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TYR
demesne of Baronscourt are three, in one of which is an
artificial islet, clothed with timber, called M c Hugh’s
island, from a chieftain of that name who constructed
it and erected a fortress on it. Not far from Barons-
court is Lough Creevy; Lough Frae or Fry is in
Lissan parish: there are others, small but interesting
for their scenery, near Pomeroy, Donoughmore, Fair-
lough, and Dunamanagh; the border of one in the
demesne of Pomeroy presents an exact miniature re-
semblance of the outline of Ireland.
The climate is very variable: the prevalence of
western winds occasions a constant humidity of the at-
mosphere, which is a frequent cause of rheumatism and
paralysis; but the county is improving greatly in this
respect; disease is much more uncommon than it was
formerly, and those who are well fed and clothed are as
free from sickness here as the similar class in any other
part of the country. In the mountain districts to the
north, the soil is cold and shallow, seldom exceeding
six inches in depth: in some parts the subsoil is a
tenacious clay, rendering the surface wet and spongy;
in others it is a compact bog, equally tenacious of
moisture, and therefore equally injurious by retaining
the surface water; yet even amidst these elevated cold
and moory districts in the north and west, some spots
of excellent land appear, well cultivated and highly
productive. At Strabane the lands are of a dry and
fertile description, and also in a high state of cultiva-
tion; near Urney are some meadow lands of the richest
quality. The eastern parts are a deep alluvial soil
based upon limestone, adequate also to produce excel-
lent crops. The vale of the Blackwater is exceedingly
picturesque and also of the greatest fertility.
Agriculture has made rapid advances of late years,
particularly in the eastern districts, where crops of
every kind are raised of the best quality. The culture
of wheat is universal, except in the mountainous parts:
the farmers are peculiarly skilful in the management of
flax and potatoes. The lands in the more fertile dis-
tricts are much subdivided, the general size of farms
varying from 5 to 50 acres: the fields are judiciously
laid out; the fences generally of white thorn, except in
the hilly country, where they are mostly of dry stone,
sometimes 8 feet broad at the bottom, very carelessly
built and much neglected: where stones are scarce,
walls built of sods, and often topped with furze, are
used. Draining and irrigation form part of the general
system in many parts, but the water is not good for
irrigation. The improvements in the agricultural imple-
ments and carriages have kept pace with those in tillage.
Spade cultivation is not so prevalent here as in the hilly
districts of other counties. An implement called a
“skroghoge,” for cutting scraws or sods, is peculiar to
this part of the country: it is in the form of a large
spade, with a blade of ten inches both in length and
breadth, and a handle about four feet and a half long.
The sods used in the covering of houses, to lay be-
tween the wattles and the thatch, are cut with it
about two feet broad and from an inch to two inches
thick; the length is determined by that of the slope of
the roof: when cut, they are rolled upon a stick like a
roll of parchment, and thus carried to the place on
which they are to be laid. The mode formerly general
here of allowing land to rest for a few years, to recover
itself naturally, without the assistance of clover or hay-
667
TYR
seeds, prevented the pastures from being of a rich qua-
lity, but it is no longer practised except by the poorest
class of farmers. A pernicious custom exists in many
parts of turning the cattle into the potato grounds
before the stalks are withered, thus checking the
growth of the bulb and injuring the land. Red and
white clover are the most common kind of artificial
grasses. The native cattle are mostly reared on the
mountains; they are of various colours and shapes, but
generally small, as heavy stock could not subsist on the
scanty vegetation produced there, being principally
heath and a coarse kind of sedge grass which springs
up immediately after burning the heath, a common
practice in many parts. In no other county in Ireland
has there been a greater improvement in the breed of
cattle than in the low country of Tyrone. Some of the
best description in England and Scotland have been
brought over. The numerous crosses thus produced
have occasioned a great variety of stock, which, how-
ever, appears necessary to suit the various soils. In
the valley of the Blackwater and some other similar dis-
tricts, the Durham breed thrives remarkably well, and
in many parts a judicious cross with the Kerry cow has
been introduced to great advantage. Though there are
few extensive dairy farms, butter is made in large quan-
tities, and some cheese: the butter is usually salted
and made up in firkins for the Scotch market. The
native horse, though ill-shaped, is hardy and well suited
to agricultural purposes: a superior description, for
the road or field sports, is brought in from other
counties: the great mart for the purchase of good
horses is the fair of Moy; yet some very fine horses
are now reared in the county from British sires. The
native sheep are small and ill-shaped, and very inferior
both as to fleece and carcass: these are confined to the
mountainous districts; in the fertile parts the breed is
good; but, strictly speaking, Tyrone is not a sheep-
feeding county. The vicinity of Strabane is the only
part in which pigs are kept in great numbers; and
little improvement has taken place in this kind of
stock.
The county exhibits some very striking geological
features. The red sandstone formation embraces a con-
siderable portion of its southern and eastern parts, while
the greatest part of the north and west belongs to the
clay-slate formation. In both districts there are con-
siderable exceptions. The clay-slate is intersected by a
vein of micaceous limestone, which first appears in the
bed of the river Poe; thence passing near Newtown-
Stewart and crossing the Munterlowney mountains, it ter-
minates near the village of Dunamanagh, in the northern
extremity of the county. Detached portions of lime-
stone, similar to that of the great central field of Ireland,
are to be met with in many parts: white limestone, con-
taining numerous nodules of flint, similar to that of
Antrim, is found near Coagh. Near Cookstown is a
species dissimilar to all the others, and containing a
great variety of organic remains: the vein extends
southwards to Stewartstown and is disposed in strata
varying from five inches to four feet in thickness. But
the most remarkable geological feature of the county is its
coal formation, in which, though the field is of small ex-
tent as compared with those in the south and west, it
surpasses them in the thickness of the seams and quality
of the mineral. The district around this coal field con-
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