Abstract
IN the science of nature there is no chapter more interesting than that which treats of Physical Geography, which, properly understood, means the account of physical phenomena as they are modified by geographical position; and at the present moment the physical geography of Green Erin, or it speculiarities of soil and climate, presents a theme of no slight importance. It has been stated in the House of Commons as a proof of the retrograde condition of Ireland, that its production of cereals has of late years diminished, while its pasture lands have increased. To this it ought to have been answered that the decreased cultivation of cereals, and of wheat in particular, was a proof of improved knowledge. Years ago, at the meeting of the British Association, in Cork, a communication was read, pointing out that agriculturists in general are governed wholly by example, their scanty science not allowing them to quit the beaten path. Hence Irish farmers, when they aim at improvement, endeavour to imitate the farming of Norfolk or the Lothians, and in so doing fail miserably, owing to the wide difference between the climates of the western isle and of the eastern side of Great Britain. It is commonly stated that Ireland has a very wet climate. It has undoubtedly a humid atmosphere, owing, perhaps, in some measure, to a great extent of undrained surface. But the total quantity of rain that falls in Ireland, little, if at all, exceeds the rainfall of England. In its distribution through the year, however, it differs much from the latter. The vicinity of the Atlantic gives Ireland in the highest degree an oceanic and, to some extent, an equatorial climate. Winter in the Green Isle is extremely mild. The southern and western coasts, though seldom free from wind and drizzling rain, never experience severe cold. Vegetation remains, in mid-winter brilliantly green and undepressed. As spring advances, everything seems to flourish; crops of all kinds promise abundance, and already, in May, harvest seems to be close at hand. But now the scene changes. There is little or no dry summer. When the sun is highest in the meridian, there is a constantly clouded sky and no sunshine. Rain begins to fall in June. The rainfall of July is the heaviest in the year. In August the rain begins to abate; but clear skies and bright sunshine cannot be reckoned on till September, when the shortened days and the sun's declination have much reduced the solar heat. The crops in the meantime, arrested in their progress, are not the better for two months' slumbering under the clouds They have summer rain in excess, and too little sunshine. From this it will be seen that the character of the Irish climate is, that under it everything grows well, but that the process of ripening is painfully slow and uncertain. Now, to cultivators of the cereals the success of this process is of the utmost importance. The corn harvest in Ireland falls late in the year, in September and October, when the days are short and nocturnal frosts not unfrequent. The plains of Southern Russia, or of the Red River in Canada, with a comparatively rigorous climate, far excel Ireland as wheat-producing countries, because their short summer is one of uninterrupted fierce sunshine; their vegetation suffers no check; the grain is ripened all at once, and the harvest gathered without delay or difficulty. The deficiency of ripening power in the Irish climate produces a secondary defect, which meets with less attention than it deserves. The grain which lingers on the stem two or three months before it hardens is sure to be unequally ripened; some of it is immature, while more is tending to decay. Consequently, it is bad seed, and the Irish farmer habitually sows perhaps six or eight times as much as Mr. Mechi would deem requisite. Under these circumstances, it is evident that the Irish farmer ought to cultivate cereals no further than is requisite for the economy of his farm, and to look to other productions for his profit. Fortunately, there is a husbandry for the pursuit of which he enjoys peculiar advantages. In green crops no country can compete with Ireland, where, nevertheless, they are still little known or esteemed by the multitude. From this it may be inferred that sheep and cattle ought to be the chief objects of Irish husbandry. In truth, the Green Isle, under proper management, could easily supply England with beef, mutton, poultry, milk, and butter, and grow rich by giving abundance at a cheap rate to her neighbours. But then this could be effected only under a system of large farms. The grazier and cattle dealer, to make their business profitable, must do it on a large scale. Butter of the best quality cannot come from a small dairy. The improvement of Ireland, therefore, as dictated by climate and natural capability, can be effected only under a system of large farms. The popular wish, however, is for small holdings. It is thought that the country, when divided into potato gardens and all covered with cottages, will be a paradise. But this poor man's paradise, beginning with a few years of felicity, will assuredly lead to the pauperism of ages. The Legislature cannot countenance schemes opposed to the wholesome development of society, and which would make poverty an institution; neither can it prevent their diffusion; but it may counteract them by spreading enlightenment and by presenting plain truths to the common sense of the community. This might be done by the publication of some statistics, showing the relative amount of cost and production of wheat and of green crops in England and Ireland, with some illustrations of the gain derivable from large farms and the use of machinery.
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C., W. The Climate of Ireland . Nature 1, 630–631 (1870). https://doi.org/10.1038/001630a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/001630a0