/.; his fituation, within two miles of Lifburn, was advantageous for difpofing of his produce, particularly potatoes, which he cultivated in a firft-rate manner. In forming a dunghill, particular attention ihould be paid to its fituation; too much moiflure, as \yell as too little, equally prevent its rotting as it ought to do. Dung, except for a garden, (hould not be kept longer than the ftraws, of which it is partly compofed, can be feen in cutting it; when thefe are no longer to be perceived, it has loft much of its improving qualities, as the putrefactive procefs is completed. Lime, from its being more portable than any other manure, is the mofl general, dung excepted. I might here, according to the example of Ellis (who thus often introduces any improvement he recommends), mention nine good ways of ufmg this general fertilizer, which feldotn fails of anfwering the expectation of the farmer. The quantity ufed depends a good deal upon the na- ture of the foil, and the fituation of the land : upon flrong foils, an hundred barrels, of three Winchefter bufhels each, are not found too much, whilft, upon thofe of a lighter nature, half the quantity, is often thought fufficient. The method mofl in ufe is, to fpread it on lea in the latter end of fummer, with the intention of fuffering it to remain on the land for one or more years, according to the convenience of the owner; the older the lea, the more lime is ufually ap- plied i OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 179 plied j On heavy ground, in this Hate, one hundred bar- rels are about the quantity, but on lighter, from fixty to eighty. When lime is laid on flubble ground, it is reckoned to take efFecl fooner, and a lefler quantity is ufed in proportion to each foil. This is not a bad mode, provided the ground is left to grafs, but if for immediate tillage, it feldom anfwers a good purpoie, in the ufual mode of culture this country affords ; but when a piece of ground lies in fuch a fituation, that it is defirable to have it in grafs and in good heart (as all ground ought to be), it may be expected, that lime fpread on the Hubble, and ploughed lightly in before winter, then nicely flirred again in fpring, and fowa with oats and grafs-feed, will have fuccefs in both points. As for thofe, who plough but once for fpring crops, they will be generally difappointed by liming on flubble. Another way of laying on lime is under dung, for potatoes; this many perfons will fuppofe to be a work of fupererogation, and fo it is in fome degree, as it is twice manuring the fame ground for one object; but of all the methods I have feen put in execution to enable the ground (after the unfcientific practice of this country) to bear a long courfe of exhaufling crops, this is the fureflj for I have known nine crops of grain in fucceffion taken from ground thus brought in, namely, two of barley, two of wheat, and five of oats, all good, and except for the lafl, when grafs-feed was fown, not more than one ploughing was given for a A a 2 crop. i8o STATISTICAL SURVEY crop. Before this trial the field was not thought re- markably good, and the owner was encouraged to go on year after year, by the excellence of the preceding erop. I mud obferve, the field had been long in grafs, and wheat was harrowed in after digging out the po- tatoes. Had this field been put into a regular courfe of tillage, hy taking an ameliorating crop, fuch as clover, peas or beans, between the wheat or barley, I think it might have been in a ftate of progreffive im- provement for any number of years. Lime is alfo ap- plied after potatoes; in this method it lafts a confider- able time, if it is laid on immediately after they are dug. Sometimes lea ground, having been- ploughed in win- ter, is drefled with this manure, by fpreading on the ridges before harrowing, which operation is performed when the grain, generally oats, is fowed; the furrows are then dug and {hovelled, by which both feed and manure are completely covered. In the firft crop the effect is not great, for lime does not acl fo rapidly as many other manures of lefs duration. Lime is often mixed with earth, and laid both on grafs grounds and on grounds already ploughed; the fuccefs of this mode greatly depends on the proportion of lime with earth. Many perfons are now of opinion that, when lime and earth are to be applied to the improvement of land, they come much more quickly to their purpofe of enrich- ing it, by firft fpreading the lime on the grafs, and then covering it with earth: there are Jftrong arguments in favour OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 181 favour of doing it thus ; the earth has but once to be carried, and the expenfe of turning the compoft heaps is entirely faved; the lime, alfo, when well covered, penetrates immediately into the ground; when laid on by itfelf it requires a year at lead. As lime is the prin- cipal manure of this county, I have been very particular in defcribing the different modes of application, and their fuccefs. Great exertions are made to procure this valuable article, but the idea of making it merely fub- fervient to the production of fucceffive crops of grain, without any reft, has prevented it from being as highly beneficial as it might have been under a better fyftem; under the prefent one land is often left in a worfe ftate than it came from the hands of nature, for there is no way fo effectual to deftroy the valuable properties of the foil, as high liming and imperfect culture ; and, al- though in fome inftances, one of which I have men- tioned, the mifchief has not been done, the miferable -appearance of the fields, after fix or feven fucceffive crops, plainly proves the truth of my aflertion. We - muft allow, that to have five or fix crops of grain, without any other labour than an annual ploughing and harrowing, is a great temptation ; but a farmer of all profeffions ought to look forward and confider, that, let his land produce or not, he muft pay his rent; that, if he ruins it in the beginning, in the end it will ruin him, or at leaft leave him in a fituation much worfe than with more judicious management he might have been. !82 STATISTICAL SURVEY been. The expenfe of lime depends on the diftance it is drawn ^ in many places it is conveyed fourteen miles by land-carriage from the kilns; in others limeftone is drawn and burned upon the farm ; in this way, when fuel is near, much is faved, as the expenfe of drawing is the moft material, the (tone being purchafed at the quarries at not more than fixteen pence per ton; when it is brought by water, either by means of the canal, or from Carlingford to the eaft coaft, the price is from 3.r. 6d. to 5-r. per ton. In the neighbourhood of Bally- nahinch, the moft central part of the county, limeflone of three kinds are often feen at a fmall diftance from each other, the blue from Carlingford, the red from Caftle Efpie, not far diftant from Comber, and the white from Moira, fourteen miles; of thefe the white is reckoned to produce the greateft quantity of lime from a given weight of Aone. The price of lime at the quarries, where it is burned, is from is. id. to is.iJ. per barrel. I have been lately informed by feveral perfons of experience, that nothing conduces fo much to reftore land that has been over-cropped in confe- quence of being limed, and to fit it for another liming, as covering the ground with frefli foil, and fufFering it to continue for fome years in grafs ; but whilft I pro- pofe this method as a remedy for an exifling evil, I mufl caution the farmer once more againfl the perni- cious practice of repeated crops of grain, without the intervention of grafs or fallow. The ufe of lime as a manure OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 183 manure, is faid to have been firft introduced by Mr. Watfon, of Brookhill, in the county of Antrim, about feventy years ago. Lime/tone gravel ; or a mixture of detached pieces of iimeftone with the calcareous earth, which furrounds it, in greater or fmaller proportions as it rifes, is ufed in the neighbourhoods of Moira and Magheralin ; it is a moft potent and lafting manure -, but, from the great quantity required, it will not bear carriage to any con- fiderable diftance. Marling was introduced into the barony of Lecale, about eighty years ago, by the Hon. Michael Ward, one of the juftices of the king's-bench ; the pit, from whence it was firft raifed, is to be feen on the fide of the road between Caflle-ward and Downpatrick. The immediate advance in the value of Jands, on its intro- duction, was above four-fold, and a corn trade was opened from Strangford in confequence ; but from the imprudent ufe of this manure, the land became ex- haufted in fome years, and fell off in its produce very much ; of late years, however, from more judicious management, it has refumed its former fertility. Marie has the fame effecl: as lime, only in a higher degree, of enriching land, and, like it, the effeft of calling out its productive qualities to its deftruftion ; and every thing, that has been faid of the ill confequences of ftrong liming and improper cropping, is equally 'applicable to jt : the quantity ufed, about a car-load to a fquare perch,. 1*4. STATISTICAL SURVEY perch. A confiderable time muft intervene, before ground will admit of a fecond marling with advantage, the period longer in proportion to the quantity laid on at firft : Mr. Gracey, from whom I received much valuable information, mentioned that forrel appearing is a fign, that marling may be repeated with advantage. The marie found in this county is generally of a white or grey coloured kind, from the bottom of bogs, and fmall lakes, and fome of it immediately under the fur- face. Shelly fand, and gravel, are alfo ufed with ad- vantage, along the different fhores ; they are laid very thick upon ftiff clay foils, and the beft crops obtained from them ; as fallowing is now feldom praftifed, thefe manures are laid on grafs, which they wonderfully improve. Wreck is alfo much ufed along the coaft j often in blowing winds all hands are at work in draw- ing it up and fecuring it , it is ufed both for potatoes, and, in fome qafes, for grain ; its duration is but Ihort. Of mofs or turf-bog as a manure.- This fubftance is ufeful in the above-mentioned quality, both in itfelf, and when compounded with other materials ; upon thin and (harp foils, mixed with lime or dung, it is excellent, not only as a manure, but as adding to the depth of the land j for this purpofe, how- ever, it fhould not be taken at random, but at fome diftance from the furface, and, if fo deep that fome mixture of clay fhould appear along with it x the effect upon OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 185 upon the above-mentioned foil will be the greater ; upon clay, a quantity of a* lighter and more friable na- ture will be found to anfwer, in opening and rendering it more tractable in the operations of hu(bandry. There are two .favourite modes of applying this fubftance ; the firft, by drawing it on grafs land in fummer, and when nearly dry fetting it on fire, and fpreading it half burned and hot upon the ground, where it remains until the feafon for ploughing arrives. Oats are fown on ground thus prepared, the crops clean and luxu- riant j an hundred or an hundred and fifty car-loads are laid on an acre, according to the quality of the foil : heavy land requires the greater quantity. The fecond method is, to lay it on grafs ground before or in win- ter, to fpread it as foon as convenient, and in fpring to add a fmall portion of dung, on which potatoes are fet in the lazy-bed way; and if a modern farmer can ex- cufe the lazy-bed way, he may pardon it in this in- ftance, both on account of the greatnefs of the crop and quality of the root, as well as the mellow ftate, in which it leaves the ground, and its confequent fitnefs for production. Therefore, whether we confider turf- bog as #n improver in itfelf, as mixed with other en- riching fubftances to extend their effects, or when re- duced to afhes, we (hall find it an article of confide- rable magnitude in the fcale of manures. Nor need we fear the ufe of it, as likely to encroach on the fuel of the country j for that fpecies, which is good for manure, B b is 186 STATISTICAL SURVEY is ufelefs as fuel, no operation being enabled to give it the neceflary adhefion. In the neighbourhood of towns many manures are ufed, that do not come within the reach of farmers in general, but which are very advantageous. Coal- afhes are very good for heavy land j for coarfe mea- dows they are fuperior correctives of the harfh her- bage they naturally produce. Soot is a very powerful manure alfo, and, as a top-drefling for wheat, very fuccefsful ; but it is not eafy to colledl any confiderable quantity. In the neighbourhood of bleach-greens, the afhes, after being boiled, improve meadows and paftures very much ; foaper's wafte, being of the fame nature, is alfo ufed for the fame purpofe, where it can be pro- cured. There are many other fubftances, which far- mers in the vicinity of large towns might with a little care and induftry procure, that are not very much at- tended to, and are yet very valuable. Before I quit the fubjecl of manures, I muft take notice of an obfervation I lately met with in a book of* agriculture, the name of which I do not recollect ; ground, naturally fertile, has a great advantage over ground made rich by manures ; in the former, the ftraw is of a much firmer texture, and able to fupport a much greater weight of grain, than that of the latter, \vhofe ftraw wanting flrength is apt to fall before the grain is properly ripe, which prevents its filling, as in that fituation it is deprived both of air and fun. SECT. SECT. 4. Weeding. POTATOES are carefully weeded, whether in the drill or lazy-bed method, by the hand ; the beft time feems to be when the tops are beginning to (hew fymptoms of bloflbming j very often a fecond weeding is required and given, which the crop gratefully repays. Flax is alfo carefully weeded, as mentioned under that article, and large weeds are generally pulled from all crops of grain ; but fcarcely any perfon thinks of weeding pa ture, although keeping it clean is the bed preventative for weeds in the fucceediog crops of grain. It is lhameful to fee the quantity of large root weeds, that over-run the fields of clover, in grazing in Lecale and other parts of the county where it is applied in that way ; it gives a flovenly appearance to well cultivated farms. _ SECT. 5. Irrigation. Watering. ALTHOUGH the art of watering meadows is flill in its infancy in the county of Down, yet the advantages of it are known, and in feveral parts of it it is prac- tifed, but on a fmall fcale. The benefit of water to B b 2 grafs STATISTICAL SURVEY grafs land is, in many inftances, fo great and fo evi- dent, that to perfons of obfervation, who are conver* fant in rural affairs, the means of procuring and con- dueling it over ground mull be a defirable object j but the idea, that water enriched by depofition alone, for a considerable time prevented the true practice from be- ing followed, that of conveying it over lands frorrj their natural fituation not liable to be flooded ; confe- quently, no other grounds were allowed to enjoy the fertilizing powers of water, until of late years, except fuch as from their low fituation admitted the water ^.O ,' without difficulty, and where it was fuffered to ilagnate upon them ; now, however, that the fuperior effects of running water are difcovered and confeffed, many meadows have the ftreams from above, which are con- {lantly kept in motion ; and in other fituations they are conducted, at no great expenfe indeed, along the fides "" of the hills, which in this county,' from their kindly foil and fubflratum, feem particularly adapted to this operation. Obfervation alone could have taught the fuperior advantage of running water, in the production of grafs ; that water impregnated, or fuppofed to be impregnated with fertilizing fubftances, fuch as are carried down by floods, might act as a manure, in de- pofiting thofe fubftances when ftagnated, would be a very obvious conjecture, and fuch as might occur to a reafoner of no extraordinary powers ; but a courfe of obfervation muft have been necefTary, to afcertain the benefit OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 189 benefit of clear running water, and the almoft incre- dible eflfeft it has upon proper foils. So much has al- ready been written upon this fubjeft, that to enter mi- nutely into the advantage of this branch of agriculture, would merely be a repetition of what has been faid by writers much more converfant in the bufmefs than I have had an opportunity of being ; I fhall therefore merely confine myfelf to thofe obfervations, which I have had an opportunity of making, fiU P . ^rsr.*} ri;j7/ i>-:>j:;irgv;iqcii Jludf :cfv}jc3 s:r^KW Of the Soils adapted for Irrigation. -na JjfliiOT^ if* 7l3utv ^svii So far" as I have been able to judge, water afts as a fertilizer upon every foil, when under proper manage- ment, from gravelly loam to clay ; turf-bog, when brought into culture, is benefited by it in a moft ex- traordinary manner, as I have had an opportunity of knowing from my own experience, by conducting the ftream, which comes from the higher parts of a bog, over a piece, which has been cut over, not half its depth, and afterwards brought into cultivation ; by throwing the water over it this year ( 1 80 r) a greater quantity of grafs, and to all appearance of a better quality, was gained than in any two years fmce it was firft improved, although it had been manured every fecond year, either with dung or afhes. My reafon for mentioning this fo particularly is, firft, to fhew how congenial the water arifing from a bog is to tha fame i 9 o STATISTICAL SURVEY fame foil ; and fecondly, as cut-out turf-bogs from their fituation have more capability of having the water turned upon them, than almofl any other foil, it is ne- cefTary to be known how much they are, when laid down to grafs, benefited by water. Gravelly foils are affecTed by irrigation, with a quicknefs only to be cre- dited by thofe who have feen it, and clay alfo, though flower in {hewing the advantage of it, acknowledges its fertilizing qualities. In faft there are hardly any waters, except thofe impregnated with fome mineral definitive to vegetation, that may not be profitably employed, upon almofl every variety of ground, un- lefs from grofs mifmanagement ; an inflance of which lately occurred in this county, where a perfon being employed at a considerable expenfe to water a piece of ground, to facilitate the levelling, and to banifh the rufhes, gave the ground a complete burning, which I fuppofe fo reduced the quantity of vegetable mold, as to render it unfit for the purpofes of agriculture : the foil was a -fandy loam upon a clay. My reafon for fuppofing, that the operation of burning fpoiled it, is this ; I faw the ground before it was broken up, but after the water was partially thrown over it ; at that time there was a moft luxuriant growth upon every place where the water reached, even amongfl the rufhes, which certainly fhewed that the ground agreed with irrigation, and mufl have been difqualified by the Burning, previous to the fecond watering. The only likely OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 191 likely means of refloring this land to its former ftate, will be by covering it with earth, and thus returning what it has loft. On every foil the beneficial effects of irrigation are in proportion to the fupply of water, for where you have a conftant fupply, you can ufe it in the moft criti- cal times, in dry and in warm weather; but ftill where this point cannot be obtained, where water can only be had for a few months or weeks, it is not to be ne- glected, as even in this imperfect ftate it is equal to the beft manures in the production of grafs. To water meadows with effect, they fhould be levelled, drained, and cleared from aquatic weeds; levelled, to fpread the water with equality; drained, becaufe on dry ground it has more power, and the ground can be laid I dry when required ; and cleared of weeds, becaufe they occupy the place of a more valuable production ; but even, without any of thefe improvements, water, merely turned over the foil, in moft cafes will be of fervice, and, where nothing more has been done, I have feen grafs as long as the rufhes, where formerly nothing but rufb.es grew. Every ftream, therefore, that can be commajided, ought to be converted to this ufe, and there are few ftreams, that may not be in fome degree commanded. Even back -flooding, by means of dams, ought not to be neglected, although the moft critical and leaft beneficial branch of this art; in this way, particular attention muft be paid to the time allowed the 1 9 * STATISTICAL SURVEff'-JQ the water to co*'er the ground, and, if it can be douc, to prevent its being covered to too great a depth. The land fhould, at particular times, be laid dry, to give the grafs air, and to prevent its roots from being deftroyed by the water, which muft in fome degree ftagnate upon it. The only objection I ever heard to this mode of improving land, arofe from the idea of its making tfce produce of inferior quality ; but this is a point not decided, and depends greatly on the time you cut the hay of watered meadows; for the crop being fo much greater than on any other ground, it will, if fuffered to remain long unmown, fpoil at the bottom, from its weight and clofenefs, whereas, if taken earlier, being more full of fap, it will of courfe make more nutri- tious food. But the benefits are numerous; for when the land is once put into a courfe for irrigation, it is the cheapeft, as well as the moft certain mode of im- proving it ; it is the mode, in which grafs will be pro- duced at a period in fpring when it is particularly va- luable, at which time it may be fed without injuring the crop of hay; it has this peculiar advantage, that its manure is acquired, and brought to it at thofe times the land is totally unfit for conveying manure ,of any other kind; and to fum up all, fo far from robbing any other land for its fupport, it is a continual and increaf- ing fund of richnefs, from the fupply it affords to cat- tle of all kinds, that convert it into manure, with which other lands may be improved; thus not only rejecting every OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 193 every affiftance itfelf, but affording it to other lands, which require it. And I do not think it would be too much to ftate, that for every acre of watered meadow half an acre of other ground might be kept in heart ; which, if this practice was as general as it fhould be, would in the whole amount to an advantage not eafily calculated. c c CHAPTER J94 STATISTICAL SURVEY CHAPTER XIIL LIVE STOCK. SECTION i. Horned Cattle. IN a country, where cattle are kept as merely fub- fervient to the purpofes of the dairy, it cannot be ex- pefted, that any general attention fliould be paid to the breed ; and acordingly we find them more valued for their qualifications as good milkers, than as deriving their pedigree from any particular flock, and the ufual tokens of excelling in that way are better recommen- dations to the purchafer, than either length or fhortnefs of horn. The truth is, the cattle of this county are a mixture of every kind ; the bull, that is neareft the place where his interference is necefTary, being, in ninety-nine inflances out of an hundred, that which is preferred j and even