Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/844

IRELAND. rso IRELAND. plain, is the most extensive of these wet, barren regions. Climate. The most potent factor in deter- mining the elimute of Ireland is the Atlantic Ocean. The provailinj; weslerly winds blowing over the broad expanse of water are tempered by the inlluence of its comparatively warm sur- face, so thai the mean winter temperature of Ireland is 20° to 30° F.. liigher than that of places on the same parallels of latitude in America and in Western Kussia. The inlluence of the equable sea climate is also very pro- nounced in summer, the mean summer tempera- ture of Ireland being from 5° to 10° F. lower than that of Eastern Prussia. Ireland lias the greatest advantages, both as to tcm|Knature and rainfall, that an insular climate alfords. It also has the disadvantages, as, for example, the unpleasant damp winds that sweep in from the ocean, and the fog and mist that hang around the Hanks of the hills. The large average rain- fall clothes Ireland with the vivid garb of green that has made it known as "the Emerald Isle.' The largest rainfall is in the hilly and moun- tainous districts bordering the island on the west, south, .-uid east sides. The drier region is the central plain. The averages for the wet- ter districts were 43.50 inches in 1870 and 30.30 inches in 1S!>0; the averages for the drier cen- tral plain were 34.39 inches in 1879 and 34.07 inches in 1890. .Soils. The fertility of Irish soils has long been recognized. About half of the island is formed of limestone, whose soils are proverbially rich. The red marls, calcareous grits, slate, and igneous rocks have also contributed fertilizing elements. The fact that the former glacial con- ditions transported the rocks of many localities and mixed them with those of others has. as in England, been very beneficial to the agricultural interests. Thus limestone detritus from the central plain was spread over hundreds of thou- sands of acres outside of it. contributing ele- ments of fertility which the local rocks did not possess. In some regions the soil is naturally poor, and in ninny others bad tillage or over- cropping has reduced fertility. Bog and barren mountain lands cover about one-fifth of the total area. Flora. The Irish flora consists largely of English migrants, and England in turn derived most of her flora from the neighboring continent. The sedges, rushes, and ferns arc most abundant in the wetter west. Grass is by far the largest product of the soil in every county of Ireland. The pastoral lanijs (permanent grass) include about four-fifths, and the arable lands (cereal, root, and fibre crops, and hay under rotation) one-fifth of all lands utilized for agricultural and stock-raising purposes. The forests lehiefiy oak and beech in the lower grounds, and birch and pines in the higher regions) cover only a very small part of the area. Fauna. The fauna differs in no marked de- gree from that of England or France, and is largely a thing of the past. The great Irish deer and the garefowl (q.v.) were exterminat- ed in prehistoric times; and since civilization began Ireland has lost its bear, wolf, wildcat, beaver, native cattle, and other species of mam- mals and birds. Nothing remains except the small rodents of the woods and fields, and such small birds as belong to the fields, gardens, and seashore. The popular saying that there are no snakes in Ireland is true; but there are none in Scotland, and only two species in England. Jjtritish standard works on natural history cover Ireland, but it has had also a special treatise of high repute in Thompson, aliiral History of Ireland (London, 1849-51). Geology. The central plain of Ireland is underlaid by limestone strata belonging to the basal portion of the Carboniferous .system. I'piier Carboniferous rocks, including the coal measures, were originally developed on an ex- tensive scale, but they have lM>en removed by ero- sion, and are now found in only a few localities. The highlands bordering and jiarlially inclosing the central plain have a more varied character. In the northwest — in Donegal. IX'rry, JIayo, and tlic District of Conncmara — the mountain axis consists of crvslalline rocks, which give way on the Hanks to upturned Paleozoic sediments. This ..-tnictural i>c is repealed in the southeast, in the highlands of Leinster. The northern coun- ties are floored largi-ly by .Silurian rocks, al- though there are small areas where the Permian, Cretaceous, and Triassic formatioivs outcrop. The Giant's Causeway (q.v.) and the hold clilfs of the northern coast owe their character to basalt intrusions. In the southwestern high- lands the Old Red Sandstone appears along the central ridges which are the axes of anticlinal folds, while the synclinal folds consist of Car- boniferous limestone. Mixing. Irish coal resources are insignificant compared with those of Great Britain — a fact which has placed Ireland at a serious industrial disadvantage. During the last years of the nineteenth century about 24 mines were in opera- tion, employing 1000 persons and yielding about 125,000 ton's annually. The greater jiart of the output of coal is of the anthracite variety. The iron-ore resources are more considerable, but in the absence of coal have not been extensively exploited. The anniml output during the la.st years of the nineteenth century was about 100,- 000 tons, almost the whole of which was mined in County .Antrim. The mining of copper, which was of some importance for many years, has almost ceased. In 1900 the aggregate value of all minerals was £239,740. Fisheries. The fishing industry, stimulated by a system of bounties and the necessity of drawing upon the resources of the country in consequence of the growth of population, was very active about the beginning of the nineteenth eenturj'. In 1829 there were 04.771 men en- gaged in the industry; but the cessation of the bounties in that year caused a decline. Still more disastrous was the result of the famine period (1840), due to the blight and failure of the potato crop, and only in recent years has there been a revival in the industry. Deep- sea and coast fishing employed 0500 ves.sels and 20.073 men in 1000. as against 0458 ves.sels and 24..528 men in 1881. The total annual value of the catch, including shell-fish, fluctuates about £300.000. Salmon-fishing is extensively pur- sued along the rivers and the coasts, employing from 12.000 to 13.000 men and yielding an annual product of about £300.000." The had- dock fisheries are carried on in the region to the east of the Leinster coast, hake fisheries on the southern coast, and mackerel on the west coast. The revival of the fishing industry