Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 14.djvu/86

 74 K I L K I L lected on the mountain Dr Hooker found only a few of those European forms which are known to exist in the Cameroons and the Abyssinian mountains. From the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro descend a great many streams the Weri-Wari, the Ran, the Ganu, &c. which, uniting with the Jipe from Lake Jipe, ultimately form the Eufu or Pangani, an important river reaching the Indian Ocean about 5 30 S. lat. The hilly country round the southern skirts is occupied by the Jaggas or Chaggas, who cultivate maize, millet, and pulse, and keep cattle. Their chief villages are Kilema and Moche. See .R. Thornton (tlie geologist of Von der Decken s party) in Proc. of Roy. Geotj. Soc., 1861-62; Krapf, Travels in East Africa, 1800; New, Life. . in East Africa, 1873; Hooker in Journal of Linnean Society, 1875; and for further literature, Petermann s Mittheilungen, 1866. pp. 75-76. KILKENNY, an inland county of Ireland, in the province of Leinster, is situated between 52 14 and 52 52 N. lat., and between 6 56 and 7 38 W. long. It is bounded on the N. by Queen s county, E. by Carlow and Wexford, S. by Waterford, and W. by &quot;VVaterford and Tipperary. Its greatest length from north to south is about 45 miles, and its greatest breadth from east to west about 25 miles. The area is 507,254 acres, or about 793 square miles. The greater part of Kilkenny is a continuation forming the south-eastern extremity of the Carboniferous Limestone plain of Ireland, but in the south-east this is bounded partly by the Cambro-Silurian rocks which run into the county from Wexford, and partly by a continuation of the granite mountains of Wicklow and Carlow, and it is inter rupted in the north by an extensive hilly region forming part of the Castlecomer coal-field, which extends also into Queen s county and Tipperary. The field lies in the form of a broad basin, and rests on flagstone and black shale. The coal is anthracite, and the most productive portions of the bed are in the centre of the basin at Castlecomer. Besides a large number of fossil plants, crustaceans of a rare species and also several peculiar reptilian remains have been found in the measures. The field is believed to contain nearly 80,000,000 tons of workable coal, and at present the annual yield is about 80,000 tons, the annual yield of Ireland being only about 130,000 tons. On the granite the limestone has the form of a bedded dolomite, and this is also principally the form of the central division to the north-west of Kilkenny. In other places the limestones are bluish or black, the latter being the best quality for burning, and are often associated with shales of a consider able thickness. Cherty beds frequently occur between the limestone and the Coal-measures. Hematitic iron of a rich quality is found in the Cambro-Silurian rocks at several places. Tradition has it that silver shields were made about 850 B.C. at Argetros or Silverwood on the Nore, and at Ballygunnion there were very ancient mines associated with the lead. The shelly black marble obtained near the town of Kilkenny has gained wide fame, and is used for tomb stones, chimney-pieces, and picture frames. Manganese is obtained in some of the limestone quarries, and also near the Barrow. Marl is abundant in various districts. Pipeclay and potter s clay are found, and also yellow ochre. Copper occurs near Knocktopher. Rivers. The principal rivers, the Suir, the Barrow, and the Nore, have all their origin in the SHeve Bloom mountains, and after a widely divergent course southwards discharge their waters into Waterford Harbour. The Suir forms the boundary of the county with Waterford, and is navigable for sloops to Carrick. The Nore, which is navigable to Innistioge, enters the county at its north western boundary, and flows by Kilkenny to the Barrow, 9 miles above Ross, having received in its course the King s river at Jerpoint and the Argula near Innistioge. The Barrow, which is navigable beyond the limits of Kilkenny into Kildare, forms the eastern boundary of the county from near New Bridge. There are no lakes of any extent, but turloughs are occasionally formed by the bursting up of underground streams. Climate and Agriculture. On account of the slope of the country and the nature of the soil, the surface occupied by bog or wet land is very small, and the air is dry and very salubrious. So temperate is it in winter that the myrtle and arbutus grow in the open air. There is less rain than at Dublin, and vegetation is earlier than in the adjacent counties. Along the banks of the Suir, Nore, and Barrow a very rich soil has been formed by alluvial deposits. Above the Coal-measures in the northern part of the county there is a moorish tract devoted chiefly to pasturage. The soil above the limestone is for the most part a deep and rich loam admirably adapted for the growth of wheat. The heath-covered hills afford honey with a flavour of peculiar excellence. The following table gives a classification of holdings according to size in 1850 and in 1880, as contained in the agricultural returns: 1 Acre. 1 and under 5. 