thofe farmers, whofe flock requires one of their own, and who in buying cows are atten- tive in choofing the bed, in the purchafe of a bull often prefer OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 195 prefer the cheapeft to the befl fhaped. Notwithftanding this indifference to breed, the long-horned are the moft frequent, a very diftinft variety, however, from the Englifh breed of that denomination; their horns grow downwards, and are thin, ours grow upwards, and are ihick\ the Englifh cattle have fmall bellies, and broad thighs and rumps; our cattle have large bellies and thin hips, and, upon the whole, form a complete con- traft with that celebrated breed; but they are good milkers when well fed, and, from their fize, which is between three and four hundred weight, probably bet- ter adapted for the pafture of this country tjian a heavier or nicer kind, which would demand a greater quantity of food, and more care than their owners are difpofed to beftow on them. As I have already men- tioned, the objecl: of 1 cattle in the county of Down is milk; in this the farmers are tolerably fuccefsful, the ufual quantity of milk for two months after calving being from twelve to twenty quarts per day; the latter quantity is only to be obtained from the befl cows, fed in the beft manner, and even that has been furpafTed, but not in many inftances. What I have faid is meant to apply to the general flock of the country; in the hands' of gentlemen fome cattle are to be met with of a fuperior kind. In the neighbourhood of Waring's- town was formerly a very fine breed, brought there by the late Mr. Waring, from the late Lord Mafierene's, at Antrim, who more than fifty years ago obtained c c 2 there 196 STATISTICAL SURVEY them from England; they were of the long-horned kind, remarkable for their beauty and their milk, but they are nearly loft from the want of proper attention in keeping good bulls ; a few of this breed are ftill in exiflence at Orange-field, in the hands of Mr. Beatfon, who for fome time paid confiderable attention to his flock, and had many cows of great beauty. At Mon- talto there was an uncommon fine breed of cattle ; the heifers came from Dean Harman's ftock in Longford, and the original bull from Headfort, of the Craven breed: many of the farmers crofTed their Hock with thefe, and the improvement was obferved to a confider- able extent around. The beft cattle I have feen in other parts of the county are as follow. Lord Annefley has a very fine dairy of long-horned cows of the old breed, and a remarkable and beautifully formed bull of Sir John ParnelFs breed, and like wife a heifer he brought from the Queen's county a few years ago. Mr. Ward's cattle at Bangor, for figure and fize taken together, are, I believe, the firft in the county; they are of the late Lord De Montalt's breed, and were ob- tained at a very high price. Mr. Reilly, of Scarva, has alfo been very attentive in procuring cattle from the weft of Ireland. At Mr. Waring's, of Moira, are likewife a few very nice cows; all thefe are of the long-horned breed, as are Mr. Douglafs's, who has a number of fine cows of the fame kind, and a bull of Lord Annefley's breed, a very fine one. Mr. Ford, of Seaford, OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 197 Seaford, bought lately at Mr. Jacob's fale, in the county of Tipperary, a cow and heifer of the very befl breed, as appears by their pedigree; they are both beautiful ; judges are divided in their opinions concerning the fu- periority; the fize not too great for this country, about four cwt.; their bones very fmall; their heads and necks as fine as thorough bred horfes; the price above one hundred pounds. The only flock of any other breed, at leafl that I have feen, which are deferving of notice, are Mr. Hamilton's of ICillileagh, who imported a bull and cow of the fhort-horned kind from Lincoln- fhire; two of their progeny are now at Killileagh, a bull and cow, are very fine, the bull efpecially, who is fixteen hands high, nine feet from head to taili and pro- portionably made; he is of a fine cream colour, with a few black fpots ; the cow entirely white, and very hand- fome alfo. The Marquis of Downfhire five or fix years years ago imported from Galloway twelve heifers and a bull, of the true polled breed; they were very fmali when imported, but have grown wonderfully, and their defcendants promife to be well fized; one of them, which was fatted laft winter, a fpayed heifer, weighed upward of four cwt.; they are remarkably well over the back, and over the tail tolerable; their necks long and fine, their heads fmall, but their thighs are not well let down; their colour black or brindled, with white backs in fome inftances; the farmer reckons them very hardy, not nice in their food, and in yoke re- markably 198 STATISTICAL SURVEY markabiy quick fteppers ; fome of the bullocks will, he thinks, come to five or fix hundred weight; the cows fie does not reckon remarkable good milkers, al- though fome of them have turned out very well: upon the whole he thinks them profitable ftock upon ground not of the firfl quality, but when it is fo, he prefers the cattle from the weft of Ireland. In choofing a breed of cattle, confideration fhould certainly be paid to the quality of the ground, on which they are to be fed, and it certainly would be an abfurdity to bring the Lincoln/hire ox to ftarve upon a barren or unflieltered hill; at the fame time it feems both rational, and indeed becoming the fpirit of an enterprizing improver, to ob- tain a fuperior kind, and by every means to provide for them, and to keep them as near the original flock as he can; at leaft this advantage will attend it, though the fize may decreafe, the fliape will jftill be preferved, and probably the other valuable qualities, and hand- fome cattle are an inducement to the owner to pay more regard to them, and, confequently, to thofe, who have the immediate care of them. But when the point is fo far given up, that land is only capable of maintain- ing cattle of an inferior clafs, the proprietqr grows comparatively carelefs of them, and whatever 'kind he pitches upon are likely to degenerate. I will not go fo far as to fay, that the fineft or largeft cattle are the moft eafy to keep in condition, but fo far I can venture to OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 199 x to aflert, that the niceft fhaped beaft in a farm, with few exceptions, is the fattefl. Rearing Cattle. Rearing cattle is here moftly confined to the keeping Up the flock upon the land, yet there are fome perfons, whofe farms are larger than the general fize, that rear all' their calves ; the heifers are either taken into the dairy, to replace fuch cows as they choofe to part with or fatten, or they are fold in calf ; the bullocks difpofed of as may fuit their conveniency. Calves are with very few exceptions reared by the pail ; generally new-milk for a month or fix weeks, afterwards fkirh-inilk for the fame period, and then they are left to Ihift for them- felves j the quantity varies according to the attention paid by the owner to the goodnefs of his calves, from two to four quarts at a meal. As the cows generally come into milk in the fummer months, the calves have not fufficient time, in this way, to gain proper firength before winter, and many of them die of confequence. Were the cows to calve in winter, the calves would have double the flrerigth ; as they would be ready to turn to grafs in fpring, and would have the whole fummer to acquire that vigour of constitution, which would enable them to get through the firft winter, which is the moft trying to them. I know it is ob- jected to this idea, that there is a cohfiderable lofs by having 2co STATISTICAL SURVEY having cows to calve in winter , this I might allow, if the dairy was the only object j but where the two ob- jefts of dairying and rearing are united, I am convinced the moft beneficial mode is, to have the calves dropped in winter, or early in the fpring : in the fir ft place, as I mentioned already, your calves are infinitely fuperior ; and fecondly, inftead of having the beft part of the month of May fpent before the calving time, as is ufual, the cows being already in milk are in a fituation to take advantage of the firft fpring of grafs, at which time, although they will not give quite fo much milk, there will be as much butter as if they were newly calved ; and if it is taken into conii deration, that the calves arc now reared, the quantity of difpofeable milk will be full as much ; befides, winter calves begin to feed much fooner than fummer calves ; and if a little atten- tion is paid to put fome cabbage in the bottom of their pail, or a fmall quantity of turnips cut neatly, they will in a fhort time learn to eat either the one or the other, and at the age of fix or feven weeks they will not re- quire much milk : when turnips or cabbages are not to be got, potatoes, boiled or raw, will anfwer the pur- pofe full as well. This mode of rearing is ,praftifed with the greateft fuccefs in Norfolk, where it is entirely confined to winter ; and in Leicefterftiire the time ex- tends from the beginning of December until March. I find from experience, that calves treated in this man- ner, and dropped at this feafon, are fully equal at the beginning OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. aoi beginning of winter to thofe, which being calved in the preceding month of May are fix months older : to make ufe of the breeder's expreffion, it makes them long in bone ; if this is not accomplifhed at an early age, it can never be done by fubfequent care. Another advantage of cows calving in winter, efpecially in a gentleman's family, is plenty of milk, and the pleafing confequence, a fupply of frefh. butter and cream, no fmall confideration in any feafon, but efpecially at that time, when neither the one nor the other of good qua- lity are to be procured, even for money. Some gentle- men allow their calves to fuck, which, being the moll natural, is afiuredly the bed mode , and when two calves are put to one cow, I fhould think it a profitable way of employing the milk, which thus without trou- ble turns to very good account, whether the calves arc 9 - reared for ftock or for the butcher. Dairying. Butter is the great objeft of the dairy ; confiderable quantities are made here and fold, fome frefh in the towns, but moftly faked and packed for exportation ; the markets Belfaft and Newry. It is not eafy to afcertain exactly the produce of a cow, fo much de- pends upon adventitious circumflances, upon the good- nefs of the cow, and the quality of the pafture, and a great deal upon the fkill of the dairy-woman : the ge- D d neral *o* STATISTICAL SURVEY neral produce is from fixty to ninety pounds, with tc*- lerable food and care ; with fuperior attention it fome- times rifes to two cafks, or firkins, of fixty pounds each per cow, but in this cafe no allowance is made for butter in the family; the firfl, therefore, is the fairefl average. Befides this, fome fkimmed-milk- cheefe is made, fome butter-milk folct, and probably a ' calf to every two cows. Farms might be picked out, on which the greateft produce here mentioned would not be too great, but in a general view of the county it would, dating it in that way, be liable to give wrong, ideas upon the fubject. I (hall here give the Norfolk method of rearing calves, which I have followed with fuccefs thefe five years ; k is taken from Marfhal's Rural Economy of that county* Time of rearing. From October to March ; fome- times, but not often, later. Manner of rearing. Nothing but milk, until the calves (hew an 'inclination to eat ; as foon as they do, give a few fmall pieces of turnips in the bottom of 'the pail, in which the calf is fed ; in a fhort time it will learn to eat the turnips, which muft be increafed t as the appetite increafes ; when they come to eat heartily of turnips, they may be confidered as nearly reared, and the milk gradually diminifhed until they can fupport themfelves upon turnips alone. A little oats added to the turnips have a great effect, and calves are remark- , ably OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 203 ably fond of them. Marftial fays the Norfolk farmers fpeak in raptures of oats and turnips for calves ; I have found them good, but inflead of turnips I give cut kail, or cabbage, which they can manage more eafily at the beginning : raw potatoes are alfo very good. SECT. 2. Horfes. THE number of horfes bred in the county of Down, is not by any means fufficient to fupply its own con- fumption ; befides thofe employed in the neceflary ope- rations of hufbandry, numbers are required for the purpofes of trade, in conveying the different imports, in difperfing them through the country, and in mount- ing thofe ' perfons, who are engaged in the principal manufactures. The breeding counties to the weft af- ford what are fufficient ; they are either brought by dealers to the fairs, or thofe who have occafion go themfelves to the markets, in the neighbourhood of which they are foaled ; they are bought of every age, from one to fix years old, according to the inclination or the. purfe of the purchafer. The fmall farmers, who only keep a horfe for a few months during the plough- ing feafon, buy young ones, which they fell generally at fome advance of price to thofe, who can keep them through the fummer and enfuing year, when, if of a fufficient age and in good order, they are re-fold to D d 2 Dublin StATISTICAL SURVEY Dublin dealers, who attend the principal fairs : high- priced horfes are feldom expofed at them for falej from ten to twenty guineas the >ufual purchafe ; for this latter fum a very excellent kind of horfe is often obtained, fit either for road or draft. Every horfe in reality, let his duration be what it will, ought to be a good mover ; otherwife all his operations muft be at- tended with difficulty. The colour moft frequently to be met with is black, next to them bays, of which there is a greater number than formerly. Little occurs to me at prefent upon the fubject of breeding, except to notice, that fome of the bell racers in Ireland of their day have been bred in this county, and that many are coming on likely to fupport their claim to excel- lence. In whatfoever point racing may be viewed by the fturdy moralift, the blood introduced in confe- quence of this purfujt, and the knowledge attendant on it, have certainly improved, in a great degree, the powers of this noble animal, SECT. 3. Sheep, THE only native breed of fheep this county pro- duces is confined to the mountains ; they are a fmall and hardy race, moftly horned, but fome individuals are without them. They are for the moft part bred by the farmers, who live about the flcirts of the moun- OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 205 tains, on which they are lambed, but where they do not continue for the firft winter, as the climate is too fe- vere for them at that early period ; accordingly, their owners take grafs for them, or rather running, in the low grounds, where they are fent on the approach of winter, and from whence they return about the fourth week in March. The ufual price of their winter run is one (hilling each. Whatever is the origin of this breed, ' there are many of them very well made in dl points, and finely woolled ; and when brought down to the lower grounds, and fufficiently tamed,- they take fat very well, efpecially during the fummer and autumn ; but from their native wildnefs it is difficult to make them feed, except on grafs ; yet by care they will be- come manageable ; and the beft way to accomplifti this is, by* having a few tame fheep mixed with them, either of another kind, or fome of the fame fpecies that have been domefticated. This breed is much prized for the delicacy of its mutton, and is to be had at all the fairs of Cafllewellan, Dundrum, Rofstrevor, &c. in the neighbourhood of the mountains. The wethers, 'three and four years old, weigh from ten to fourteen pounds per quarter ; the ewes fomewhat lefs : their fleeces, from two and a half pound to near double that weight. Many of them are even lefs than the weight I mention, not exceeding feven or eight pounds per quarter. A judge of fheep might pick up amongft hefe mountaineers bqch males and females of uncom- mon 206 STATISTICAL SURVEY mon fymmetry of form, with wool of the fineft tex- ture: and it has often occurred to me, that by doing .fo, and bringing them to a better paflure and milder climate, the foundation of a fuperior breed might be laid. Except on the mountains, or near them, there are not, I believe, fix numerous flocks of Iheep in this county. The only breeding flocks I am acquainted with are in the park at Hillfborough, at Scarva, and Seaford ; I underftand that at Terala Mr. Hamilton has lately got a ram and fome ewes of the Leicefter breed. To any gentleman, who wifhes to be in the breeding line, the firft coft, though high, is foon made up by the advantage of a fuperior flock. The fheep fyftem in this county (if it may be called a fyftem) is, with few exceptions, the buying-in from one to two lambs, or where the farms are larger than common, fometimes to the number of ten or twelve, and keeping them for a year, or a year and a half, and felling them fat to the butchers : fome farmers keep a few breeding ewes, in the fame proportion. SECT. 4. Hogs* .< A VAST number of hogs are bred in this county annually ; the breeders fell them from the fow, at fix or eight years old, in all the markets and fairs ; the price greatly depends upon the crop of potatoes ; when OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 207 when they are dear, fucking pigs are cheap, and vice verfa. Befides thefe, numbers are brought every fpring from the weft of Ireland, to be fattened here : the breed of fwine in that part of the kingdom is much fuperior to ours, having the advantage both in fize and fhape. Our breed, however, is improving, and the long-legged, curvilinear-backed, flat-fided, tottering animal is now giving place to a more compact and robuft creature, that not only takes flefh fafter, but is alfo able to carry its flefh. The ihort-legged Dutch breed is in high fafliion at prefent, and very defervedly fo ; for they certainly have a fupericjr talent of turning the fmallefl quantity of food into the greateft quantity of pork in a given time. I mufl here do juflice to the exertions of two gentlemen, who have lately imported from England, at a confiderable expenfe, a boar and fow each of the true Berkfhire breed; they are very fine animals, in every thing a complete contraft to the old tottering breed above mentioned, which is the higheft encomium, that can be patted on them. ;V SECT. 5. Rabbits. RABBITS, as flock, are moflly confined to the neigh- bourhood of Dundrum; the ground there being fandy is well adapted to them ; in Murtogh they are fo in- termingled with the other flock, it would be difficult to *o8 STATISTICAL SURVEY to afcertain their exact value ; but Mr. Hamilton of Terala is fo well perfuaded of the fuperiority of the foil, though fandy, for agricultural purpofes, that he has broken up a confiderable part of his warren, and intends improving the whole, which probably would anfwer, even though it was to be returned to its former Jftate ; for rabbits, like all other animals, are profitable in proportion to the goodnefs of their food. The rab- bits on the Maze-courfe are very fine, from the accefs they have to the well cultivated fields within their reach; and the few flragglers, that are to be met with in other places, are fo much larger than the warren rabbits, that they feem to be almofl a different fpecies. SECT. 6. Poultry. POULTRY of all kinds are reared; of the common fowl every cottage has a brood or two; for this faci- lity we afe indebted, amongft many other obligations, to the potatoe, which, with the addition of a fmall quantity of other food, forms an excellent fupport for them. The earlieft chickens are generally mtt with at the cottages, in which the fowl ufually rooft at night; the warmth imparted to them by this means renders the hens fooner prolific in the fpring, than when they rooft in colder fituations, fuch as hen-houfes ufually are. Turkeys are alfo bred, but being at an early age fo OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 209 fo much more tender, and, when they grow large, re- quiring fo much greater range than the former, they are not fo common. A confiderable number of geefe, as well as ducks, are alfo reared; of the firft large flocks are kept about the fkirts of the mountains-, of the fecond almoft every houfe has fome; they are much valued from the quantity of eggs they lay. The price of poultry of all kinds has very much increafed within thefe few years, and the two years of fcarcity, by diminiftiing the number ufually reared, has more than doubled their value. ..*? SECT. 7. Pigeons^ ARE very general, but more as pets than as forming an article of profit. Moft gentlemen have them about their houfes; I underftand that in Lecale there are fome regular pigeon-houfes. SECT. 8. Bees, ARE reckoned to thrive remarkably well in the county of Down, notwithftanding which there are not by any means fo many hives as formerly ; the reafon of this decreafe I have not been able to account for. On this fubjeft there is little information to be gathered, E e except zie STATISTICAL SURVEY except from the fuperior management of two gentle- men, who conduct this branch of rural economy with as much fldll as humanity; by the favour of one of thofe gentlemen, I made drawings of the hives and glafles ufed by them, and which they find to anfwef perfectly. By infpecling thofe drawings with the fol- lowing references^ I fhould hope the mode would be intelligible* No. i. is a hive, made without a top, inflead of which it is covered with No. 2., having a grate in it for the bees to pafs through. In this hive the bees are placed at fwarming, inftead of the ufual conical hive. The grate is covered with paper until the evening, when the hive is fet on the ftand, at which time No. 4. is put over the grate. Nos. 3. and 4. form the hive fet up with its glafs over the grate of No. 2.; No. 5. a common hive to cover No. 4., which, when filled, may be removed ; and No.x'. another glafs, which may be put in its place; this, being open at top, may be co-> vered with No. 7., in which are holes, that may have over each of them a glafs, Nos. 8., and which the bees will fill; thefe No. 8. glafles may be taken away at . pleafure, putting on frefh ones as they are taken away, By this method the neceflity of killing the bees (unlefs from accident) to obtain their honey is totally done away; for the firft glafs or hive, that is put over the grating, is of fuch a fize as to allow them, after it is filled, fufficieut time to fill another for their own fup- port, OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 211 port, and it is obferved that, by changing the hive, they work with increafed vigour. In taking off the firfl glafs or hive, the combs, which are connected with the flat hive in which they were put after fwarming, mufl be cut through with a long knife; any honey that falls is fpeedily gathered by the bees. Some perfons ufe a flider for this purpofe, but it is liable to be out of or- der. Wooden hives are the beft covering for the whole. Upwards of ninety pounds of honey were taken laft autumn out of one of thefe wooden hives, into which the bees had penetrated by fome aperture in their ufual abode; the honey of the firft quality. The gentleman above mentioned keeps his bees in a houfe for the purpofe, the afpeft, I think, fouth-eaft; he finds mice very troublefome, both eating the combs, and killing the bees. In the glafs hives a hole at top is neceflary, to admit a flick to fupport the combs. The above method has been followed for many years, and is as fimple, when underftood, as poffible; its humanity is apparent, for, inftead of robbers and murderers, it renders us protectors and ftiarers.