Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/848

* IRELAND. 7: acres and up as follows: Farms in the group 30 to 50 acres increased in number 1064; 50 to 100 acres, 1!»75; 100 to 200 acres. 837; 200 to 500 acres, 15; and the number in the group above 500 increased 10!). The three remaining groups decreased as follows: The 1 to 5 acre group de- creased 4917 in number; the group 5 to 15 acres, 9264; and the group 30 to 50 decreased 2203. With regard to the change from tillage to ■>-2 IRELAND. The number of milch cows ilecreased both rela- tively and absolutely during this period, the nuniiH-r in 11>01 being 1,482,48.J. or 31.7 l>er cent, of the total numl>cr of cattle. In the last years of the nineteenth wnturj-. however, the number of milch cows showed a tendency to in- crease. The short-horned variety of cattle pre- dominates. The following table shows the num- ber of the different varieties of domestic animah for the vears 18S1 and 1000: Horses Mules Asses Cattle Sheep Pigs Goata 1 Poultry 1>%M1 .>48.374 566.978 26.392 ,30.678 187.143 242,247 3.9.56..595 4.0OS.55O 3.2.Vi.l8.T 4,386,876 1 .1)95.8.30 1,268.521 266.078 306,078 13.972.426 1900 . 18.547.307 pasturage since the famine, the decrease was greatest for cereals. This acreage was 2,832,564 in 1855, and only 1,317,574 in 1901. The de- crease in the root crops was also large, the total acreage being 1.444.390 in 1855. against 1.079,- 443 in 1901. The meadow crops increased dur- ing the same jx-riod from 1.314.807 to 2.178.592 acres. The following table shows in more de- tail the changes which took place in the period 1855 to 1901: A peculiarity of stock-raising in Ireland, espe- cially cattle-raising, is that a large proportion of tiie animals marketed each year is not pre- pared for the market in Ireland, but is shipped to Great Britain for that purpose. Ireland i» not excelled in the production of the grade of horses of the h.unter type, this ty]x.' l>eing raised mainly in the country south of the Boyne River. Heavy cart-horses are raised principally along the eastern .seaboard from Wexford to Londim- TEAR Oats (acres) Meadow Wheat ' Barley Flax (acres) i (acres) j (acres) [ (acres) Potatoes (acres) Turnips (acres) Mansel- wuriel Total and beet („„,, root (acres) 1855 2.118.858 1.314.807 445.775 226.629 97.075 982.301 780.801 635.321 —35.3 366.9.53 22..V57 5.574.965 1890 1901 Rate per cent, increase or de- crease 1.221.013 1.099.335 —48.1 2.093.634 92.341 182.058 96..S96 2.178.592 42.934 161.534 55.442 ■f65.7 1 —90.4 1 —28.7 ^ —42.9 ^ 295.386 289.759 -21.0 46.4.57 [4.808..VW 77,457 |4.M0,374 + 243.2 —18.5 It will be seen that the largest actual decrease was shown by oats, but the largest per cent, decrease was in wheat, the growing of the latter crop having become altogether unimportant. The continued decrease in the cereal crops in the last third of the nineteenth centurj- is attributed to the fall ill price of those commodities resulting from foreign competition, together with the su- perior adaptability of Irish soil for pasturage. Cereal production is carried on in all the prov- inces, but oats are most important in I'lster. and the raising of barley is largely centred in Lein- ster. Potatoes still constitute the most impor- tant food staple grown in Ireland; the average acreage, however, has fallen off nearly one-third since 1850. In 1901 the area under crops, including clover, siinfoin. and grasses for hay. amounted to 3.069.789 acres, the area under grass, including temporary pasture and hay mown on perma- nent pasture. 12.138.500 acres: under small fruit and fallow. 10.SS6 acres; under woods and plantations. 309.741 acres; umler bog waste, barren mountain, water, and marsh, 4,804.428 acres. Stock-R.visixg. The increased importance of stock-raising in the last half of the nineteenth century is shown from the fact that the number of cattle per 1000 acres of the total area in- creased from 143 in 1851 to 230 in 1901. while the nuir.ber of sbeep per 1000 acres increased from 102 1o 215. and the number of hogs in- creased from 52 to 00 during the same period. The large number of cattle is particularly note- worthy, there lieinj; in Ireland more head, area for area, than in anj* other European country. (lerry. On the western seaboard, especially in (ialway and Mayo, ponies are the predominating breed. The raising of horses for general purposes is more widely distributed, with Ulster in the lead. It will be seen from the above table that the rapidly growing poultry industry has at- tained large proportions. A significant develop- ment latterly has been the growth in agricultural co(ii)eratioii. There was one co.i|)crative society in 1890: in 1901 there were 187 dairy and agri- cultural societies with 81 auxiliaries; 106 agri- cultural societies; 102 coiiperative banks; 29 poultry societies; 46 mi-*cellaneous societies; and 2 federations — making a total of 5.53 societies, having an aggregate membership of 51.000. Ulster leads in the movement; Leinster falls furthest l)ehind. M.Mi"ACTVRE.s. The manufacturing indus- tries are of comparatively little importance. The adverse conditions imposed upon them in former centuries by the British Government hampered their development, anil the absence of local coal resources and the general non-prosi)erous condi- tion of the social life of the country have lim- ited its development in recent years. The history of the manufacturing industries, however, is a record of long and desperately continued strug- gle, and is not without its periods of success. In scope the industries have been largely confined to the textile* — wool, linen, and silk. Prior to the time of Charles II. manufactures of Irish woolens were well known in many colonial and foreign markets. But the navigation acts in the reigns of Charles I. and 11. cut Ireland off from the British market, while those of William III. severed Ireland from all foreign markets. The