5 and under 15. 15 and under 30. 30 and upwards. Total. 1850 1880 1,932 1,7-34 3,583 1,816 4.109 2,508 3,802 2,662 5,206 5,325 18,632 14,045 The total area under crops in 1881 was 159,304 acres, a percentage of 31 4 of the whole acreage of the country. In 1880, 293,252 acres, a percentage of 57 - 8, were under grass, 2196 fallow, 10,799 wood, 10,746 bog, 13,515 mountain, and 21,661 water, roads, and fences. The area under crops in 1850 was 195,923. The area under cereals declined from 112,220 acres in 1850 to 65,232 in 1881, wheat de creasing from 47,343 acres to 11,843, and oats from 52,236 to 35,878. while in other cereals, of which the chief is barley, there has been an increase from 12,641 acres to 17,511. Between 1851 and 1880 the area under grass increased by 40,530 acres. Almost nothing has been done to improve the pasturage of the hilly districts, which are still largely covered with heath. The area under meadow and clover, which includes a large portion of rich soil on the banks of the Nore and Suir, increased from 42,482 acres in 1850 to 62,079 in 1881. Green crops diminished in area from 41,189 acres in 1850 to 31,993 in 1881, potatoes from 26,321 acres to 18,269, and turnips from 11,613 to 9929. Horses since 1850 declined from 17,161 to 16,933. The number in 1881 used for agricultural purposes was 11,606. Mules since 1850 have increased from 087 to 1054, and asses from 3355 to 5345. Cattle in 1850 numbered 72,998, and in 1881 had increased to 120,594. Cows numbered 37,695, or about a third of the total number of cattle, dairy-farming being largely follower!, especially in the hilly districts to the south. The most common species of cattle is a cross between tlie old Irish breed and the longhom, but Kerry cows are considerably in demand for dairies. For winter-feeding pounded furze tops are frequently used, but in many cases the cattle graze outside in winter. Sheep, the breed of which has been much improved by crossing, increased from 40,450 in 1850 to 85,393 in 1881. Pigs have declined in numbers from 45,763 to 39,777, while goats have increased from 5958 to 6376, and poultry from 197,955 to 410,524. According to the corrected summary of owners of land, 1878, the land in 1873, exclusive of the county of the city of Kilkenny, was divided among 1150 proprietors, of whom 827 possessed less than 1 acre. The annual rateable valuation is stated in the return of 1876 as 340,696, giving an average value of 13s. 9d. per acre. There were forty-seven owners who possessed upwards of 2000 acres, twelve who possessed upwards of 5000 acres, and six upwards of 10,000 acres, viz., Viscount Clifden, 35,288 ; Earl of Bessborough, 23,967 ; Charles Wandesforde, 22,232; Col. W. F. Tighe, 11,970 ; Marquis of Ormonde, 11,960 ; and Viscount Mountgarret, 11,919. Manufactures. The linen manufacture introduced into the county in the 17th century by the duke of Ormonde to supersede the woollen manufacture gradually became extinct, and the woollen manufacture now carried on is also very small. There are, however, breweries, distilleries, tanneries, and flour-mills, as well as marbL- polishing works. Railways. The county is intersected from north to south by the Maryborough and Waterford line, which is joined near Kilkenny by the South-Eastern Railway from Carlow. The Great Southern and Western Railway skirts the south-western boundary of the county. Administration. The county comprises 10 baronies, 124 civil parishes and 15 parts of parishes, and 1601 town-lands. The county of the city contains one parish and four parts of parishes. There are three poor-law unions wholly within the county, viz., Castlecomer, Kilkenny, and Thomastown, and portions of five, viz., Callan, Carrick-on-Suir, New Ross, Urlingford, and Waterford. The county includes the parliamentary borough of Kilkenny, part of that of New Ross, and the township of Callan. There are in the county and city sixteen petty sessions districts. Assizes are heldat Kilkenny, and quarter sessions at Kilkenny, Pilltown, Urlingford, Castlecomer,