* * The beft cure for the fting of a bee is ink, applied im- rnediately. EC CHAPTER 214 CHAPTER XIV. RURAL ECONOMY. SECTION i. Farms, IN this county are feldom of fuch extent, as to admit of fervants and labourers in all the different depart- ments of husbandry, that are required in thofe coun- tries, where the fyflem is more extenfive, and where it requires more regularity. A farming fervant here is fcarcely ever fo completely occupied by any particular branch, as not to be under the neceffity of putting his hand to any bufmefs, that may call for his affiftance; accordingly we have not the different degrees of wages paid to a carter, .under-carter, &c. In the neighbour- hood of towns the wages of labourers are much higher than in the country parts, becaufe provifions, houfe- rent, fuel, &c. are dearer in thofe fituations, where few labourers are kept by the year, their employment moftly depending on incidental calls; where they are under OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 21$ under thefe circumftances hired by the day or the week, their wages are from one to two Shillings per day, ac- cording to the feafon and to the work. In the country moft of the farmers have fervants, who live in their houfes, or, if married, in cottages on their farms. In the former cafe they are ufually paid by the half-year, there being a difUncYion between the fummer half-year from May till November, and the winter half-year from November till May ; the wages for the firft about three guineas, for the latter about three pounds, and their diet, &c. Boys are often hired for the fame periods ; their wages vary, from a guinea the half-year through- out all the gradations, until they arrive at the wages of a man. The cottagers are paid partly in money and their diet, and partly by their holdings, which are va- lued according to the fize of their gardens, and the quantity of ground allowed for fetting potatoes and fowing flax; when a cow is grazed, that is feparately agreed for. A holding of this kind is valued from a guinea to two guineas per annum, befides paying for the cow if one is kept, and maintaining her in winter. The labourer is paid about 6\d. per day and his meat, firfl working up his rent; farmers likewife engage fome of their work by ploughing for the lefler farmers, who have no horfes; the ufual rate is five days work of a man for one day's ploughing. Women are alfo en- gaged to reap, by fowing flax-feed for them, the feed their STATISTICAL SURVEY their own; fo many days worl^ given for a certain cjua.ntity of ready prepared ground. The ufual wages in this county, for occafional la- bourers in winter, are fixpence-halfpenny per day and djet; in fumrner eight pence and ditto. Gentlemen pay from eight pence to nine pence per day through the year, befides giving a houfe at a reafonable rate often into the bargain. There is not much work done by the great; ditches are more frequently contracted for in this way than any other kind of labour; a ditch of five feet by four, from fifteen pence to eighteen peace ; of five feet by fix, from eighteen pence to two /hillings; where the ground is rocky, it is difficult to Tay what it may coft per perch of feven yards, which is the ufual running meafure for, making a ditch of either of thofe dimenfions; where rock intervenes, the employer muft agree by the day. DAILY WAGES ARE, s. tf. t. < for turf-catting, i i and diet; i j% without it. Baking turf; baker, 2 2 attendant i 7$. without diet. Boys wheeling, o 6\ to 'o 8 Reaping, from o 6| to 08 with diet j it. id. without it. Mowing, from i 7J to 2 8 1 about towns, Ditto, by the acre, 36 to 40 Threftiing oats,, i i per bole of 10 bufhels Winchef. njtto barley, i i per eight buftiels.. Reaping OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. zij Reaping feldom done by the acre, but fometimes by the ftook of twelve fheaves, at one penny per ftook; ia this way the farmer may be certain of fmall (heave's, and clofe cutting, to increafe the number; a good reaper in this way will earn from fourteen pence to eighteen pence per day. Hours of labour are, in ftimmer, from fix to fix, an hour allowed at breakfaft, the fame at dinner ; in haf- vefl, from the time the grain is dry in the morning, un- til it is dark. It is accounted very bad hulbandry to reap while the ftfaw is wet, unlefs it is fuffered to re- main untied, to allow the moifture to evaporate. la harveft a very fhort time is taken up at meals, efpecially if the feafon is late. In winter the hours of labour are from fun-rife to fun-fet; breakfaft is the only meal at this feafon, taken in the courfe of the day; dinner after it is dark. In harveft moft of the wearers of linen tura t>ut to reaping, &c. and moft of the young women; this gives a great command of hands at this neceffary work, which, when the grain is completely ripe, goes on with very great rapidity; the confequence of the great population of this county, and of the manufac* turers 6eing fpread over the land, inftead of living to- gether in towns. The price of labour has much increafed in and around the towns, but not confiderably in the country, within thefe laft twenty years, except in two or three articles, as turf-aitting, mowing, and thatching. i 15 STATISTICAL SURVEY Prov'tfionsA.ie potatoes, oatmeal boiled and baked, with milk and butter in fummer, and fome bacon ; in winter hung beef. All the farmers have fome of both kinds, and mod of the manufacturers, until the laft two years, when the fcarcity, and high price of meat, deprived many of their ufual fupply. A very great defect in the houfehold management of this county, both in gentlemen and farmers, is the little care taken to have a fupp]y of milk and butter during the winter, feafon ; all this arifes from the miftaken idea, that it is more profitable to have cows to calve in the fpring, or rather fummer ; yet in the dairy countries of England, their cows come in in winter. To this fyflem, as the more advantageous one, they fteadily adhere, both on account of their dairy and their calves \ but this has already been mentioned and recommended in the chap- ter on live flock. Fuel, So much attached are the inhabitants of this county to turf as fuel, that .even on the fea coafts, where coals are to be had at a reafonable price,-- they prefer going ten miles for the former ; as thofe, who burn turf in many parts of Lecale, are obliged to do. The colly arifing from the coal fmoke is fo difgufting to the females, who have been ufed to turf, that nothing can reconcile them to it, and the men kindly give way to their feelings ; but the time muft come, when to gratify them in this particular will no longer remain in their power ; as the increafed population of the country makes OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 217 makes an increafed demand upon an article already grown fcarce in many diftric"ls, and in others totally gone. In the fea-port towns coals are much ufed, but wherever turf is within reach it is ufed alfo. CHAPTER 2i8 STATISTICAL SURVEY CHAPTER XV. POLITICAL ECONOMY, AS CONNECTED WITH, AND AFFECTING AGRICULTURE. SECTION i. Roads. THE roads of this county are in general allowed to be excellent ; the foil is dry, the country neither flat, nor (haded with hedge-rows, the materials for making them good, and the gentlemen very careful in keeping them in repair, and anxious to have the money granted for them honeftly accounted for. But notwithflanding thefe advantages, many improvements may yet be ad- mitted of and introduced ; the furface of this county is fo various, that to avoid every inequality would be im- partible, and in every cafe not to be wifhed for j but many of the old roads having been laid out, before it was adverted to, that going round a hill was often not defcribing a greater fpace than going over it, the tra- veller is not feldom obliged to climb a fteep afcent, and f to OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 219 to go down a declivity equal to it, when a moft inviting valley appears to the right or to the left, which he very naturally thinks would have made as fhort a line of road, and would have faved him and his panting beaft the fatigues of afcending and horrors of defcending, without cofting the county one {hilling more than that, which has produced fo much pain and fo many alarms. This changing of the line of roads, to avoid fteep hills, muft neverthelefs be gradually accompliflied, upon ac- count of the attendant expenfe ; yet one of the baro- nies, in which it is moft neceflary, would admit of fome increafe, as it is lower taxed than any other in the county. In laying out new roads, care is generally taken, as far as circumftances will allow, to avoid the evil complained of, and the mail coach mad now car- rying on, upon the plan of avoiding the hills rather than taking the flraiteft line, will afTuredly prove a comfort and fecurity to travellers, and a credit to the county. Great fervice has been done in feveral parts of the county, from levying and laying out with dif- cretion the penny an acre for the repair of parish roads. The aft, which not only allowed, but in fome meafure enforced the raifing of this tax, expired a few years ago, but has been revived the lafl feflion, or that be- fore. It is to be lamented, that any fufpenfion fliould been given to fo ufeful a law, as when people are once out of the habit of paying a tax, they do not fo wil- lingly return to it ; but of all taxes, thpfe for roads are 5 f 2 Jeaft 220 STATISTICAL SURVEY leaft grievous, and the raoft beneficial -, the money arifing from them is laid out upon the fpot, amongft the poorer clafs, even before it is levied, and the bene- fit is feh by every individual ; but this is now fo uni- verfally understood, that to fay more on the fubjeft would be fuperfluous. Upon the proper formation of roads fo much of their real intention (the eafe of com- munication) depends, that I hope I fhall be pardoned for throwing together a few ideas upon this fubjeclr; partly my own, and partly extracted from Marshall's Rural Economy of the Midland Counties. The firft ftep, towards making a road with effect, is to 'throw it up and level it, fome time before tlie gravel is laid on, that thofe parts, which are to be raifed to a level with the general furface, may have time to fublide, and, in cafe they Should fink too low, that they may be filled previous to the covering ; when this is laid on, great care Should be taken to keep the coarfer parts under- neath, otherwife they never bind, but continually Shift- ing under the feet of man- or horfe equally impede the progrefs of each. When the materials are of a fub- flance difficult to reduce, they ought to be bound toge- ther with fome fofter Stuff; for the moil perfect ftate of a road, that in which it is fafeft and moft pleafant to the traveller, and in which it wears the leaft, is that, in which the intervals or openings of the hard materials are filled up with loofe matter, as fmall gravel, fand, and where the firft coat is very hard, even with fine earth OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 221 earth or till ; giving a fmooth even furface, elaflic to the hoof, yet firm enough to refill the wheels, without being cut into ruts, and fufficiently covered to prevent the hard materials from being expofed to their im- mediate preflure. After the furface of a road is thus arranged, great attention fhould be paid from time to time, to fill up any ruts that may be made, and by re- placing the lower flratum of covering, that may have been difplaced by the obflinate adherence of carriages to one tract, where by the grinding of wheels in a fur- row filled with water the hardefl gravel, or flone, is quickly cut through, as a block of marble is divided by the fame kind of procefs. Keeping the furface dry, by having proper courfes for the water, is another ne- ceflary confideration ; and' in roads, that lie low and are much frequented, (hovelling off the liquid mud feems a. judicious operation, which allows the road to dry in a much fhorter fpace of time than it would other wife do. I have no faith in the idea, that this fluff when dried can be of any fervice in protecting the furface ; for having been thus ground, by the fun and air it is turned into duft, but never reflored as gravel. The lhape or form of^a road is another fubject of very material con- fideration. The moft perfect flate of a road, as to form, that in which its utility is the greatefl, and its wear the leafl, is beyond all doubt the perfect flate of flatnefs, provided the furface could be kept in a flate of perfection under' that form i but it being In practice impoflible 222 STATISTICAL SURVEY impoffible to unite permanence of furface with perfect flatnefs, a more practical form muft be fought. All, therefore, that can be done, is to endeavour to hit the happy medium ; to raife the furface, until a degree of roundnefs be gained, fo as to render the fhape, though not perfect, yet fufficiently convenient to anfwer fully the general intention. The requifite degree of round- nefs varies with circumftances, depends on the given fituation, the given materials, and the width and pub- licnefs of the road ; the fteeps and levels more particu- larly ought to be kept as round as perfeft conveniency will permit ; for the quicker the rain water efcapes off the former, the lefs mifchief it occafions, and the quicker it efcapes off the latter, the more good. Wherever a road is obferved to keep itfelf free from (landing water, and inequalities of furface, in a wet feafon, and this where the form is not too round for convenience, every part of it being travelled over, the happy medium has been hit and preferved. Roads, bearing this teft, are proper fubjefts of iludy for road- makers, rather than any theoretic rule that could be offered j except that a degree of roundnefs is requifite in all feafons, and in all fituations. By giving this fhape to roads, and by preferving it with due attention, fo as to keep them free from water, and, in a continuance of wet weather, from a fuperfluity of reduced materials, which form the mud ; and by clofmg the ruts, and filling the breaches as foon as they appear, a confide- rable OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 223 rable proportion of the money now expended on the roads of this kingdom might be faved. SECT. 2. Canals. ON this fubjeft nothing offers fmce writing the fee- tion on the rivers of the county. SECT. 3. Fairs. FAIRS are eftablifhed in every town in this county ; the general objecl: of thefe fairs is the fale of cattle, horfes, and fheep, and fome hogs. In ftveral towns linen is fold ofi fair days, and a confiderable quantity of yarn ; the yarn market is the firft, at an early hour, afterwards the linen market ; as many of the buyers of yarn are alfo fellers of linen. The principal fairs for horfes are held at Banbridge, to which buyers refort from confiderable diftances. Dealers from Dublin and from Scptland attend at moft of our fairs, as well as at Banbridge ; Dromore, Saintfield, Ballynahinch, are all fairs very much frequented by dealers in cattle as well as horfes ; Cafllewellan and Rathfryland, befides thefe, have the mountain iheep, which alfo may be had at Rofstrevor, Dundrum, and Clogh. SECT. 224 STATISTICAL SURVEY SECT. 4. Weekly Markets. WEEKLY markets are held in moft of the towns where fairs are eftablifhed ; yarn is fold in all the markets, linen in many of them ; add to thefe, butch- er's meat, butter, fowl, eggs, &c. befides oatmeal by wholefale and retail, and potatoes. Pedlars attend upon thefe days, who difpofe of a variety of articles of apparel and hardware, in tents erected for the day : thefe itinerant merchants convey their wares from one town to another on little carts conflrufted for the purpofe, in which their boxes are flowed; fome of thefe carts are kept in partner/hip, others belong to an individual, according to their circumftances : it is ex- traordinary how many of thefe dealers fubfift by fel- ling, or rather by perfuading people to think they fell cheaper than the keepers of fhops. A confiderable quantity of woollen-yarn flockings, from the weft of Ireland, are expofed to fale on market days ; ready made (hoes, wool hats, and a number of other articles. Wool is alfo retailed by perfons, who buy ,t in the fheep countries for that purpofe ; this wool is fpun at home by thofe, who wifh to manufacture, for their own ufe, either cloths of a coarfe kind, all of wool, or for warping, a kind of fluff compofed of woollen and linen yarn, and much ufed for domefHc wear. SECT. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 225 SECT. 5. Commerce. THE exports of the county of Down are few in number, but very valuable. They confift of linen in all its branches, from the fineft cambrics to the coarfe Hillfborough fix hundreds , which are fent away with- out any improvement, as they come from the weaver's hand. A confiderable number of pieces of muflin were fent, before the check that trade met with, to Dublin ; but thefe, I believe, were moftly for the confumption of the kingdom. Butter alfo forms one of our principal exports ; this is carried in cafks to Newry and Belfaft, and fold to the exporting merchants. The quantity of this is very great ; the quality of late much improved, fo as to be able to meet that from other countries with credit. Pork alfo is another regular article of com- merce, fold at and exported from the fame places. There is alfo in plentiful feafons a market for grain likewife for exportation ; and a regular coafting trade. for wheat, barley, and malt is carried on from Strang- ford, Downpatrick, and Killough. At Bangor and ' Killileagh, wheat and barley are bought up for the merchants of Belfafl and other ports ; raw hides, and dried calves fkins, befides a number of other articles of lefs importance. c g SECT. 226 STATISTICAL SURVEY The imports confifl of all the commodities neceflary to an opulent and manufacturing county, and are daily increafing. The conftant refidence of the numerous landed proprietors, and the demands of a large body of wealthy perfons in trade, caufe a regular import of the luxuries and elegancies of life; add to thefe the con- ftant fupplies of the more neceflary articles required by the manufacturers, and the great body of the people, and we fliall not be fuprifed at the rapid progrefs made by Newry in one part of the county, and by Belfafl on the other, which, though not in the precinfts, may be confidered, in a commercial view, as forming part of its fyltem. Portaferry likewife has a considerable trade; but the fliutting up of all the ports on this part of the coaft, except Belfafl and Newry, from importing cer- tain articles of commerce, has curtailed the trade of the fmaller ports very much. SECT. 6. ManufaEiures. THE linen manufacture, from its extent and confe- quent importance, deferves the firfl place. What was the exaft time of its eftablifhment in this county I fliall not take upon me to determine, but that it has con- fide r able claims to antiquity cannot be difputed, as from an aft againfl foreftalling, in the 33d of Henry VIII. linen and yarn are particularly enumerated as objects OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 227 objects of that law; and in the i ith of Elizabeth ano- ther aft was pafled, againft laying flax, hemp, &c. in rivers to fteep. In the I3th of the fame reign, the ex- portation of linen is confined to corporate towns, and to free merchants, or in exchange for imports. Thefe acts Ihew that it muft, at the time of making them, have been of fuch extent as to call for the interference of the legiflature ; particularly that aft, in which the growers of flax, &c. are retrained from watering thofe productions in rivers, proves that their culture muft have been general, to require fuch reflraints. We find no further notice of the linen manufacture in the fla- tute book, until the i8th of Charles II. $ the diftrafted ftate of Ireland between thofe two periods, and of England during a great part of the time, will fufficiently account for the filence of the legiflature upon this fub- jeft. This laft aft was not, as fome perfons have fup- pofed, for the introduction of this manufacture into Ire- land; it was for the advancement of it. In the 7th of William III. a duty was laid on Scotch and other linens, to be applied to the encouragement of the linen manufacture; and it was in the fame and the following reign that the fettlement of the French re- fugees,* by introducing a finer fabric, more improved looms, and the manufacture of reeds of a fuperior kind, and alfo fpinning-wheels of a better conflruftion, brought the manufacture to a degree of perfection, that rivalled the linens imported from the Continent. In G g 2 the 22* STATISTICAL SURVEY the reign of William III. a Mr. Crommelin traverfed a confiderable part of Ireland, to make his report con- cerning the fitnefs of different parts of this kingdom for carrying on this branch of bufinefs ; he imported a thoufand looms from Holland, the improved fpinning- vvheels, &c. Before his day no web finer than a four- teen hundred was manufactured in Ireland; he fettled at Lifburn, where he died, after feeing his exertions for this trade crowned with fuccefs; and yet, ftrange to fay, linen was not allowed to be exported, free of duty, until the 4th of Queen Anne. From this time govern- ment feems to have been fenfible of its importance, by the many regulations brought forward in its fupport. About this time the Lord Lieutenant was empowered to appoint truftees for each province; and in the 8th of George I. 1,5007. was granted the truftees to build a linen-hall in Dublin, for the more regular fale of white linen; and, in the loth of the fame reign, 2,ooo/. was likewife granted to them, for the encouragement of the growth of flax and hemp. Since that period the ma- nufacture of linen has moft rapidly increafed, and is now not only become the ftaple of all the counties in Ulfter, but is rapidly fpreading itfelf to the weft; and ]et the defign of England have been what it might in foftering (for ftie did not introduce it), the event has been fortunate for both countries. It would be foreign to this Report to enter into a detail of every regulation adopted by the Linen Board, and of every encourage- ment OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 229 ment held out by parliament, before this manufacture arrived at its prefent ftate of perfection. But one re- gulation I cannot pafs by, as it is fo glaring an inftance of the manner, in which a body of uninformed men may be led by defigning perfons, to take a part totally op- pofite to their own interefts. Previous to the year 1760 all linen fold in the markets was meafured by the buy- ers, before it was paid for ; the confequence of this was lofs of time, conftant difputes between the draper and the weaver, and often lofs on the part of the lat- ter, who was not feldom obliged to fubmit to fraudu- lent meafurement rather than take back his web, as the buyer could better do without the linen than the feller without his money. The iniquity, as well as the in- convenience