xis in Armagh continues from Newry to Slieve Croob,
furnishing an excellent building stone. South of it, the Eocene
granite of the Mournes forms a group of rocky summits, set with scarps
and tors, and divided by noble valleys, which are not yet choked by
the detritus of these comparatively youthful mountains. Basalt dykes
abound, being well seen along the coast south of Newcastle. At the
head of Strangford Lough, the basalt, possibly as intrusive sheets,
has protected Triassic sandstone, which is quarried at Scrabo Hill. A
strip of marine Permian occurs on the shore at Holywood. The
north-west of the county includes, at Moira, a part of the great
basaltic plateaux, with Chalk and Trias protected by them. The
haematite of dehomet near Banbridge is well spoken of. Topaz and
aquamarine occur in hollows in the granite of the Mournes. The Mourne
granite is quarried above Annalong, and an ornamental dolerite is
worked at Rosstrevor.

_Industries._--The predominating soil is a loam of little depth, in most
places intermixed with considerable quantities of stones of various
sizes, but differing materially in character according to the nature of
the subsoil. Clay is mostly confined to the eastern coast, and to the
northern parts of Castlereagh. Of sandy soil the quantity is small; it
occurs chiefly near Dundrum. Moor grounds are mostly confined to the
skirts of the mountains. Bogs, though frequent, are scarcely sufficient
to furnish a supply of fuel to the population. Agriculture is in a
fairly satisfactory condition. The bulk of the labouring population is
orderly and industrious, and dwell in circumstances contrasting well
with those of others of their class in some other parts of Ireland.
Tillage land declines somewhat in favour of pasture land. Oats, potatoes
and turnips are the principal crops; flax, formerly important, is almost
neglected. The breed of horses is an object of much attention, and some
of the best racers in Ireland have been bred in this county. The native
breed of sheep, a small hardy race, is confined to the mountains. The
various other kinds of sheep have been much improved by judicious
crosses from the best breeds. Pigs are reared in great numbers, chiefly
for the Belfast market, where the large exportation occasions a constant
demand for them. Poultry farming is a growing industry. The fisheries,
of less value than formerly, are centred at Donaghadee, Newcastle,
Strangford and