THE HARVEST IN IRELAND.
[To ma Roma or Tax “Sescrasoa."] Sns,—Whatever other evidence of prosperity in Ireland you may be able to bring forward, it is certainly a mistake to calculate on an abundant harvest. These district reports, such as you quote- from the Times, do not count for much. The Irish Farmer's. Gazette of Saturday lest contains a number of reports from nearly all the principal grain-growing districts, which, in per- centages, are as follows :—
Wheat. Barley. Oats. Potatoes.
Over average
... 311 ...
4.1 ... 51 ...
31.0 Average ......
481 ... 30.6 ... 16'0 ... 351 Under average ... 32-2 ... 65 3 ... 78.9 83 9
100 ... 100 ... 100 ... 100
The hay-crop proved one of the lightest ever gathered, and there- has not been more than half the tonal quantity of feed on the pastures. Turnips have failed to a great extent, and flax is a very short crop. Thus the Irish, like the English harvest, is a very poor one, except for wheat (only very little grown in Ireland), potatoes, and mangolds. Indeed, as Ireland is more of a pastoral country than England is, the effects of the drought were even more serious in the former than in the latter country. The yield of milk, and therefore the production of butter, was greatly reduced, and lean cattle are not in nearly as good condition as usual, in consequence of the shortness of feed. They are, too, very cheap,—abont half the values of three or four years ago_ On the whole, the year 1887 will rank as one of the worst agricultural years in Ireland since the Famine.—I am, Sir, &e.,
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