of this practice, was feen by a gentleman in the bufmefs, eminent for his talents, and for under- ftanding the true interefts of the trade. In confequence an aft was obtained, appointing perfons called feal- maflers to meafure and infpeft each web before it was expofed to fale, fealing it, if properly made, with a feal given by the Board, fetting on it at the fame time the exaft length. Thefe feal-mafters gave fecurity for the proper difcharge of their office, and were anfwerable to the drapers for any fault in the webs; they were paid by the weavers for their trouble. A certain day was fixed for the operation of this aft, previous to which a number of the lower buyers of linen had the art to perfuade the weavers, that it was againft their imereft, STATISTICAL SURVEY interefl, in confequence of which they aflembled in a tumultuous manner in the town of Lifburn on a mar- ket day, and would have deftroyed the promoter of this aft, had he not fortunately made his efcape ; and the firft Marquis of Downfhire, then Earl of Hillfbo- rough, who was that day in Lifburn, going out to ap- peafe the mob, had nearly loft his life. For the credit of the linen-weavers of the north of Ireland, this was the firfl and the laft riotous meeting they were ever as a body concerned in ; they were immediately fenfiblc of their error, and returned peaceably to their looms. A manufacture fo extenfive as that of linen in this kingdom, and confequently of fo much importance, muft require continual attention and fuperintendence to keep up its credit, by guarding againft thofe abufes, which creep into every branch, and which, when got to a certain height, prove deftruftive to it-, but al- though this fuperintendence, when well directed, is ufeful, nothing is more dangerous than frequently tan> pering with a flourifhing and well eftabliftied trade ; nor fhould any material change ever be introduced or attempted without confutation with thofe, who have practical knowledge in the bufmefs. i Improvements in the art of bleaching have kept pace with the improvements in the arts of weaving and fpinning , and it is now found, that with an addi- tional quantity of bleaching fluff, and more handling, linen may be got ready for the white market in one- half OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 231 half of the time it formerly was, and, when properly managed, with equal fafety. The profits of a bleach- green are very confiderable ; in juftice they ought to be fo, for the owner is liable to all loffes from thieves, which are often very great, as well as thofe which arife from accidental damage, which are not unfre- quent ; that they are not more frequent is furprifing, where fuch potent materials, as bleaching fluffs, are applied to fuch delicate fabrics as linen and cambric by the moft unfcientific hands. For how honeft foever a foreman bleacher may be, and howfoever confidera- ble his experience, having no other method of judging of the ftrength of his bleaching materials than by weight and meafure, he muft often be miftaken, to the great detriment of his employer; and by one unfortu- nate blunder, having no principle upon which to pro- ceed, he may occafion more lofs than his fervices for feven years could compenfate for. Some mode of in- ftruftion might probably be ftruck out, by which the old guefs-work way of proceeding might be exploded, and fomething more certain fub diluted in its ftead. It may be faid, certainly, that this is not a proper place for an^nveftigation on the fubjeft of manufactures, nor is it meant as fuch ; but when fas ejl et ab hofte doceri, why not fometimes take a hint from a friend ? The different branches of linen manufacture carried on in this county are firft, linen and cambrics; ie- condly, table liaen, confifting of datnafk, damafk diaper, 232 STATISTICAL SURVEY diaper, and plain diaper -, thirdly, checquer. I wifhed very much to have had it in my power to give an ac- count, as near the truth as could be obtained, of the number of pieces of the firft kind manufactured, or rather fold, in a given period j but that, after fome consideration, I found imprafticable, becaufe a confide- rable part of them are fold in markets not within the county, and are intermixed with thofe from other parts ; for example, the linens of the weftern parts of the county are carried to Belfaft, Lilburn, and Lur- gan, the two firft in Antrim, the laft in Armagh ; and our towns of Hillfborough, Banbridge, and Newry, lying near thofe counties, are in part fupplied by them ; fo that enquiring at the houfcs where the weavers are paid, the only method of coming at the number of webs, I could afcertain nothing j and what is fold in the eaftern markets is often refold in the weftern. Could the number of webs made in this county, in the courfe of a year, have been found with any degree of accu- racy, it would have given very nearly the number of linen weavers ; for each kind of cloth being known, and the time requiiite to weave it, the number of wea- vers would follow of courfe. The linens being one yard wide are diftingiaflied by the number of threads contained in that breadth j thus an eight hundred web is one, whofe warp contains that number of threads of yarn, &c. The OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 233 The following lift of markets, with the different kinds of linen fold at them, may be acceptable to fome readers. Newry, from 8 ta 14 hundreds, a few up to 1 6 ditto. Rathfryland, 8 to 14 ditto. Kirkeele, - - 8 to 10 ditto. Down, - - - 8 to 1 6 ditto. Caftlewellan, - 8 to 9 ditto. Ballynahinch, 8 to 18 ditto. Banbridge, - 8 to 15 ditto. Dromore, - - 10 to 20 ditto. Hillfborough, 6 to 20 ditto ; a number of the coarfer kinds are made up in packs, and ex- ported without any fur- ther improvement. Portaferry and 7 T . J ;M ., v i i-u- f 10 to 14 ditto. Kirkubbm, 3 The earnings of the manufacturers in the different linen fabrics depend firft, as in every other trade, on their (kill, and fecondly, on the finenefs of the linen ; a weaver of fine linen will earn, if a good hand, from is. qd. to is. 6d. per day ; of coarfe, from f s. to is. ^d. ; but where a weaver finds his own yarn, his profits are greater ; fometimes, when the demand is great, amount- ing to as much upon the yarn as the price of the weav- ing } fometimes, however, in a falling market, inftead u h of 234 STATISTICAL SURVEY of making he lofes by the yarn. Manufacturers, who keep a number of looms, and acquire a quantity of yarn before hand, are often great fufferers, and as often gainers, by the fluctuation of the markets. Spin- ners can earn from three pence to four pence per day, according to the price of flax and yarn ; when they fpin for others they are paid fo much per hank, ac- cording to the finenefs of the thread ; in this cafe their gains are not fo much, as when they lay in the flax themfelves. Cambric is manufactured from the coarfeft to the finefl kinds ; Tome of the latter have been fold fo high as fifteen guineas the piece of twenty-five yards green. The profit upon thefe muft be very high, as the fabric, from its delicate texture, is liable in a great degree of damage : to the fpinner and weaver of thefe fine cambrics there are alfo better wages ; of the lower priced, the earnings to the weaver are nearly the fame as from the weaving of linen. Near Belfaft there is, I underftand, a manufactory of checquer, but to what extent I have not heard. The damaflc manufactory at Li/burn, being on the verge of this county, muft not be pafled by unnoticed : it was eftabliihed by Mr. Coulfon, and brought by him to fuch perfection, that mod families of any confe- quence in the United kingdoms have been furnifhed with table linen from it. The beauty of the patterns, and excellence of the fabric, are too well known to re- quire any further mention, than its being carried on by his OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 235 his fon and fucceflbr with increafing fpirit and atten- tion. At Newry there have been lately fet up a few damafk looms ; whether they are likely to make a pro- grefs has not yet been afcertained. In the neighbour- hood of Waringftown there is a manufacture, called damafk diaper, which is faid nearly to equal the real damafk in beauty and wear, and is much cheaper. In the fame neighbourhood a confiderable quantity of diaper is made. Befides thefe, a number of articles are made for home confumption, fuch as fheets, facks, and a long &c. in which every part of that ufeful vegetable, the flax plant, is in/the end worked up. Muflin is the next manufacture of importance after linen ; the rapid progrefs it has made in this county, during the laft twenty years, previous to which it was fcarcely known, has fomething truly inftruftive to poli- tical economics, by pointing out to them, in the intro- duction of new manufactures, to find fuch as eafily aflimilate with thofe already eftablifhed. Thus every weaver of linen in this country, upon the expectation of fuperior profit, was ready to turn his attention to- wards the weaving of muflin, which, though fomewhat different in the execution, militated very little with his ancient habits. Very foon, therefore, on its appearance it detached a number of workmen from the linen trade ; and a great many others, who would have ap- plied to the latter, finding it much more eafy td acquire a knowledge of weaving muflin, and better wages, gave STATISTICAL SURVEY gave themfelves up entirely to that trade. Thofe, hovf- ever, who were mere muflin weavers, fufFered very feverely in the late ftagnation of that trade ; for never having learned to weave linen, when that circumftance 1 occurred they were thrown entirely out of employ- ment, whilft thofe, who were regularly bred to the linen manufacture, returned to their former occupation, which, even in the worfl times, afforded them a main- tenance.** Befides muflins of every degree of fmenefs and every requifite breadth, many other branches of the cotton trade are carried on ; calicoes and wrapper- ings, thickfets, corduroys, and velveteens, are made in various parts : the weavers attend at the ware-houfes, where the necefTary quantity of warp and weft are ferved out to them, which they carry home, and return manufactured. Some houfes carry on this bufinefs to a very great extent, and a good deal is done by. perfons of fmaller capitals, who employ only a few looms ; and whilft this trade was very flourifliing, many fingle looms were at work upon their own account : rooft of thefe laft, however, and many of* the fecond clafs were unable to Hand the (hock of the laft bad years. The earnings of a good weaver of muflin, with conftant employment, that is, when not kept waiting for his yarn, either to put in or to carry on his web, is from eighteen {hillings to a guinea per week, more than double the wages of a linen weaver : fome time ago it was more ; and when to this is added the price of \vinding the yarn, it muft be allowed, that the intro- duction OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 237 ducYion of a muflin loom into a family muft be an object of confiderable importance : indeed the change of drcfs and deportment in this clafs of perfons was very obvious to every one, and a fmart young cotton weaver became no flight attraction in the eyes of a country belle. Notwithftanding the fums of money, that have been retained in this kingdom by manufac- turing our own cottons, many perfons think, that ulti- mately it may be attended with a lofs to our linen trade; for, if any complete overthrow was to take place in, the former, a number of weavers would be let loofe upon the latter, who, from the light work they have been habituated to, would prove injurious, by introducing the fame kind of texture in the fabrication of linen; but this, I fliould think, is a groundlefs apprehen- fion; the drapers would not buy fuch goods, and the weavers would be obliged to accommodate them- felves to the markets. The quick return in the muflin trade. (when it is profperous), from the fliort time it requires in bleach- ing, makes it peculiarly fit for fmall capitals; but whe- ther it will be able to keep its ground on the expiration of the protecting duties, is one of thofe questions which time alone can anfwer; many perfons are of opinion that it will, and that it may admit of confiderable dimi- nution in profit, and ftill remain a good trade. The woollen manufacture would fcarcely deferve men- tion, being confined to a coarfe cloth, made entirely for home t$Z STATISTICAL SURVEY home confumption, was it not for the blanket-making bufmefs, which has been eftablifhed in the vicinity of the village of Lambeg for upwards of a century; every article in this branch is made with a lightnefs and warmth equal to the beft Englifh goods in the fame line. A fufficient number of wool hats are made in different parts of the county for its own confumption, in the neighbourhood of which this bufmefs is carried on to a confiderable extent; they are carried for fale to the different fairs and markets in this and the neigh- bouring counties. The weaving of ftockings is another branch of in- duftry pretty generally diffufed; none are however ex- ported. This manufacture takes in worfted, thread, and cotton; the quality, though not of the fineft, is good. Leather both for foles and upper leathers for fhoes is tanned in confiderable quantities. Shoes have alfo been made at different times and places for expor- tation. At Lsmbeg there is an extenfive manufactory of papers of different ki ids. At the fame place is an ancient pottery, carried on by a family of Englifh fettlers, who have been eftablifhed there for upwards of a century; this branch does not extend to. the finer kinds, only taking in fuch as are ufed for milk, the purpofcs of gardening, &c. At the county of Down fide of Belfaft bridge there \s one of a fuperiar kind, of the OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 239 the black glazed ware ; at the fame place there is alfo a manufacture of (larch, and fotne attempts were made alfo to introduce a fimilar fabric to that of Wedgwood; this has been given up for fomc time. Very near this is a glafs-houfe, where all kinds of flint-glafs are made, and cut, equal to any imported; this is carried on by MefTrs. Edwards, who likewife have an extenfive foun- dery, and who are, I underftand, about eftabliftiing one at Newry. There is another foundery lately let up by a company, at no great diftance from this. At theie different manufactories machinery of every defcription is made, upon the mofl approved plans, with all the fubordinate articles of boilers, pots, pans, griddles, &c. A manufacture of bottle-glafs was fome years ago fet up, but, for what reafon I know not, has been flopped. At Newry there is a confiderable eftabliftiment for making fpades, (hovels, fcythes, and all kinds of pots and covers of hammered iron. Nails are made in all the towns, and in the village of Newtown-Breda, within three miles of Belfafl, there are many hands kept in conftant employment to fupply the demands of that town in this article. At Dromaragh, near Hills- borougll, there lives a celebrated maker of hackles; whether there is any other perfon in the county of that trade I do not know; and at Kilwarlin, in the vicinity of the fame town, is a celebrated maker of bafkets; every thing in this line, from the (Irongeft clothes- balket to the moft elegant fervices for deferts, is made there: 24 there; his fruit-baflcets, in lightnefs and fancy, arc equal to thofe imported from France. In the neigh- bourhood of Comber, in the barony of Caftlereagh, there is an ingenious maker of winnowing machines, both for barns, and for mills , thefe machines he makes on the mod approved conftruclion, with either fingle or double blafts, as it fuits the wifti or the purfe of the buyer. The manufacturing of tobacco is confined to thofe towns, which either are the refidence, or give the name to a collector's diftrict ; in thofe places it is both fpun and made into fnuif. Of the former kind an af- tonifhing quantity is ufed in this county, as few perfons deprive themfelves of the luxury either of chewing or of fmoaking that fafcinating weed; taking of fnuff is not by any means fo general as the firfl and fecond modes of ufmg it; and although we have fome tole- rable imitations of Foot t there are none fo nearly ap- proaching it, that to a difcriminating nofe could not be perceived at the diftance of a yard. A confiderable quantity of kelp is made every fummer along the coafls, but particularly on the lough of Strangford; the whole quantity manufactured there, as I am informed by a gentleman, from whom I have received a mcft accu- rate account of the manner of preparing it from fea- weed, amounts to between four and five hundred tons, whilit that made on the eaftern coafl does not amount to more than one hundred tons per annum; that on the fhores of the lake is much fuperior in quality to that on the OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 241 the open fhore, but neither the one nor the other are of fo good a quality as formerly, owing to the avarice of the labourers employed in making it, who, to increafe the weight, mix more than the proper proportion of gravel with the afb.es, after they are reduced to a fluid ftate; the proper proportion is as one to twenty, but, by putting more than that quantity, the kelp is not fo much in demand as it formerly was. - If I recollect aright, there is a law againft the adulteration of kelp, which directs it to be broken in pieces, and thrown upon the fields, excepting, however, the fields of the perfon fo adulterating it. Befides thefe manufactures above mentioned, there are others immediately de- pending upon the linen trade. The firft of thefe is -the making of oil of vitriol ; the ear Heft, and, I believe, the moft extenfive work is that near LUburn in this county, where oxygenated muriatic acid is alfo made, and is now under trial as a bleaching material; if it an- fwers it will be a great faving, as it is fo much cheaper than vitriol. There is likewife a manufacture of vitriol at Moyallan, and another on this fide the bridge of Belfaft, but, notwithflanding, vitriol is {till imported from Scotland. The other branches, which are particularly con- nected with our ftaple commodity, are Shuttles and reeds, of various finenefs; to the French refugees we are indebted for our knowledge in this art; to them we are indebted for the introduction of wheels, looms, &c. x i upon i 4 2 StATJSTICAL SURVEY upon improved conftruftkms. The name of the firfl fine reed-maker, who fettled in Lifburn, was Mark Ditpre. Salt is alfo manufactured in different places, but not by any means equal to the confumption. I have thos gone through, as far as I could collect, the different manufactures of this county, in fome of tvhich, or in the neceffary operations of hufbandry, every perfbn, whilft health permits, may find employ- ment and maintenance. The peculiar advantage of the ftnen bufmefs is, the opportunities of earning it affords not only to weavers, but to ei*ery woman and every child ; and although individually that earning may be Snail, in the aggregate it forms a confiderable object, and probably has done more than any mere political regulations could do to keep off the neceffity of enter- ing into meafures for the permanent fupport of the poor. Of thefe the number is not known, nor have I ever heard of any iriode, whereby it could be afcer- tained, without having recourfe to the different congre- gations in each parifti; that it is fmall in comparifon with the population I am certain, from the flender pro- vifion made for them, and from the few itinerant poor that are to be met with. 1}asg pJCo-> " .IcKnu tie" ii:mli,' arfsrrncJ larko SECT. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 245 SECT. 8. Population. ..jJ COI,^ v'rfv, t cbli2 BY an account taken of the population of this county In 1751, it appears at that time to have contained 19,270 houfes; by the returns made to government in 1791, it appears to have contained 38,351 houfes, fa near twice the former number, that they may be faid to- have doubled within the period of forty years; this gives an inereafe t>f 4,817 houfes for every ten years, fo that if there is added to the laft return, made HI 1791, of 38,351 houfes, the inereafe of the laft ten years, it will make the number at prefent 43,168, which, taking the inhabitants at five and one-fourth, or twenty-one for every four houfes, the total popula- tion at prefent will be 226,632, nearly one perfon for an acre and a half throughout the county. The num- ber of men liable to ferve in the militia, from eighteen to forty-five, will alfo form a foundation, from which the number of inhabitants may be calculated j for, if we obtain the number of men liable to ferve in the militia in any parifh, and the exact number of the in- habitants thereof, and that we likewife obtain the total liable to ferve in the county, the proportion between the militia and inhabitants of the parifh, given will be the fame, as between the total liable to ferve in the county, and the total inhabitants of it. Thus, for ex- i i 2 ample, 244 STATISTICAL SURVEY ample, the parifh of Annahilt produces 318 men liable to ferve in the militia, from a population of about 2,100; therefore, by the rule of proportion, if 318 give 2,100, what will 33,382 give, which is the total liable to ferve in the county? The anfwer is 220,447, which is within 6,185 f l ^ e num ber produced by the houfes, taking them as above at twenty-one perfons to every four houfes \ if again we add thefe two numbers, and divide them by two, the total average will be 223,539. This I do not pretend to give as perfectly exaft in point of numbers, but I fhould think, from the coincidence of the two produces, it cannot be very far wrong ; one thing I am pretty certain of, that five and one-fourth to a houfe is near the truth, from my own experience, as I counted both the perfons and houfes in the parifh of Annahilt. CHAPTER OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 245 CHAPTER XVI. OBSTACLES TO IMPROVEMENT; INCLUDING OBSER- VATIONS ON AGRICULTURAL LEGISLA- TION AND POLICE. IN the courfe of this Report the writer has touched upon thofe fubjedls, which ftruck him as obftacles to improvement, as they fell in his way; the principal of thefe were the fmallnefs of farms, and exhaufting the land by repeated crops of grain. There is no occafion to repeat what has already been faid ; the only addi-. tional obfervation, that offers at prefent, is the extreme' difficulty, if not impoffibility, of obtaining any effectual alteration in the firft; but the fecond is certainly to be remedied, and is the more to be attended to, as a cor- rective for the firft, to which the ftrong objection is, that, from an eager defire to raife crops of grain upon a fmajl portion of ground every year, and from the want of {kill in doing fo, the produce of the land is diminifhed. Another obftacle is the want of proper capital; without this all bufmefs muft languifh, and why fhould agriculture be thought exempt from the inconveniencies that refult from this want more than any 246 STATISTICAL SURVEY any other buflnefs ? In fmall farms it is more perceiv- able than in large ones; fmall farms are moflly occu- pied by tradefmen, who depend upon their profit in that line to pay their rents, more than on their land, and therefore are feldom poflefTed of money fufficient to meet the neceflary demands, and as feldom of the proper flock and implements required. From a de- ficiency in capital arifes almoft every other deficiency, deficiency in ditching, in draining, in manuring, in crop- ping, in exertion, and even in induftry; for every fa- culty is dulled in every purfuit by the difficulties arif- ing from that eflential want, the want of capital. Want of induftry is not general in this country, but what is induftry, without the means of employing it to advan- tage ? Is it not a perpetual wafte of one of the mofl ufe- ful qualities to fociety ? But how to extricate it from this fituation, and to give it its proper direction, that is the difficulty. Another obftacle to improvement, and a very feriqus one, arifes from the great number of thatched houfes, which, requiring continual repairs, confume the ftraw neceflary for the fupport of cattle, and deprives the land of the manure, that otherwife might be made. In this county it is particularly inex- eufable, as flate quarries have been opened in many parts, and in all have been found to anfwer. The nu- merous ditches, alfo, by which the fmall farms are divided, occafion great lofs of ground. Upon OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 247 Upon the fubjecl: of agricultural legiflation I have only one obfervation to offer, that the fyftem of boun- ties upon the exportation of grain, when under a cer* tain price; of allowing it to be exported, when at a certain price ; and a prohibition of export, with a bounty on import, when above a certain price, feems to have been one of the beft directed meafures ever brought forward ; being equally calculated to fecure a regular price to the farmer, and a conftant fupply to the confumer. The fufpenfion of this act in the year 1 796, under the apprehenfion of ftarving ourfelves, by fupplying England in that year of fcarcity to them, and of plenty to us, gave a (hock to the farmers, that was felt by every individual in the kingdom ; it prevented us from taking the money of England, which we wanted, in exchange for our grain, of which we had more than enough, and obliged her to feck in foreign countries for what fhe could have had at home. Surely the corn laws were in themfelves fufficient to prevent any artificial fcarcity ; for had the ports been open as ufual, the competition would in a fhort time have raifed grain above the exporting price, and would have fe- cured.us a market for what we could fpare. AH new laws of regulation are experiments ; where they fucceed let them remain ; let them have the force of axioms in the political code, until they are found from change of circumfrances to be wrong ; then let them not be fuf- pended but repealed. Agricultural 248 STATISTICAL SURVEY Agricultural police is entirely confined to the felling the different articles brought to market by the farmers, at the public cranes appointed in the different towns. In Belfafl, where is the general vent for every thing of that kind in the northern parts of the county, there are feparate places for the difpofal of grain, &c. and for the fale of pork and butter ; thefe laft are infpecled by perfons appointed for the purpofe, efpecially the latter, which is always tried, and marked according to its quality. Complaints are often made by the farmers of injuftice, which may fometimes be done them, but upon the whole it has improved the butter. CHAPTER OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 249 CHAPTER XVII. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS, THAT HAVE NOT BEEN PARTICULARLY ADVERTED TO IN THE FOREGOING CHAPTERS. SECTION i. * * * Agricultural Society. *40fr^ AN agricultural fociety has been inftituted within this laft year, by fome public fpirited gentlemen; at the head of this fociety was to have been the much la- mented Marquis of Downfhire, a man, from his own, difpofition inclined in every way to promote the public good, and ever ready, both to plan and adopt any plan likely to further that end. This fociety being {till in its infancy, all that can as yet be faid of it is, that it promifes well, and as its fupporters are warm, and its objects judicious, little doubt can be had of its utility and fuccefs. K k SECT. STATISTICAL SURVEY SECT. 2. Weights and Meafures. I THE weights and meafures of this county are tole- rably uniform, though not entirely fo. Grain of all 'kinds, when fold by weight, is weighed by the hun- dred or ton; the hundred weight is eight Hones, of fourteen pounds each } the ton, twenty of thofe hun- dred weights. Oatmeal is fold by the hundred weight of 1 20 pounds, or fix fcore : potatoes by the ftone of fourteen pounds : undrefled flax by the ftone of fixteen pounds : hackled flax fold by the fame : beef and pork, when fold by the hundred weight, have 1 20 pounds ; when in lefler quantfctesr, by the fmgle pound of fixteen ounces : tallow is fold by the ftone of fixteen pounds : hides by the hundred weight of 1 20 pounds. Meafures. All meafures here are regulated by the Winchefter bulhel of thirty-two quarts, which of courfe contains eight gallons. Grain is taxed at the mills by the peck, containing fixteen quarts, or one- half of a Winchefter bufliel. Oats are now the only grain fold in any part of this county by meafure. The different meafures are, in the eaftem parts, an hogfhead, containing twelve Winchefter buftiels ; in the other parts, a bole, containing ten bufliels of the fame mea- fure. A great change has taken place within thefe laft twenty- OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 251 twenty- five years in the mode of felling grain, which previous to that was fold by meafure ; now, except in. fome inftances, it is by weight, and the fame of pota- toes. SECT. 3. Fljberies. THE fisheries on our coafts would be extremely va- luable, were they properly attended to ; boats from Rum (and formerly from Liverpool) come to trawl in Dundrum bay, and carry off great quantities of turbot, fole, plaice, cod, and haddock, whilfl the inhabitants of the more, from want of proper apparatus, get com- paratively few. At Bangor theje is a confiderable fifhery of fole, plaice, bret, a few turbot, and in winter of cod and excellent oyfters. "Herrings have been frequently taken in large quantities in Strangford lake, where it is faid they are to be had the whole year, but with refpeft to fatnefs or flavour they are much infe- rior to thofe taken on the coaft of the main fea ; from what caufe this degeneracy proceeds, whether they go into the lake to fpawn, or whether their food there is of a wqrfe kind, I cannot take upon me to determine ; but the faft is, we would rather give five millings an hundred for thofe taken in the open fea, than three (hillings for thofe caught in the lake." Sometimes her- rings come clofe to our mores, but in general they keep K k 2 farther 2 5 z STATISTICAL SURVEY farther to the eaft, towards the Ifle of Man ; the boats from Newcaftle generally purfue them there ; they are brought to this county for fale, and are difperfed through it by fifti-carriers, who attend upon the beach, and purchafe them from the boats as they arrive. The Ifle of Man herrings are generally very large, flat, and well flavoured. Smelts are taken off Portaferry, and mullet below the Quoile bridge near Down : falmon alfo is caught in the fame river : before the canal was made on the Lagan, numbers of falmon frequented that river, but they were flopped by the locks, and have BOW deferted it. Befides thefe fifh our coafts produce whiting, gurnard, fea trouts, m^ckarel, fkate, lobfters, crabs, fhrimps, prawns, and about the Copland iflands, and on the northern and eaflern coafts, a fmall red codlin, much better tafted than the cod, but which is faid not to take fait fo well : nor muft we forget the Ringhaddy oyfters, nor the more excellent ones of Car- lingford, which in fome degree may be faid to belong to this county ; nor thofe taken near Bangor, equally remarkable for fize and flavour. SECT. 4. Landed Proprietors. MOST of the proprietors in this county are refident ; and almoft all the proprietors are improvers, as muft be vifible to every perfon, who traverfes the country 5 nor OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 253 nor is there, I may venture to fay, any county where the gentlemen are more alive to every thing, in which its welfare is concerned j the good effects of this are perceivable, in their attention to improvements of all kinds, within their more immediate fphere ; in plant- ing, in attending to the ftate of agriculture, and in pro- moting its interefts ; and in general in their care of the roads and bridges, in the adminift ration of juftice, and in providing as far as it is in their power for the good order, comfort, and happinefs of the people. The clergy, with fome exceptions, are alfo refident, and by w their example, and moderation in their demands, con- tribute their (hare to .Ithe fpiritual as well as temporal advantage of their refpective neighbourhoods. The churches are in general neat and well built, though not very large j and almoft all the parishes in the dio- cefs of Dromore have glebes and glebe-houfes ; thole in the diocefs of Down are not fo well provided with glebes, the number being comparatively fmall ; thofe that are built are commodious dwellings. One reafon . of this difference is, the number of lay impropriators in this latter diocefs. SECT. 5. State of Education. ' A VERY particular report was made from this county, on the ftate of education, fome time ago. I muft refer the 754 STATISTICAL SURVEY the reader to what has been publilhed by the Society, at whofe requefl that report was made. SECT. 6. When and by ivhom this County was furveyed, THIS county was furveyed in 1653 by Doclor, af- terwards Sir William Petty. The following account of it is given by Gorges Edward Howard, in his Treatife of the Exchequer and Revenue of Ireland, Vol. II. Appendix, No. 4. The Down furvey, taken in io'53 > ^7 Doclor, afterwards Sir William Petty, being laid down by chain and fcale<> was fo called to diflinguifh it from the Civil Eftimate Surveys, being fur- veys made by the civil power by commiffion, dated 1642, and made by eftimate or repute of the country. The volume of the Down Survey, which contained the barony of Upper Iveagh, was unfortunately burned in 1712, at the time the Council-office and other offices in Eflex-flreet were burned, but fome fragments of the maps of it were preferved, and fome of the furveys, but the latter may be fupplied by the rough book of diftributions. Since that time, I believe, no general fur- vey of the county has been made; but a map was pub- lifhed in 1/67, by Doctor Kennedy, from furveys of the different eftates, furnifhed that ingenious gentleman by the proprietors : the plates of this map are ftill in being; the map is very much efteemed, but it would require OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 255 require to be fupplied with the new roads, made fmce its publication. N. B. A copy of the Down Survey, belonging to Sir W. Petty, was, in its paflage to England, taken by a French privateer, and is now in the Library de Richelieu at Paris ; it has been copied by General Vallancey by order of government; the copy is in the Surveyor-gene- ral's office, and often referred to. SECT. 7. Mills* WATER-MILLS are moil in ufe, but there are alfb feveral wind-mills in this county, for grinding all forts of grain. In general tenants are bound to make their meal at their landlord's mill; and in fome cafes the rights of the miller extend over lands, that are not in the pofleffion of the owner of the mill. The ufual toll paid is the fixteenth, befides the expence of drying; likewife fome little matter to the man, who works the mill, as well as to the perfon, who dries the grain. Con- fiderable improvements have been made in the mode of drying grain, by fubftituting tiled or plated iron kilns, inftead of thofe made with wooden ribs, and covered with ftraw, which take more time and more fuel; many perfons, however, are of opinion, that the oatmeal made after the old manner on ftraw is fweeter, than when the grain is dried on tiles or iron, which certainly de- mand 256 STATISTICAL SURVEY mand conftant turning to prevent fcorching. Win- nowing machines are now frequently introduced into mills, which prevents the troublefome operation of carrying the grain, when fhelled, or freed from its out- fide covering, to be cleaned ' out of the houfe. Very cxtenfive flour-mills have been erefted in different places in this county, the machinery of the beft kind, where every neceffary operation is performed, iri^x- trafting the feveral forts of flour. The regular market thefe mills afford has very much encouraged the growth of wheat in their refpeclive neighbourhoods. Flax- mills are to be met with in every parifh; the firft was erefted in this county about the year 1757, by Mr. Maxwell; the fecond by Mr. Johnfton of Redemon, a (hort time after, who got a premium for it from the JDublin Society. Thefe mills perform all the procefs neceflary towards preparing the flax for the hackler, after it is taken from the grafs; they are thought to be more fevere on the material than the former method of handling it, but they are more expeditious, and cheaper, the price for all fixteen pence per flone of ilxteen pounds. In this country I need fcarcely fpecify the bleach-mills; they, of courfe, follow the linen manu- fafture. There are alfo one or two fulling-mills, moflly employed by thofe, who make coarfe woollens and blankets for domeftic ufe. With refpeft to the tolls paid at mills, it feeras to me that landlord, as well as tenant, might be gainers, by commuting Or THE COUNTY OF DOWN. * 57 commuting this tax for money, at the expiration of the leafes of their refpeftive mills; the landlord, by laying on as much per acre as the rent of the mill produces, would be a gainer of as much as he could let the mill for in addition, whilft the tenant, being at liberty, would get his grain ground as much cheaper, at leaft, as would pay the acreable tax, belides the pleafure of going where he liked; the miller, too, being entirely on his good conduct, would be much more attentive to his. cuftomers. In one inflance this was tried, and an- fwcred perfectly to my own knowledge. SECT. 8. Taxes or CeJJes paid by Tenants. THE taxes paid by tenants are, county and parifh cefTes, window tax, and hearth-money ; the parifh cefs is only for the repairs of the church, clerk, fexton, &c. No poor tax exifts. SECT. 9. Different Acres by which Land is let. i THE different acres by which land is let, are the Irifti, Scotch or Cunningham acre, and the Englifh. The nearefl proportions between the three different meafures are, as near as can be come at in round num- bers, as follow: *. 1 3 Irifh STATISTICAL SURVEY 3 Irifh acres make 4 Scotch, or 5 EnglUh. Irifh Acre. SooicK Acre To make the difference as perceivable as poffible, I have laid them down according to proportion; the dif- ference arifes from the difference of perches or poles in each meafure. SECT. 10. Effefts of Premiums offered by tbf Dublin , . .Society. The premiums offered by the Dublin Society, for the encouragement of planting, have been very little attended to in this county; in general the premium* are OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 259 are better calculated for a country, where farms are of a greater fize than they are here. We have very few nurferies, and thofe of no great extent; our thorn- quicks are moftly brought from diftant counties ; fo are foreft-trees, and both are expofed for fale in the mar- kets in the fpring; this fhews that a fpirit of improve- ment exifts, or there would be no demand. The aft for regiftering trees planted by the tenant may have operated, where large farms are held by wealthy peo- ple, but on the fmall farms it has had little effect. SECT. 1 1. Claufes in Leafes. I KNOW not of any claufes peculiar to the leafes of this county; fome landlords have introduced a claufe to prevent alienation, but without effect; claufes to pre- vent farms from being fubdivided would be much bet- ter: one lately adopted by a gentleman in this county feems likely to anfwer the end. Suppofe the rent agreed upon is a guinea per acre, inflead of making out the leafe on thofe terms, it is made out at two guineas per acrs, with the provifo, that as long as it is held by one perfon, the firft mentioned fum fhall be taken; but as foon as it is divided, the double rent takes place. L 1 2 SECT. 26* STATISTICAL SURVEY SECT. 1 2. Language of the Inhabitants. THE Englifli language is fo general, that every per- ibn fpeaks it; but, notwithftanding, the Irifti language is much ufed in the mountainous parts, which in this, as well as in moft other countries, feem to have been the retreat of the ancient inhabitants. SECT. 13. Ufe of Spirits or Bser. IT feems to be the received opinion, that the inha- bitants are growing daily more ibber, and return from the fairs and markets at earlier hburs than formerly. The high price of fpirits, as well as the increafed civi- lization of the country, have contributed to this happy circurnftance, and for two years the dearnefs of pro- vifions has concurred not a little ; it is to be hoped the fall in the price of both will not bring on again fo per- nicious a habiu Drinking malt liquors is rather gaining ground. SECT. OF THE COUNTY OJ DOWN. 261. SECT. 14. Prices of fame Articles of landed produce. THE price of cattle has been gradually rifing for half a century, as I am well informed by perfons, who have been converfant in the bufmefs for the greateft part of that time; but the mofl rapid rife in their price has been within the laft ten years; fometimes, previous to that period, a cow, that when fat would weigh from three to four hundred pounds weight, was bought in when lean at from three guineas and a half to five guineas, according to her fhape and condition; a cow of that fize would now coft double that fum. Many caufes have combined to produce this effect; the prin- cipal feem tp be, the great demand for beef to fupply the navy and army, and the conftant exportation of live cattle to fupply the Englifh markets; the confe- quence of this has been a greater anxiety to rear N as many calves as poffible, and more attention paid to the breed; another reafon may be added alfo, the increafed prices of hides and tallow; the former were fold this year from forty-five {hillings to fifty {hillings per cwt.; the latter from eight to nine {hillings per ftone of fix- tecn pounds. The rife on butter has alfo contributed to the price of cattle, being doubled within the laft fifteen years. The all STATISTICAL SUftVEY The price of fheep has alfo increafed in proportion; the fmall mountain fheep, from ten to fourteen pounds per quarter, which were fold from eight to ten pounds per fcore lean, are now near itouble that price. Lean hogs are a more fluctuating flock, their price depending upon the price of provifiorts, from the nature of their food. This year, 1801, they are remarkably dear, from two caufes, firft, the fcarcity of the animals, the two fcarce years having operated againft rearing them ; and fecondly, the cheapnefs of food having caufed an unprecedented demand, as well as the high rate of pork for exportation. The rife and fall in the price of grain, from the year 1798 until the prefent year, has been, I believe, for fo fliort a fpace of time, unprecedented j oats and barley in that year fold from five to fix fhillings per hundred weight of eight flone; in 1799 and 1800 they fold for four times that fum; and this year they are nearly as low, efpecially oats, as they were in 1798. Wheat rofe in proportion to other grain, but it has not as yet fallen fo low. In no article of provifion has the fluc- tuation of price been fo great as in potatoes; they arc and have been at one feventh part of the price, at which they were fold fix months ago. There is one advan- tage attending a good crop of potatoes, they muft be fold within the year, as the art of keeping them longer has not yet been, found out; when they are in plenty, ' the OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 263 the poor may bid defiance to the wealthy farmer, or more wealthy monopolift; for the one muft fell, and the other dares not purchafe what he could not hoard; and it is to be feared that, if the benevolent intentions of the London Society were fulfilled, in difcovering a method of preferving potatoes fit for ufe for fome years, it might be productive of more harm than good, by ena- bling the perfons above mentioned alfo to get poffeffioa of this fupply. SECT. 15. Harneffing Oxen. THIS Is done in the ufual manner, by buckling a col- lar on the neck. The ufe of oxen is not general; nor do I believe any accurate trial of their comparative value in tillage has ever been made in this county; they are certainly much flower than horfes, and not fo* well fitted for long journeys on hard roads; they, however, undoubtedly have this advantage, that, whilft they are worked and fed, they are growing more valuable; horfes, on the contrary, are declining. But the length of way our principal manure is drawn, feems an infu- perable objection to the general introduction of oxen, the limeftone quarries lying at fourteen miles diflance from many parts of the county, where it is the only manure, except the dunghill. This journey, which is ufually 264 STATISTICAL SURVEY ufually performed by horfes within the twenty-four hours, would require double the time in oxen, even if their feet could ftand our roads, which, though good, are hard. CONCLUSION. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 265 -. .; ; - :3fit ?T-:?:;-iKi .3,-.. ' {i/wrrri:.} i'lcst o}',ebnst o;f j < D >;; ' 5 Ctedfo drfj Itfotta TiH d t>r I CONCLUSION. abnzfjZlaojwb sd ilura 'Jfe& &WlImrf sdt IN making this Report I have paid every attention, to collect and give a faithful relation of the agriculture of the county of Down, and of the other fubjefts pointed out by the Dublin Society as connected with it, and with the general profperity of the kingdom. I have alfo pointed out what feemed the prinripal obfta- cles to improvement ; but, as I have obferved before, to point out defeats is a much eafier talk, than to find out remedies for them; and our defefts in moft in- ftances are fo clofety interwoven with other circum- ftances, befides the mere want of a proper fyftem, that I muft confefs my inability to prefcribe the means of effectually removing them. For what can be done in the cafe of fmall farmers, manufacturers, who are de- ficient in capital, who occupy fo confiderable a portion of the county, and whofe attention is divided between their trade and their holdings, often to the detriment of both? Nothing lefs than a change in the mode of occu- pation can effeft a remedy in this cafe. To bring about this change, an idea was many years ago thrown M m out j66 STATISTICAL SURVEY out by a Mr. Me. Culley, of collecting the manufac- turing farmers into towns or villages, and letting their lands to real farmers ; but when the length of time re- quired to bring about this change is confidered, the number of perfons that muft co-operate in bringing it about, and the hardfhips that muft be the confequence to many, I fee little hope of effecting a reform upon this principle. But, in reality, fmall farms are no other- wife improper than as they are improperly managed, from not being the fole dependence of the occupier; if then a proper management could be obtained, the evil would ceafe, and to this object every attention fhould be paid by the proprietors of the county, and the Agricultural Society, in holding out every induce- ment towards a more improved culture, particularly in holdings below a certain number of acres ; and, when this fails, for the proprietors to keep it fteadily in view, that the farms of thofe, who are negligent and flothful, fhould, at the expiration of the leafes, be added to thofe of their more fldlful and attentive neighbours. To particularize each gentleman, from whom I have received information, would be to mention every one I have fpoken to on the fubject of this Report, in the courfe of which I fcave taken the liberty tp mention many of their names, as authorities for what is here advanced. OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 267 To General Vallancey I beg leave to return my particular thanks, for his attention in furthering this undertaking by every attention ; had it not been of a public nature, I fhould have fcrupled to trefpafs upon his time, which is fo beneficially devoted to the encou- ragement of every national object. APPENDIX.. . \ -"."'.' v " I"' >i G.vEsi biaurft I Baiter fOt ; APPENDIX. ANTIQUITIES. THE fludy of antiquities being both difficult and delicate, an elaborate difcuffion of that fubjeft cannot be expefted in an undertaking of this kind ; but the Dublin Society having exprefTed their wifh, that men- don fliould be made of fuch ancient monuments as flill exift in this kingdom, in compliance with their defire I fliall take notice of the moft remarkable now in being, which may ferve as a guide to thofe, who having more knowledge in this line than I profefs may be defirous of puming their enquiries to a greater extent. When I confider how many perfons of eminence in the lite- rary world have made this purfuit their particular ob- ject, I might juftly be accufed of prefumption, in at- tempting to fathom a fubjecl: in a great degree new to me, -which has often unfuccefsfully confumed the la- bours of a long life. But to the moft fuperficial ob- ferver it muft be evident, that this country has been pofTefled 270 APPENDIX. poflefled by inhabitants, at different periods, of very different degrees of civilization. Considering things in this light, the antiquities of this county may be divided into three general heads ; firil, thofe compofed of flone, of Pagan origin, and which are accounted the mofl ancient j fecondly, thofe which are to appearance formed of earth, and have at leaft the femblance of fuperior civilization ; thirdly, thofe which were effected by the labours of a people acquainted with the art of building, and which may be divided into monaflic and military. - ^ SECT. I. Thofe compofed of Stone, of Pagan origin^ and .' which arefuppofed to be the moft ancient. OF the firfl, or Pagan antiquities, there are three diflinft kinds ; the ^airn, the circle of rude flone pil- lars, and the cromlech, or altar flone. Two very re- markable cairns, or heaps of rude flones, exifl in this county ; one on the fummit of Slieve Croob mountain, being near eighty yards in circumference at the bottom, and about fifty in circumference at the top; on this platform a number of fmaller cairns are raifed, of dif- ferent heights and dimenfions ; the flones, of which thefe are formed, are of various fizes, but moflly por- table, and of the gritty kind. This is the largefl cairn in the county .j but the other, near the little village of dnnadem, APPENDIX. 271 Annadom, is more curious, from its having been difco- vered, nearly thirty years ago, to contain within its cir- cumference, which is about fixty yards, and towards the bottom, a large frnooth ftone, of a fquare figure, from feven to eight feet over, and fupported by feveral other ftones above three feet and a half high, forming underneath a kind of chamber, in which were found afhes, and a number of bones to appearance human; upon the furface of this large ftone, when the fmaller ftones which were pyramidically arranged were re- moved, a quantity of black afhes were found. The entrance to this chamber was towards the north, and under feveral flat ftones regularly difpofed in front of each other, and extending to the outfide of the cairn : thefe ftones were fome years ago taken away for build- ing. Of the pillar ftones the moft remarkable are thofe ' near Sliddery ford, to the fouth of Dundrum; they confift of ten or twelve ftanding in a circle, the diame- ter of which is about eight or ten yards, and are about three or four feet in height : without digging and clear- ing the earth away nothing accurate could be deter- mined concerning this piece of antiquity, as the foil about it has been often difturbed, and many of the ftones feem to have been difplaced. Another very re- markable ftone ftands on the fummit of a hill neac Saintfield \ it i| about fix feet above the furface, and from its dimensions muft have required confiderablc exertions to place it there, Of 272 APPENDIX. OF the flone altars, or cromlech, there are feveral ; one on the hill called Slieve-na-Grideal, in the barony of Lecale, eleven feet long, eight feet broad, and from a foot to eighteen inches in depth ; it flands upon two fupporters. Another of thcfe monuments is at Sliddery ford above mentioned, and not many yards diflant from the circle of pillar flones ; o!F this I have given a drawing, as being amongft the mofl curious ; it is nearly circular, the diameter from feven to nine feet, the face feven feet in length, and three in thicknefs, but the flone bellying underneath is much deeper ; it is fupported by three flones, one of which has a cavity, that jufl receives the protuberance of the incumbent flone ; on the other two it has not above a few inches dependence. This flone is granite, waterworn ; the great fupporter, of the fame ; the fmaller are fliifl : the weight of it is immenfe; the fupporters in the rere three feet, the front fupporter is three feet fix inches in the lowefl, fix feet in the highefl part. I have alfo given a drawing of another cromlech, which (lands in the townland of Laganeney* and parifti of 'V Drumgoolan, in the bofom of a mountain towards the fouth ; this is a very curious monument, of one granite flag twelve feet long, fhaped like a coffin, and fupported by three pillars of the fame ; two at one end, the fouth- eafl, feven feet fix inches in length by two in thicknefs, a third to the north-weft, four feet fix inches high, ta- pering to a point, on which refls the fmaller end of the covering Stcne <2ltartn the Giants Ring, in the Parish efDrum&e. -v-"-->#* 1 ^ --~^-_ J ^_^\fex g & far in the Town land ' gfAfyarany. Parish c/ entft -srs. cnas -ride. ." APPENDIX. 27$ covering ftone : in the broadeft part this ftone is five feet, and nearly ends in a joint at both extremities. It is difficult to defcribe the effect produced by this great mafs, that from the manner in which it is fupported, and from the fhape of the pillars, has an appearance of lightnefs at once furprifing and pleafmg. There are other remains of the fame defcription in other places, particularly one near Rathfryland, and another between Caftlereagh and Comber ; but it would be unneceffary to dwell upon thefe, as they afford nothing very mate- rially differing from thofe already mentioned ; but the cromlech in the Giant's ring, near the church of Drum- boe, on the fummit of a hill between Lifburn and Bel- faft, deferves particular notice, from the circumftance of its being placed in the centre of one of the moft flu- pendous works of antiquity this country can boaft of. This altar, of which I have alfo given a drawing, differs very much from the reft, confifting of a rude incumbent Hone of feven feet by fix feet and a half, and fupported by ranges of rude pillars, and clofe to it fome fixed {tones ftill remaining of confiderable fize > the fupporters are from two to three and a half feet high, the covering {tone formerly an inclined plane. The indofure, in the centre of which ftands this altar, is circular, one third of a mile in circumference, the rampart which furrounds it, floping on each fide, in- ftead of ending in a point is fufficiently wide for two to ride a-breaft ; the whole is fo proportioned, that -a N n perfon. 274 APPENDIX. perfon (landing near the altar can only fee the inclofure and the flcy ; in that fituation, and alone, he cannot but feel a degree of awe from the idea of total feclufion, which ftrikes upon his mind, and he muft be perfuaded, that at whatfoever period, or by whatfoever denomina- tion of men this work was performed, fuperior judg- ment has been fhewn in the planning of an object, which, fituated as it is, affefts by its fimple greatnefs j and he muft feel a high idea of the influence neceflary in times fo remote, to unite a body of men fufficient to execute it. SECT. 2. Thofe Antiquities , which are to appearance formed of Earth, and have at leaft the femblance of fuperior civilization ,- as Mounts, &c. OF that clafs of antiquities compofed, or to appear- ance' compofed of earth, there is every variety to be found in this county, from the fmalleft rath, not many yards in diameter, to the mount encompafled by its ramparts and ditches, and accompanied by outworks and a covered way ; and in a few inftances thefe mounts have the remains of a caftle on their fummit. The forts or raths are to be found on every range of hills, and are generally within fight of each other ; they nre flat in the middle and furrounded by a fimple ditch ; but of the mounts there are three diiVmft kinds ; firft, thofe APPENDIX. 275 thofe encompafled with one rampart and fofTe, 2. thofe with more than one, and 3. thofe with outworks. The firft clafs like that near Saintfield, and of which I have given a drawing, is the leaft frequent ; the outfide of the rampart is in circumference near two hundred yards, feven in breadth, and the ditch five ; the height in a (loping direction near forty feet. The fecond with more than one inclofure, of which that near Downpa- trick is a juft reprefentation ; this mount takes up a eonfiderable extent, not lefs than three quarters of an Englifh. mile in circumference ; three artificial ramparts furround it, the greateft of which is thirty feet broad. The third kind has generally a fquare fort or redoubt adjoining to the main trench, and fometimes other works, which render them very defenfible, fuch as the mount at Dromore : this mount is fituated at the north- eafl extremity of the town, above the river Lagan, its circumference nearly fix hundred feet, the perpendicular height near fixty feet, the diameter at the fummit fifty- five feet ; the whole furrounded by a rampart and bat- tlement ; the trench, which terminates on a precipice, has two branches embracing a fquare fort of an hundred feet in diameter. From the Lagan to this ancient for- tification is a covered way upon the defcent of the precipice, two hundred and fixty feet in length, feven feet wide, and nine feet deep. All this will more plainly appear by infpecTring the annexed plan, as alfo the remains of a walk towards the fouth, in which di- re&ion are the ruins of a caftle at a fmall diftance. N n 2 Added 276 APPENDIX. Added to thofe mounts already mentioned, are many others of confiderable extent ; that at Donaghadee is a very fine one, another alfo at Dundonald, and the. Fort near Crownbridge, to the eaftward of Newry, the outworks of which very much referable thofe at the mount of Dromore. There are likewife three mounts with the remains of caflles flill exifting on them, namely Caftlereagh, Caftlefcreen, and the mount at Clogh. Whether thefe were formed for the purpofe of building on, or whether the fituation already found invited the building, I fhall not take upon me to deter- mine ; but upon looking over King's MunimentaAntiqua I find, that fome of the moft ancient caflles in England are fituated on fimilar mounts. The fort at Lifnagead, near Scarva, deferves to be particularly mentioned, on account of a very curious outwork, or rather, as it ap- peared, covered way, of great breadth and depth, which runs from it through the garden and demefne of Mr. Reilly to a confiderable diftance, and feems to have been intended as a line of communication between two diftant pofts, probably of -the Danes, who are faid to have penetrated as far to the weft as the city of Ar- magh. The works of this Ipecies, which I have mentioned, form but a very fmall proportion of the number fcat- tered through every part of this county, although they are amongft the moft remarkable for beauty and fize. In feveral of them caves have been found, particularly in a rath, or what is commonly called a DanUh fort, near a rath. APPENDIX. 277 near the church of Seaford. The cave was about thirty yards long, with a Circular apartment on one . fide towards the extremity, and a fquare apartment .on the other a little nearer the entrance, both covered with roofs of ftone. The cave having been deftroyed before I faw it, I could not get the exaft dimenfions ; I heard it was about three or four feet in width, and about four in height. On a flone at the further end was the following infcription, but in what character I could not difcover, as it has been ufed for a trough to pound furze, and b thereby much defaced. A gen- tleman, to whom ,1 ftiewed the infcription, and who had been ufed to look at the Danifh manifefts, brought by the matters of fhips, thought it was in that charac- ter ; but on taking a copy he let me know that the interpreter could not read h. The fort, in which it is fituated, is within fight of v the old Danifh caftle of Clogh. Infcription *\PPENDIX. g . 1 3 I The APPENDIX. 279 ' The ftone, on which this infcrlption is, being of the flaty kind, part of the furface has peeled off, and with it fome of the letters ; it is about two and a half feet in length by nearly one and a half in breadth ; the letters appear as if fcraped with a fharp point, not cut i i.-r i with a chifel. The people, who were employed in throwing up thefe works, muft have been very refpe&able in point of numbers, and thofe who directed them not deficient in ingenuity, and in all probability very much exceeded the fabricators of the pillar ftones, and the cromlech, in both thefe particulars ; in three inftances we find the caftle and the mount in conjunction ; in one only the rude monument of ftone encompafled with works of earth. That the general intention of thefe works was for the purpofe of defence, I think cannot be doubted ; the fmaller probably for collecting the cattle of a con- fined diftrift, in cafe of alarm ; the larger, with the fe- cond rampart and outwork, for a more regular fyftem 'of operations ; but befides this, in fome inftances they ferved as places of burial, from the caves, which have been opened in them, being found to contain human bones, particularly one at Waringftown, which was opened many years ago, and found to contain an urn filled with bones and afhes ; another was opened about forty years ago, on Mr. Muflenden's eftate, about two miles from Lilburn ; a perfon, who faw the bones takea out of a kind of flone coffin or trough, told me that part 280 APPENDIX. part of them had all the appearance of human bones, and fome of them fo fmall that they muft have belonged to an animal not larger than a middle fized dog. The mount, in which thefe bones were found is very curious, being furrounded by a ditch and rampart, with an ad- vanced work to the eaft like that at Dromore, and a regular glacis in the front, containing near an acre of ground : to the fouth there is a fmall river, with a com- munication from the rere of -the mount, which in this place can only be afcended by a winding path, by no means difficult to defend j the whple work muft have been conftrufted by perfons, who were no mean profi- cients in the fcience of defence, previous to the inven- tion of cannon. SECT. 3. Monaftic Antiquities. THAT the county of Down pofTeffed confiderable monaflic eftabliftiments, the numerous ruins of reli- gious buildings fufficiently fhew. Mr. Archdall, in his Monafticon Hibernicum, enumerates thirty-fix places where diftincl foundations of the different orders exifted, befides the abbies, priories, &c. dependant on * the greater eflablifhments, of which the moft ancient is Downpatrick, it having been founded by the tutelar faint of this kingdom in the fifth century, who was tuned there it is fuppofed in the year 493. Some idea may APPENDIX. 281 may be formed of the wealth of this foundation, from its poflefling in the twelfth century forty-feven town- lands, and with them feven churches or parities. The ferry of Straflgford lough, towards Dufferin, the ferry of Carlingford, of the Bann, and all the different fer- ries of his conquefls, were granted to this abbey in the fame century by Sir John de Qourcey, the ferry between Lecale and the Ards alone excepted j the fame Sir John granted alfo every tenth cow, and every tenth animal on all his farms, except thofe in the Ards. la the year 1185 the bodies of St. Patrick, St. Columb, and St. Brigid were difcovered in this abbey, with the following epitaph written over them: Hi tres in Duno, tumulo tumulantur in uno Brigida, Patricias, atque Columba. pius. Thus translated by the author of the HUlory of the County of Down, One tomb three faints contains, one vault below Does Patrick, Brigid, and Columba (hew. Many remains of antiquity have been found amongft the ruins of the abbey, an Agnus Dei, painted glafs, lead, &c. and feveral cells, one floored with painted tiles, and lately, in repairing the old cathedral, an image of St. Patrick in baflb relievo was dug up, about two feet and a half in length, his mitre on his head,, and crofier in his hand; the work rudely but not unflcil- o o fully 282 APPENDIX. fully done. St. Patrick likewife founded the abbey of Saul, where he is faid to have died in his I aoth year ; of this monaftery confiderable ruins are ftill to be feen. St. Patrick alfo founded an abbey at Drumboe. Saint Colman was the founder of an abbey at Dromore, in the fixth century, of regular canons 5 Doftor Burke alfo mentions a monaftery of Francifcans. The moft refpectable foundation after Down, in point of wealth, was Bangor, an abbey of canons re- gular, founded in the year 555, by St. Congall, who was born in Ulfter of noble parentage. This abbey nearly if not fully equalled that of Down; for, in an inquifition held in the reign of James I. it was found that the laft abbot, William O'Dorman, in the 3 ad of Henry VIII. poflefled thirty-one townlands in the Ards and upper Clanebois, alfo the Grange of Earbeg in the county of Antrim, the two Copland iflands, three rec- tories in Antrim, and three in Down, and what feems very curious, the tithes of the ifland of Raghlin or Raghery, likewife a townland in the Ifle of Man. The number of monks belonging to this houfe are faid to have been two or three thoufand ; nine hundred are faid to have been deftroyed by pirates in one day. Part of the- ruins flill exift, and the traces of the foundations {hew it to have been of great extentj the windows were of the ancient Gothic kind. Moville, a monaftery of Auguftin canons, was alfo remarkable for the autiquity of its foundation, as well as APPENDIX. 283 as the richnefs of its endowments ; it was founded in the year 550, by a St. Finian, fon of Ultach, king of Ulfter, and at the diflblution of religious houfes, in the reign of Henry VIII. it appears to have been poflefled of feven townlands, and the fpiritualities of fixteen and a half befides ; thefe were granted by King James I. to Vifcount Claneboys, in fee-farm, for 3/. 3^. 4^. Irifli money. This abbey lay about a mile from Newtown, on the road to Donaghadee; part of the ruins ftill re- main, and the veftiges of confiderable foundations. Gray abbey, on the lough of Strangford, in the ba- rony of Ards, was founded by Africa, daughter of the king of Man, in the year 1192; {he was the wife of John De Courcey ; it was peopled by her with Cifter- tian monks from Cumberland, and here (he took up her laft refidence. In an inquifition taken in the reign of James I. it was found that the laft abbot, in the 32d of Henry VIII. was poflefTed of feven townlands in the vicinity, and three in Lecale. Part of the lands be- longing to this abbey were granted to the Earl of Kil- dare; the ftatue of the foundrefs, much defaced, is ftill to be feen on one fide of the altar; from what remains, we may fuppofe this was a large and fumptuous build- ing; the eaft window is a fine fpecimen of Gothic archi- tecture; on each fide of the altar is a handfome window pf freeftone, neatly carved ; they are now grown over with ivy. All the offices of the monaftery are now in ryinsj only fo much remains of them as ferve to point 002 oiu 284 APPENDIX. out their extent, amidft the trees, fhrubs, &c. with which they are overgrown; part of the eaft end of the great building is fitted up for a church. In the gar- dens of this abbey is a large well, covered with an arch ornamented with fculpture; this well never fails. Inch, or Inifcourcey, oppofite Downpatrick, was founded by Sir John De Courcey, to make his peace with heaven for having deftroyed the abbey of Eryqagh in his wars; he gave it to the monks of the Ciftertian order, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, on the third of June 1 1 80, and endowed it with-all the pofTeffions of the abbey of Erynagh. Part of the church ftill re- maiqs ; at the eaft end are large windows with Gothic arches, in the north and fouth walls two windows, each of two arches, not much inferior to thofe at the eaft. At Newry there was a Ciftertian abbey, founded in honour of the Virgin Mary and St. Patrick by Maurice Me. Laughlin, king of all Ireland, about the middle or latter end of the twelfth century. There was a college alfo, confifting of a warden and vicars choral. Henry VIII. granted them a confirmation of all their poffef- fions in his thirtieth year; the rent four marcs. The epifcopal jurifdidlion, exercifed by the abbot over the lordfhips of Newry and Mourne, is ftill enjoyed by Mr. Needham, defcended from Sir Nicholas Bagnal, to whom this abbey was granted by King Edward VI.; the feal of his court is a mitred abbot in his albe, fitting in a chair fupported by two yew-trees, with this infcrip- tion; APPENDIX. 485 tkm; Sigillum exempts jurifdiftionis de viridi ligno, alias Newry and Mourne. It was a tradition of the natives, that two large yew-trees formerly grew within the precinfts of the abbey, from whence it was called in the Latin of that age, Monajlerium de viridi ligno, and ia Irifh Najur, of the yew trees; and in ancient writings the appellation is for the mod part plurally, viz. the Newries. It is faid that fbme Englifh foldiers, digging a grave in the year 1688, difcovered the flumps of fome trees of very fine wood, of a red colour, which took a fine polifti, in the fouth-eafl part of this abbey. Black abbey, near Ballyhalbert in the Ards, was founded by Sir John De Courcey, for Benedictine monks j he died A. D. 1210. This abbey poflefled three townlands, befides tithes, &c. The priory and its appurtenances were feized by the O'Neils; on their rebellion they were veiled in the crown, and by King James I. granted to James Vifcount Claneboys, who affigned them to the Lord Ardes, but in 1639 tne y were awarded to the fee of Armagh. At Caftle-buy, or John's-town in the Ards, three miles north of Portaferry, near Strangford lough, was founded by Hugh De Lacy, in the twelfth century, a commandery of St. John the Baptift. Nothing now remains of the building but ruins-, foe family of Echlin pofTefs feveral townlands and a manor court, formerly belonging to this commandery. At Comber there was an abbey of Ciflertian monks, founded in the latter end of 386 APPENDIX. \ of the twelfth century; but a more ancient one, of rfc gular canons, was the work of St. Patrick. Newtown alfo had a monaflery of Dominican friars, founded by Walter De Burgh in 1244. The lafl prior voluntarily fur rendered three townlands in his pofleffion to Henry VIII.; thefe were granted by James I. to James Vifcount Claneboys, at the rent of 1 3^. qd. Irifh money. Befides thofe religious houfes above mentioned, there were many others of lefs note ; of fome the fituation is unknown, but moft of them are now replaced by pari(h churches. I fhall give an alphabetical lift of them, as fet down in the Monafticon Hibernicum. Achadhcaoil, near Dundrum, in the barony of Le- cale, founded in the fifth century. Ardicnife, a Francifcan friary; unknown. Breatain, in Lecale; founded in the fujth century. Cluaindaimh, in Iveagh. Domnachmaghin ; founded by St. Patrick, in Mug- dorna, or barony of Mourne. Eanacheite, Annahilt, now a parifti church; founded in the territory of Hibbetach (Lower Iveagh), by St. Molibba, in the eighth century. ArchdalPs returning this as unknown muft have proceeded from the fpel- ling of the name. Erynagh, in Lecale, about a mile and a half fouth of Downpatrick. This was deflroyed by Sir John De Courcey, who built an abbey at Inis, or Inch, in atone- ment, though it had been fortified againft him. Eynes; APPENDIX. 287 .Eynes; fuppofed to have flood near Abbacy, in the barony of Ards. Hollywood; on the bay of Carrickfergus, three miles north-eaftof Belfafl; the origin unknown. In the ifl of James I. Connogher O'Hamle, the laft prior, furren- dered this priory of St. Francis, and five townlands; thefe were granted to James Vifcount Claneboys, for I/. 3/. qd. rent. Kilcholpa, near Down; an abbey founded by St. Patrick, now unknown. Kilclief, at the entrance of Strangford lough; an abbey of regular canons, and the ancient refidejice of the bifhops of Down. An hofpital for lepers was founded here, dedicated to St. Peter. Kilmbiain; founded by St. Fergus, bifhop of Down; now unknown. Kiltonga ; north of Newtown, barony of Ards. Magheralin. St. Colman founded the monaflery of Lin in the eafl of Ulfter. Ruins of conliderable extent have been lately traced there. Neddrum. No ifland of that name; probably die Copeland ifle. Noendrum ; unknown. Slieve Donard. St. Domangart, a difciple of St. Patrick, founded a noble monaflery at the foot of this mountain; his feflival is on the fourth of March, yet the patron day is the twenty-fifth of July, when the Roman Catholics climb the mountain to perform their penance; 288 APPENDIX. penance; probably it was changed to that feafbn, which is more favourable for afcending the mountain. Tamlachta Umhail; near Lough Blifklau (probably Longhbrickland), in Iveagh-, now unknown. See the account of a golden relique found near Loughbrick- land, p. 302. Teghdagobha. This abbey, now unknown, is faid to have been in the barony of Iveagh, on the Bann. Toberglory j founded by Sir John De Courcey, in honour of St. Thomas-, he gave it to the regular canons of the Virgin Mary at Carlifle; he endowed it with lands adjoining to it, and a burghage within the town of Down, likewife with all the tithes of his houfe, and houfe expences and demefnes. Struel Wells, or St. Patricli's,^ deferve a place amongft the ecclefiaftical antiquities of this county; they are four in number, and lie to the eaft of Down- patrick; each well is covered with a vault of ftone, and the water is conveyed from one to the other by fubter- raneous aqueducls. The largeft and moil celebrated of thefe vaults is fixteen feet by eleven, and is more particularly faid to have received St. Patrick's benedic- tion ; in this the people bathe ; there is a chamber for undreflingi the other wells are for warning different parts of the body, the eyes, head, limbs, &c. Thefe vaults feem to be ancient, and near one of them are the ruins of a chapel, dedicated to St. Patrick. Vaft num- bers refort here on mldfummer's eve, and on the Friday before APPENDIX. 289 before Lammas; fome to obtain health, and others tq / perform their enjoined penances. We muft not omit St. Finian's well, near the race-courfe, nor St. Scordin's, in the vicinity of Killough ; this lafl gufhes out of a rock on the fea-fhore, and is never obferved to diminish in the drieft feafons. As the round towers, which are fo frequent in Ire- land, are generally found at no great diflance from the ruins of ecclefiaftical buildings, their place in the anti- quities of this county feems to follow the former fub- jedl of courfe. Until of late, two buildings of this kind were in exiftence, that of Drumboe, and that of Dovvu- patrick ; the firfl is yet (landing ; the latter was pulled down in, the year 1790, to make room for the rebuilding of that part of the old cathedral, next which it flood, and from which it was diflant about forty feet ; the height was fixty-fix feet, the thicknefs of the walls three feet, and the diameter eight feet. When the tower was thrown down, and cleared away 'to the foundation, another foundation was difcovered under it, and run- ning direftly acrofs the fite of the tower, which ap- peared to be a continuation of the church wall, which, at fome period prior to the building of the tower, feemed to have extended confiderably beyond it. This curious circumftance was obferved by feveral gentle- men at the fpring affixes in the above mentioned year. The round tower at Drumboe flands about twenty-four feet north-weft of the ruins of the church ; it is nearly ? P Shirty- APPENDIX. thirty-fix feet in height, forty-feven in circumference, and nine feet in the clear $ the entrance is on the eaft fide, five feet from the ground ; the ftones around the door are parts of a circle, and were taken from a quarry in the neighbourhood, where I faw ftones newly raifed exactly of the fame form. At fome former time very firong fires have been burned within this building, and the infide furface, towards the bottom, has the appearance of vitrification.* It is fuppofed there was formerly a finall fortified town at Drumboe, and that the founda- tion of the wall was ftill to be traced; of late, in la- bouring the fields in the environs, many hearth-ftones and other remains have been dug up. * From Mr. Pennant's View of Hindooftan it is evident, that the original pagodas were fingle towers, like thofe in Ire- land. Vol. II. p. 123. fpeaking of the circars granted to the French, he fays, " All the people of this part of India " are Hindoos, and retain the old religion, with all its fuper- *' ftition : this makes the pagodas here much more numerous '" {han in any other part of the peninfula; their form too is "different, being chiefly buildings of a cylindrical or round * tower fhape, with their tops either pointed or truncated at *' the fummit, and ornamented with fomething eccentrical, ** but frequently with a round ball, ftuck on a fpike: this *' ball feems intended to reprcfent the SUN, an emblem of the deity of the place." And at p. 27, fpeaking of the great pagoda of Chilambaram, the mod celebrated for its fanc- tity of any in India, he fays, " According to Mr. Ives, it " has three precincts, and the towers are in the inner." The tower of Ardmore. t in the county of Waterford, ftill preferves its pointed top. See a view of it in Smith's hiftory of that county. I have caufed the ground floor of many to be opened, and afhes of burnt wood have been found, the remains of the perpetual fire kept burning in the bottom, in fconor of the deity, the SUN.C. V. SECT. APPENDIX. 291 SECT. 4. Military Antiquities. UNLESS we include in this clafs the different Strengths, which are compofed of earth thrown up in various forms, and a few warlike inftruments of an- cient fafhion, that have been found at feveral times and places, we fhall find that there is nothing, which can with propriety be referred to the above-mentioned de- nomination, that is not of undoubted Englifti origin ; and that all the caftles, creeled at different periods, were conflructed by Englifh artifts, fo that they are in no- thing different from thofe, which were built at the fame times in England. The continual change of habitation, and the unfettled flate of property amongft the Irifh, the confequence of their laws and regulations refpecV ing inheritance, prevented that attention to places of permanent refidence, which we find to have been paid by other nations not in a higher degree of civilization j for nothing could be more natural than their negligence in the article of improvements, which muft have been attended with trouble and expenfe, when they had al- mofl a certainty that they fhould not defcend to their heirs. But after Ireland was conquered by the Englifh, and the lands were reftored to any of the original pro- prietors to hold from them, they were granted under p p 2 the 293 APPENDIX. the condition of inheritance in the direct line ; in con- fequence of which fome of them began to provide for their defcendants, by creeling caftles " and fortified houfes, and by attending to fuch improvements as were moft in fafhion at the time they lived. Yet how (lowly this idea operated, may be collected from the fmall number of buildings of flrength creeled by the old Irifli, in comparifon with the Englifli. A flight (ketch of the hiflory of thofe ancient buildings, which are to be found in many parts of this county, will add flrength to this obfervation ; and will (hew, that the three great families of the O'Neil's, Me. Cartanes, and Me. Gennifes, who poflefled nearly the whole of this county, fo far from portioning out their territories like the Engliih, and having places of ftrength creeled upon, them, fcarcely poflefled a ftrong hold for their own refidence. Con O'Neil, who held fo great a portion of Cafllereagh and the Ards, feems to have had no other fortified place than his feat at Caftlereagh, which was fituated on the fummit of a hill of the fame name, in a fort encompafTed three fourths by a deep ditch. Me. Cartane, whofe lauds extended into the barony of Kinelearty, and the fouth part of Caftlereagh, refided at Annadom, nor do I find mention made of any other place immediately belonging to him. The Magennifes indeed are faid to have had Newcaflle, built by Felix (according to the Hiflory of the County of Down) in 1588 ; a houfe alfo at CafUewellan, and a caftle on the hill APPENDIX. 293 hill at Rathfryland. Another and a very fatisfaftory reafon might 1 be adduced for the frequency of the Englifh, caftles, when compared with the Irifh; the former came in as invaders, and confcquently were obliged to fecure themfelves againfl the inhabitants j whilft the latter relying on the fidelity of their coun- trymen thought they had a fufficient fecurity in their numbers and attachment, and probably looked forward to the time they fhould expel them, and take pofleffion of their labours. A note upon the following paflage from page 279 of Lyttleton's Hiftory of Henry II. book V. will in fome degree account for the few buildings creeled by the Irifh chiefs, after the invafions of the Englifh : The caufe of this was a fixed opinion in the Irifti, that walled towns and forts were dangerous to their freedom, and that to them it would always be more advantageous to deftroy than to pofTefs them." The note fays, this opinion prevailed fo long among them, that Con O'Neil, whom king Henry VIII. created Earl of Tyrone, curfed all his pofterity, who fhould .build any houfes, faying " that by building they would but do as the crow doth make her nefl to be beaten out by the hawks." The word boufes here meant houfes of brick or flone, -fuch as the Englifh built in Ireland, which were generally caftles or edifices in walled towns ; whereas the Irifh dwelt in huts, readily raifed or pulled down, like the ancient Britons and Germans, The 294 APPENDIX. The firft military antiquity we meet with to the fouth of this county, is Green caflle, in the barony of Mourne, ftanding upon an inlet of the fea. This is faid to have been a ftrong caftle, fortified by the Burghs, earls of Ulfler, and was remarkable for two marriages celebrated here in 1312, one between Mau- rice Fitzthomas and Catherine, daughter of the Earl of Ulfler, on the fifth of Auguft, and the other between Thomas Fitzjohn and another daughter of the fame carl, on the fixteenth of the fame month. It was de- flroyed by the Irifh in 1343, but afterwards repaired and better fortified. It appears by a record in Ber- mingham tower, of the firft of Henry IV. that Green caftle and Carlingford caftle were governed by one conftable, to fecure a communication between the Englifti pale in the county of Louth, and the Englifli fettlements in Lecale and the northern parts ; and that Stephen Gernon was that year conftable of both caftles, with a falary of twenty pounds for Green Caftle and of five pounds for Carlingford. In 1495 it was thought to be a place of fuch importance to the crown, that no perfon but of Englifh birth was declared capable of being conftable of it. This caftle was a garrifbn in the rebellion of 1641, and helped to reftrain the Irifh in thofe uncultivated parts. The caftle of Narrow- water, built on a rock in the channel of Newry river, is of modern date, having been erected by the Duke of Ormond after the Refto- ration. Newry APPENDIX. 295 Newry was fortified by Sir Nicholas Bagnal, about the year 1578, as appears from a ftone on the outfide of the fteeple of the church, which he built. Shane O'Neil at this time lived at Fedom, about a mile from Newry, fuffering no fubject to travel from Dundalk northward ; but after the fortifying of the former the pafTages of the country were opened. Dundrum caftle is finely fituated on a rock, com- manding a view of the whole bay of that name, the fea to the fouth, a great part of Lecale to the eaft, and of the mountains of Mourne to the fouth and fouth-weft. There are ftill confiderable remains of this caftle, par- ticularly a circular tower, and near it, a little lower, the ruins of an ancient manfion. This caftle is faid to have been built by Sir John de Courcey for the Knights templars, who poffefled it till the year 1313, when that order was abolifhed. It was afterwards granted to the Prior of Down, who held the fame, with a fmall manor adjoining, till the firft fuppreffion of religious houfes : the reverfion of this houfe and manor, with the yearly rent of 61. 13^. 4^. referved out of it, was granted to Gerald earl of Kildare. This caftle, with feven town- lands, was granted to the family of Magennis ; on their forfeiture it became the property of the Earl of Ard- glafs, and afterwards came into the pofleflion of the Lord Vifcount Blundell, in whofe reprefentative, the Marchionefs of Downfhire, it now remains. When this -caftle was in repair, it often proved a good guard to the pafs, 296 APPENDIX. pafs, and as often an offenfive neighbour to the Englifh planted in Lecale, according to the hands that pof- fefled it. In 15 1 7, the Earl of Kildare, then lord-deputy, marched into Lecale and took it by ftorm ; it being gar- rifoned at that time by the Irifh, who had driven out the Englifh fome time before. It was again poflefled and repaired by the Magennifes, and retaken by Lord-deputy Gray, with feven caftles more in Lecale, in 1538. It after- wards got into the hands of Phelim Me. Ever Magennis, who was obliged to yield it to Lord Mountjoy, the fix- teenth of June, 1601. It met with another fate during the.progrefs of the war in 1641, when it was demo- liftied by order of Cromwell, though garrifoned by Proteftants, and has ever fmce been fufFered to run entirely to ruins. Newcaftle, in a village of that name in Upper Iveagh, was built by Felix Magennis, in the memorable year 1588 ; it was very ftrong, and is now converted into a commodious dwelling houfe, fituated on the verge of the fea, which wafhes the foundation of fome of the offices. Ardglafs, though now a fmall village, has the re- mains of confiderable fortifications. King's caftle, Horn caftle, and Coud caftle, are ftilHn part remain- ing -, befides Jordan's caftle, memorable for the defence made there by the valiant owner, Simon Jordan, who held it out three years till he was relieved by Lord Mountjoy, the feventeenth of June, 1601. It is uncer- tain by whom thefe caftles were erected, yet it is pro- bable APPENDIX. 297 bable that Jordan's caflle was erefted by one of that family, whofe arms, a crofs and three horfe {hoes, are fixed in a flone near the top. St. Patrick founded a church at Ardglafs. Another confiderable building, extending on a plat- form near 234 feet, including a flanker at each end, with a battlement breafl high towards the fea, and which the author of the Hiflory of the County of Down thinks was anciently a place where wares were fold, as well as a fortification for flrength, has been converted by Lord Lecale into a molt elegant habita- tion, who has with great judgment and tafle preferved the antique caftellated appearance. The above men- tioned author thinks, that this building was formerly erected to prefer ve the merchants from the infults of the Irifh. Kilclief caflle is fituated on the entrance of the bay of Strangford. This was once the fee-houfe of the bifhops of Down ; it was here that John Celey, bifhop of that fee, publicly lived with Lettice Thombe, a mar- ried woman; for which fcandal, Swain, archbifhop of Armagh, in 1441 ferved him with a monitory procefs in his caflle at Kilclief; and there was a chamber in the caflle called the hawk's chamber, where it was faid the bifhop kept his falconer and his hawks. This tra- dition might have been taken from the figure of a bird refembling a hawk, carved on a flone chimney-piece ia a room on the fecond floor, on which is alfo cut, in Q^ bas 298 APPENDIX. bas relief, a crofs patee. This caftle was a large build- ing, the firft floor vaulted, with two front wings, in one of which was the ftaircafe, in the other a fet of clofets. On the weft fide of the road from Killough to Down- patrick are the caftles of Bright and Screen , the latter remarkable for having been built in a Danifh rath j the caftle of Clough is alfo built in a fimilar one : they are || cow both in riuins. Near Strangford, farther up the ftrait, are two old caftles, one called Walfh's caftle, the other Caftle Audley. This latter, from its bold fituation, commands a view of the lake as far as Newtown. The name of this caftle ftiews, that it was built by one of the Aud- leys, who fettled here under John de Courcey in the infancy of the Englifh government. Portaferry caftle was the ancient feat of the Savages. Confiderable additions were made to this caftle, and finished in 1636. At Arquia was likewife a caftle and dwelling-houfe of another branch of this ancient family, inclofed within a rampart, and {landing boldly over the lake, on a pretty high hill. As this part of the Ards was often the feat of war between the Irifti and this family, whofe eftate it formerly was, and a Confiderable part of it ftill is, we (hall find feveral other caftles in it, of which, befides thofe mentioned, there are three yet re- maining; Quintin Bay caftle, two miles fouth of Porta- ferry j Newcaftle, three miles eaft of the fame place ; and APPENDIX. 299 and Kirkiftown, four miles north-eaft of it. This and Ballygalgot caftle were built after the acceffion of James I. by Rowland Savage of Arquin. In the barony of Caftlereagh are the ruins of that old caftle mentioned above, from whence that barony takes its name; they are fituated on the top of a ridge of hills, in one of thefe forts ufually attributed to the Danes : this fort has a fofie, which encompafTes three- fourths of if, in the midft of the fort flood the caftle, formerly the feat of Con O'Neill. Befides this caftle, there is Kill Hall, near Drumbo, a fquare fortification, four flankers; both belonging to the Marquis of Downfhire. In the barony of DufFerin ftands the caftle of Killi- leagh, at the weftern end of the town of the fame name. The family of Hamiltons, created firft Lords Clane- boys, and fince earls of Clanbraffil, but whofe titles are now extinft, had their refidence in this .caftle, which is now the refidence of Gawen Hamilton, Efq. who with Sir James Stephenfon Blackwood, are the heirs, by the female line, of that noble family. In the barony of Kinalearty, near the village of Aa nadom, ftood the caftle or feat of the Me. Artanes, on an eminence now called Caftle-Hill: the neighbouring church of Loughen-ifland, iituared in a peninfula of a moft romantic lake, is thought to have b<"cn their burial-plaee. 1 TV 3op. APPENDIX. The caftle of Clough, fituated in a Danifh fort, and which I have fpoken of already on that account, has a more antique appearance than any other I have feen ; it has fUll part of a winding ftaircafe exifting, and muft have been folely built for defence, as it was too fmall for the refidence of a family of note ; the building of it is attributed to the Danes; the outworks which fur- round it are very extenfive, extending behind the town to the eaft as far as the gardens of Mr. Moore's houfe; the fituation is excellent for defence, the ground Hoping from it on all fides, and no hill fufficiently near to command it. In Upper Iveagh, on the fummit of a hill near Rath- fryland, are the ruins of an old caftle, one of the feats of the Magennises, lords of Iveagh. This caftle was formerly very large, but moft of it was pulled down by Mr. Hawkins, the firft proteftant proprietor of it, after the rebellion in 1641. Newcaftle has already been mentioned ; to this may be added thofe built by Colonel Monk, afterwards General, and Duke of Albe- jnarle, on the pafles, which feparate this county from Armagh, namely, Scarvagh, Pointz, andTufcan pafles; there are ftill fome remains of thefe fortifications. At Hillfborough, in Lower Iveagh, is a fmall caftle, formerly the gateway to a more extenfive fortification; the room over this is elegantly fitted up in the ancient ftile ; within the walls of a fquare fort, with baftions, is a beautiful green, and a walk round the rampart, which APPENDIX. 301 which overlooks' a fine cultivated country, and from whence there is a view of the noble plantations in the park, which are feen over a fine piece of water, which lies to the eaft of the walk. The family of Downfhire are hereditary conftables of this caftle. SECT. 5. Detached pieces of Antiquity, that have been found in different Placet. BESIDES the antiquities, which are enumerated under the different heads at the beginning of this article, there are many others, which have been accidentally met with in different parts of this county. Some years ago one of thofe beautiful plates of gold, fhaped like a half- moon, was dug up from a bog in the barony of CaftleJ reagh, which is now in the pofTeffion of the Downfhire family, it having been found on their eftate; it is very thin, the gold remarkably fine, without any other or- nament than a narrow waving line cut along the edge; part of it was broken off in taking up ; the colour of the metal is uncommonly fine, and the workmanfhip neat. To the Bifhop of Dromore, who has devoted a great deal of his attention to the ancient hiftory of Ireland, I owe, amongft many other favours, the following in- formation, refpecling a curious golden relique of the ancient monaflic eftablifhment of this county, found in the 3oz APPENDIX. the parifli of Ahaderig, near Loughbrickland, in the ba- rony of Upper Iveagh, within the manor of Dromore (which has many great and uncommon privileges ; for the Bifliop appoints a coroner to his own manor, and may require the King's writs to be executed, not by the fheriff, but by his own officer). This piece of gold appears to have been part of the branch of a golden candleflick, being three very thick gold wires or plates, twifled into a triple cord, fo ftrong as to be able to fupport the nozzle of a fconce .for a candle, with a folid gold cone at the end to go into a focket, &c.; but the part now found is imperfect, and another perhaps larger piece has been left behind, or has been carried off before. Mr. Neilfon, the watchmaker, who firft bought the gold, told Mr. Brufti, his Lordfhip's agent, that a great deal of treafure has from time to time been found there, as gold cups, difties, &c. probably chalices and patens, and other moaaflic or church furniture, of which this piece of a fconce or chandelier was apparently a part. The fame perfon bought fome years before from thence a great quantity of ancient gold, which he after- wards fold in Dublin. This piece was found by a woman, as fhe was pafling through the townland of Drumfallagh, in fome rubbifh, thrown up for the pur- pofe of making room for an addition to a cabbin ; on her return home flic gave it to her hufband, who fold it APPENDIX. 303 it to a watchmaker in Banbridge for fix guineas; from this perfon the Bifhop of Dromore might have eafily recovered it as treafure trove within his manor j but, to encourage the people in future to bring to him whatfoever they fo found, he was content to purchafe it from the watchmaker at double the price he paid for it. In confequence of this difcovery, an enquiry was fet on foot by the Bifhop's defire; from which Dr. Shiel, then vicar-general of Dromore, found, that in the townland of Drumfallagh there had formerly been a monastery of the order of St. Francis ; that after the diflblution of the religious houfes in Ireland there re- mained feveral mendicant friars, who ftill houfed round the ruins of their monaftery, which was fituated about two hundred yards from the old church of Ahaderig, in the fame townland ; the ruins of the church remain until this day, but moft of the ruins of the monaftery, with its choiceft Hones, were removed about an Englifti mile, to the place where the church now ftands. Dr. Shiel found, upon further enquiry from an old man, whofe name was Fegan, and above ninety years of age, that he remembered the walls of this building Handing, to the height of three or four feet, and about ninety feet in length, but that above forty years ago they had been removed to make room for a bleach-green. From this enquiry the fituation of the monaftery of Tamlach Umhail, mentioned by Archdall as unknown, is fully ' - afcertained. 304 APPENDIX. afcertained. In his Monafticon Hibernicum he fays, the monaftery of Tamlach Umhail was near Lough Blifklau, in the barony of Iveagh; his words are; " There was an ancient abbey there, wherein the feafts of the three faints, Naflad, Beoan, and Mellan, who flourifhed about the middle of the feventh century, were obferved on the 26th of October ;" he adds, it is now unknown ;" but in a note he fays, " the lough in ancient times was called Lough Bricreann, or Bri- cirne." From Extracts, ex Afta Sanflorum, per R. P. I. Johan. Colganum, page 271, in notis, the fituation of this religious houfe is pointed out, as appears from part of note i. "Saint Mellanus de Tamlachta, who is wor- fhipped, with the Saints Beoan and Naflad, in the church of Tamlachta Umhail, near the lake Bricreann. inUlfter (Ultonia), 26th Odlober;" and in note 19, p. 90, this Tamlachta Umhail is faid to be in the country of Iveagh in Ulfler (Ivechia in Ultonia), near the lake Bricreann (juxta lacum Bricreanum) : now the name of Loughbrickland is properly Lough breac Ian,* or of the fpeckled trouts, and it lies in Iveagh in Ulfler. Befides, Dr. Shiel found the old name of this abbey to be Tamlachta Umhail ; and it alfo appeared, that an annual fefHval of the three faints had kept up the tra- dition * BreaC) in the Irifti language, fignifies both a trout, and ipeckled ; it is the participle of the verb breacam, to checquer ; and Ian fignifies either the fcale of a filh, or fulncfs. Shaw's Celtic Dictionary. - APPENDIX. 305 dition to the prefent times; all which proves, that the Tamlachta Umhail, mentioned by Archdall as un- known, muft have been the abbey, in the precinfts of which this golden branch was found. A number of detached pieces of antiquity are likewife in the Biftiop of Dromore's pofleflion ; amongft thefe is a boat, or canoe, found in a bog not far from the fee-houfe of Dromore ; this canoe is of an oak tree, the length about thirteen feet, the breadth in the middle near three feet, with a ledge around, of the fame plank, which ferves as a gunwale. His Lordfhip has alfo two (tone hatchets, fuch as were ufed before metals were found out; likewife feveral heads of fpears of brafs, of different fizes and forms. Urns of various kinds have been found, feme of them neatly worked and ornamented, others of ruder formation. Two of the former kind, found in the .parifh of Garvaghy about two years ago, are thus de fcribed by the Rev. Thomas Beatty, who faw them j they were difcovered on removing the Hones of a cairn in the townland of Balliely : " Thefe urns were made of a yellowifti clay, handfomely finifhed, and orna- mented with feftoons wrought in the clay around the centre ; they were in a perfect ftate of prefervation, one about twelve inches in diameter, and the other about half that fize ; they were each nearly half full of the afhes of the dead ; they were found placed on fmooth flags, defended on all fides by perpendicular R r ftones. 306 APPENDIX. ftones, and a large one on the top. As the workmen wrought but a fmall way into the cairn, it is probable there are many urns contained in it yet." And I am informed by Mr. James Black of Dromaragh, that on the removal of two very large upright ftones, which lay in the line of a road, the workmen, who were cm- ployed, broke an urn with their pickaxes before they were aware. Thefe ftones were fo large, and fo diffi- cult to break, the idea was at firft to go round them : we may therefore judge of the difficulty there was in placing them above the urns. An earthen lamp of curious form was fome years ago dug up near Moira, at a confiderable depth ; the figures upon it were more remarkable for their inde- cency than their elegance. At Dundonald very confiderable ruins have been found, 1 20 feet by forty ; and alfo at Seafin, in the pa- rifh of Drumgooland ; probably fome of the monafte- ries mentioned as unknown. Many other curious re- mains are met with in different places, but it would be foreign to the purpofe of this Report to enlarge on the fubjeft, however interefting it might be to purfue it farther. SECT. APPENDIX. $07 SECT. 6. Some particulars of the State of the County cf Down in the Tears 1635 and 1657. SOME particulars refpecYmg the flate of this country in 1635, extracted from a manufcript journal of an Englifh gentleman, who travelled from his own houfe at Handford in Cheftiire, June 12, 1635, and made a circuit through Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland, into Scotland, through Edinburgh, Glafgow, Air, Port Patrick, thence to Ireland through Carrickfergus, Bel- faft, Liiburn, Dromore, Newry, Dundalk, &c. to Dublin. The writer feems to have been a gentleman of the Egerton family, rather leaning to puritanifm, but very attentive to the flate of agriculture in the coun- tries he pafled through, and to other fimilar objecls. This manufcript belongs to General Vallancey, the an- tiquarian, who bought it at an auftion, January 1791. This extraft I owe to the attention of the Biftiop of Dromore. On July the fifth he landed at Carrickfergus, which he defcribes, and particularly Lord Chichefter's ver) ftately houfe there, or rather like a pr'mcefs pallace; from Carrickfergus to Belfafl you ride all upon the lock (lough) fide, itt is a moft bare way, and deep in winter and wet weather, though itt is hard and drje. This R r 2 town JoS APPENDIX. town of Carrickfergus is governed by a maior, Jheriffe, and aldermen, endowed with great pr'wiledgeS) and is the (hire town. At Belfaft my Lord Chichefter hath another dainty {lately pallace y which is indeed the gloryc and beauty of that town alfo, where he is moft refi- dent, and is now building another brick wall before his gates ; this is not fo vail and large as the other, but more convenient and commodious j the very end of the lock toucheth upon his garden and backfide ; there are alfo daintie orchards, gardens, and walks planted. Neere hereunto Mr. Arthur Hill (fon and heir of Sir Moyfes Hill) hath a brave plantation,* which he holds by leafe, and which has flill forty years to come ; the land is my Lord Chichefter's, and the leafe was made for fixty years to Sir Moyfes Hill by the old Lord Chi- chefter. This plantation, it is faid, doth yield him i ooo/. per annum. Many Lancafhire and Chefhire men are here planted ; they fit upon a rack rent, and pay five or fix fhillings an acre for good ploughing land, which now is clothed with excellent good come. From Belfaft to Linfley (Lifna) Garvin, is about feven miles, and is a paradife in comparifon of every past of Scotland. Linfley Garvin is well feated, but neither the town or country thereabouts well planted, being almoft all woods and moorUh, until you come to Drom- ; this town belongs to my Lord Conoiua^ who * Plantation means an eftate planted with people. hath .APPENDIX. 309 hath there a good hainfome houfe, but far fhort of both my Lord Chichefter's houfes ; and this houfe is feated .upon a hill, upon the fide whereof is planted a gardea and orchard, and at the bottom of the hill runneth a pleafant river (the Lagan), which abounds with falmon ; though the land hereabouts be the pooreft and bar- reneft I have yet feen, yet may it be made good land with labour and chardge. From Linfley Garvin to Drommoare is about feven miles ; here we lodged at Mr. Haven's houfe, which is directly oppofite to the Bifhop of Drommoare his houfe, which is a little tim- ber houfe of no great ftate nor receipt (reception). His chaplain's name is Leigh, born in Manchefter. This is a very dear houfe ; %d. ordinary for ourfelves, 6d. for our fervants, and we were overcharged in beere. This town as itt is the feate of the bifhop of thisy^jr, fo he is lord of itty and itt doth wholly belong unto him. Id this diocefs, as Mr. Leigh his chaplain reported, is the worft part of the kingdome, and the pooreft land and ground, yet the belt church livings bee : there are no impropriations. July 7th. Wee left Dromoare and went to the Newrif, which is fixteen miles ; this is a moft difficult way for a ftranger to find out ; herein wee wandered, and being loft fell amongft the Irifh townes. The Irifh houfes are the pooreft cabins I have feen ; erected in the middle of the fields and grounds, which they farm and rent. This is a wild countrie, tiott inhabited, planted, nor incloled, 3io APPENDIX. inclofed, yett itt would bee come if itt was hufbanded. I gave an Irilhman to bring us into the way a groate, who led us like a villain direftly out of the way, and foe left us ; foe as by this deviation it was 3 houre before we came to the Newrie. Much land there is about this to-wne^ belonging to Mr. Bagnall, nothing well planted. Hee hath a caftle in this toiune^ but is for the moft part refident att Green caftle ; a great part of this toivne is his, and /'// is reported he hath iooo/. or 15007. per annum in this countrie. This is but a poor towne, and is much Irifh} and is navigable for boates to come up unto with the tide. Here wee bailed at a good inn, thejigne of the Princefs arms ; hence to Dundalke is eight mile ; ftonye, craggye, hilly, and uneven, but a way itt is nothing difficult to find. The following extracts from the Down furvey, made in the year 1657, and likewife furnimed to me by the Biftiop of Dromore, will fhew from the flate of fome of the beft parts of this county, that in the twenty-two years fubfequent to the writing of the above journal, things had changed for the worfe ; bad as they are reprefented to have been by the writer of it. Magkarally* There are no obfervable buildings in this parilh, only an old ruined church at Magharally. Magkeralin. APPENDIX. 311 Magberalin. The quality of the foile thereof is generally arable, meadow, and pafture, intermixt with unprofitable mof- fes and boggy grounds, whereon groive many large timber trees, but moft of them are decaying with age. There are no buildings thereon, only moveable creaghts.* Dromore. There's noe buildings in this parifh ; only Dromore, it being a market town, hath fome old thatched houfes and a ruined church (landing in it ; what other buildings there are in this parifh are nothing but removeable creaghts. $ECT. 7. The Antiquity of the Linen MamtfaEiure. DR. LELAND, in his preliminary obfervations to the hiftory of Ireland, affords a {hiking proof of the anti- * Creaghts were houfes framed with flrong wattles, which were removed from one place to another, as fuited the conve- niency of the owner. The wattles were fet up and covered with mud and ftraw, or rufhes, qulty 3* z APPENDIX. quity of the linen manufacture in this kingdom ; his words are, " Irifh writers minutely defcribe the ancient drefs of their country, the veft, the trowfe, the mantle, the enormous linen flieves dyed with faffron," &c. And in a picture of the famous Earl of Tyrone, drawn in Spain after his banifhment, which picture is in the pof- feifion of the Earl of Leicefter, one of his galloglafTes is reprefented as attending on him, exactly in the drefs above mentioned. SECT. 8. Some Notice refpeEting the natural Hiftory t ancient as well as modern^ of this County. Foffil Horns. The author of the Hiftory of the County of Down, who has furnifhed fo much valuable information, has wholly omitted thofe gigantic horns and bones of the deer kind, which are found in this as well as in other counties of Ireland, generally in marie pits. It has been the opinion of many naturalifts, that no fpecies of animal is fo utterly extinct as to be entirely loft to the world ; yet I believe it may be aflerted, that there is an example in Ireland, which forms an exception to this opinion ; for there is not in any part of the known world a fpecies of the deer kind, capable of fupporting horns equal in magnitude to thofe fo frequently met with in many parts of this ifland ; nor is there amongft us the leafl record, nor any APPENDIX. 313 any manner of tradition, that even makes mention of the name; therefore whatfoever difcoveries are made of this creature, can only be from the parts of it dug up by accident, and preferved in the earth fo many ages from corruption, by lying deep and clofe under ground; whilft fo many bodies of a nature more dura- ble moulder away and perifh, by being expofed to the various changes of the air and injuries of the weather. Thefe quadrupeds muft have been numerous ; as their remains are found in every part of the kingdom, and in fome places feveral of their heads clofe together. What an idea does this fuggeft of the fertility of a country equal to the fupport of a gramenivorous animal of fo ftupendous a iize? Amongft the many exuviae of this kind, that have been found in this county, the moft remarkable are thofe horns and bones dug up in a marie pit near Dromore, jn Auguft 1783 v they are now in the Bifhop's pofleffion : the dimenfions are, of the head and horns meafured from tip to tip, following the curve, fourteen feet fix inches, from tip to tip in a right line, ten feet three inches, the entire horn feven feet three inches, the other, of which the point was broken, fix feet nine inches, round the root of the horn fixteen inches : the bones of this {lately creature were of fuitable magnitude ; the head in length, beginning at the vertebras, twenty-three inches in breadth, at the eyes eleven inches ; moft of the vertebras were found along with the horns, alfo the thigh bones, the fhoulder s s blades 314 APPENDIX. blades, and many other parts. The bones of a horfe fixteen hands high, which Jie befide them, are well cal- culated to imprefs the beholder with aftonifliment at the comparative inferiority of the latter. The palmated brow antlers of thefe foflil horns, I am informed, dif- tinguifh them from the horns of every kind of deer now known, except from the rein-deer of the North of Europe. The fir-trees, that are fo often found under the turf-bogs, form another curious article in the an- cient department (if I may ufe the expreifion) of the natural hiftory of this kingdom, as there is not any fpecies of that tree now indigenous ; from the texture of the bark, which is coarfe and rough, the kind feems to have been the Scotch fir, the boletus ignarius. Aga- ric, or touch-wood, is found in many bogs in this county, and in confiderable quantities, but growing I have never met with it ; pieces of the bark of the trees, on which they have grown, are fometimes found ad- hering to them, by which it can be afcertaine^j that oak and birch afforded their fupport. The pearls found in the rivers Lagan, and in the Bann, muft not efcape our obfervation ; they are ob- tained from mufcles bred in thefe rivers, in fhape and colour like fea mufcles, but of a larger fize. The fifh of this mufcle cuts' like an pyfter, is of a dark green colour, and foon corrupts -, being infipid, it is feldom eaten The (hells are fattened by two cartilages near the ends, differing in this particular from the oyfter, &c. APPENDIX. 315 &c. which have only one in the middle. The common method of fifhing for thefe mufcles, was by wading into the water in fummer, and thrufting flicks into the opening of the (hells to take them up ; this, however, could only be done in fhallow water, whereas the large/I fifti, and the greateft number, were found in deep jinooth water. This bufmefs now is nearly given up, nor are the pearls found of fufficient value to tempt people, for the chance of finding them, from their more regular and more profitable occupations. The pearls found were generally of a muddy colour, and fome- tjmes full of fpecks, which very much diminifhed their value. Pearls have been found in the county of Tyrone, of confiderable price, fo early as the latter end/ of the feventeenth century, as appears by a letter of Sir Robert Reading to the Royal Society in Oftober 1688. One of thefe, bought from a miller for four pounds ten Shillings, was afterwards fold for forty pounds to Lady Glerawly, who refufed eighty pounds for it from the old Dutchefs of Ormond. The introduction of frogs into this county, from whence they have fpread ki fuch numbers through the reft of the kingdom, though in itfelf a fubjeft of no importance, muft form a curious and interefling object in the eyes of a naturalift. That they are not indi- genous, and that they firft made their appearance near Moira, in the weftern parts of this county, can be proved beyond contradiction ; but by whom they were $ s 2 firfl; 3 1 6 APPENDIX. firft imported is not fo certain. I was allured by an old gentleman of the greateft veracity, who died fome ye"ars ago above the age of eighty, that the firft frogs he ever faw were in a well near the above mentioned town, from whence he brought fome of them to Wa- ring's-town, where, until that time, they had never been feen ; the quicknefs, with which they multiplied, and the rapidity, with which they fpread, are furprifing, efpecially the latter, in a creature not very well adapted, at leaft in appearance, either to move with celerity or with perfeverance ; and there are many (lories ftill current of the terror and furprife excited by the view of this difgufling though innocent animal, which feems formed to be the prey of every voracious creature, cither by land or water, within whofe reach it comes. Amongft the rare birds, which fometimes make their appearance in this country, is the Cornifli chough, which has been met with on the fhore near Killough ; likewife that beautiful, moft folitary, and fhy bird, the kingfifher : its feathers are of the moft lively colours ; the head of a dark green, intermixed with azure fpots ; the back, wings, and rump of a more vivid green ; the breaft, belly, fides, and feathers under the wings are red, or inclining to red in the laft mentioned parts. Their habits lead them to retired glens, through which flows generally fome limpid ftream, from whence they draw their fupport j their food being fifli of the fmalleft kinds. The APPENDIX. 317 The bittern, ardea flellaris, is fometimes met with in the marmes on the fea-coaft. Ouzels of different fpe- cies (merula\ are feen on the mountains of Mourne ; eagles alfo are frequent there. The crofs-bill (loxia) has often been obferved at Waring's-town, where otoe of thefe birds was fhot a few winters ago. The birds of pafTage, which make their appearance in fpring, are the fwallow, the cuckoo, the rail or corncrake, the quail, befides fome others not fo generally noticed. Thofe, which appear at the commencement of winter, are the woodcock, the fieldfare, barnacles, and wid- geon ; thefe two come in aftonifhing numbers, and take up their winter abode in the lough of Strangford, and in Carrickfergus bay, where they ftay until they are invited by the change of feafon to return to the northern climes, from whence they came ; thefe birds are much more regular in their time of coming than in their leaving this country, feldom being later in coming than the latter end of Auguft, but often remaining until May, though -they fometimes depart fo early as April. Of quadrupeds the only one, I have feen deferving to be mentioned for its rarity, was the marten, of the weafel kind, as high as a fox, but much longer ; it was killed feveral years ago at Moira ; the fkin was fluffed, and kept a confiderable time at Montalto ; it was of a brownifti colour, with the under part of its neck and belly 3i 8 APPENDIX. belly white, refembling the common weafel in every thing, except in the (uperiority of its fize. Since writing the feftion on foffils, I am informed that the quarries, opened near Moira, of dark blue (tone in contaft with the limeftone, are bafalt ; and that a quarry, opened in the demefne of Dromore houfe, being infpected by a gentleman of great inge- nuity and experience in natural hiftory, has been de* clared to be of the fame fpecies j and that on taking away fand at Bangor for manure, turf- bog was found under it, on the ftiore near the bridge ; and on boring near Belfaft, a bed of mufcles was found, nearly an hundred feet under the furface. SECT. 9. Of raiftng White-thorn Hedges from Cuttings , both of Branches and Roots. JM&- HERON, watchmaker in Li(burn, (hewed me a hedge of fome years growth, one part of which, . con- lifting of feveral perches in length, was planted with cuttings of white-thorn, when the other was planted with quicks j the part planted with cuttings was in every way equal to that planted with quicks -, the cut- tings a part of the (hoots of two years. Mr. Heron practifed this mode in the Ards feveral years ago. Another way of raifing quicks is by fcattering the roots, cut from quicks about to be planted, on a bed of APPENDIX. 3*9 of frefh dug earth, and covering them out of a (light trench on each fide ; in this fituation they will throw out flems, equal to thofe raifed from haws ; one pre- caution, however, is neceflary in taking them up, to loofen the ground left they break, as the ftem is at an angle with the root. This information I owe to the Rev. Holt Waring. / *?*p V UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 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