66

horses, and thus giving about 23 acres of tilled land to each horse. A farm of 175 acres, near Kilmarnock, all clayish loam, with the exception of about 25 acres light land, worked mostly on a 9-year rotation, and having about 80 acres annually under tillage, or rather less, requires 5 work horses, giving about 16 acres of tiled land to each. Another of 110 acres, mostly strong land, worked on a 10-year rotation, and having about 40 acres annually under tillage, keeps constantly 3 work horses, and thus giving only 13 acres to each. An inland farm of 80 acres wrought under the "Fairlie rotation," with consequently about 20 acres under tillage annually, cannot do with less than a pair of work horses, which of course gives only 10 acres of tilled land to cach. On the class of farms last mentioned, indeed, the horses stand great part of their time idle in the stable, eating their heads off;" although many of the small farmers find occasional employment for them in carting coals, wood, road-metal, &c. Excepting the few young ones reared, horses are seldom or never seen grazing on the fields during summer. As a whole, the work horses are of an excellent kind, strong and active; although, probably, Ayrshire is still somewhat behind her neighbours on the north and north-east--the head-quarters of the Clydesdale breed-in respect of first-class studs. Rearing of horses for sale is now followed by only a very few, chiefly in Beith and Kilbirnie districts, although very many still bring up a foal occasionally to renew their stock. In the tract of country lying to the south-east of Ayrshire, from Dumfries westwards by Castle-Douglas, Kircudbright, &c., rearing of horses as a branch of farm business is made much more of, and these are mostly bought up by Glasgow and Ayrshire "coupers," who again. expose them for sale at the various west country fairs, and some of them doubtless finding their way ultimately to the east coast. A weekly market for the sale of fat cattle and sheep, as well as for Ayrshire stock generally, and also sales by auction in "auction marts," are held every Tuesday throughout the year at Ayr; but most of the feeders either dispose of their fat stock privately, or else by public auction at their homesteads, on a fixed day duly advertised. Sample graiu-markets are held in the Corn Exchange at Ayr every Tuesday, and in the Corn Exchange at Kilmarnock every Friday, besides smaller sample markets, but regularly weekly, on other days of the week, at Girvan, Irvine, and Saltcoats. There are no fewer than 73 regularly recurring annual fairs throughout the year, for general business, and the sale of Ayrshire cattle of all ages, horses, sheep, pigs, &c., distributed amongst 27 of the various Ayrshire towns and villages. The principal of these for Ayrshire cattle are frequently attended by purchasers from England and Ireland, and occasionally also from America, and the Continent. Some

of them are also "feeing fairs" for men and women servants. Farm-servants of all classes are paid their wages mostly entirely in money, and more so of late years, and rather less in amount generally at present than some 10 to 15 years back. Steady married ploughmen receive about £21 per annum, free cottage with a" kail-yard" attached generally, about 5 loads of oatmeal, and one or two other small perquisites. Good unmarried ploughmen receive from £17 to £18 per year, with bed and board. Many of the larger farmers in the Kilmarnock district are now paying their ploughmen, married and unmarried, simply at the rate of 12s. per week throughout the year, and 20s. as a harvest present. Extra men hands as needed are fee'd for the hairst, at wages of from 14s. to 15s. per week with bed and board. Women days-wagers, for ordinary farm work and for hay time and harvest, are plentiful, receiving for the former from 10d. to 1s. per day, and during the latter seasons from 20d. to 2s., without victuals. Dairy women, to take full charge, from £11 to £13 yearly, with board; second-class and assistant girls from £6 to £10 or so, according to age and qualifications.

Immorality, as shewn by illegitimate children, has no connection with the science or business of farming. Country servants in that respect are no worse-probably not so bad, if the whole truth was got at-than their compeers or other folks in towns. The greater or less proportion of illegitimates arises, neither from kitchens, nor cottages, nor bothies, but from the good or bad state of morals prevailing. The per centage of illegitimacy in Ayrshire is 1 per. cent. under the average for Scotland-viz., 90 (of which the larger proportion must be placed to the manufacturing and mining population), whilst the neighbouring shire of Wigtown-with neither manufactures nor mines-has the highest per centage in Scotland-viz. 190; and yet the kitchen and cottage systems of housing and boarding male and female country servants prevails in both counties exactly alike-with this difference, that the masters and mistresses in Ayrshire look sharper after the outgoings and incomings of their young men and maidens, and associate more with them, setting them good example as well as frequently giving them good advice; whereas, in Galloway, from the higher style of living adopted by the larger class of farmers there, the masters and mistresses seldom see their servants out of or after work-hours-far less associate with them, and the latter being thus very much left to the freedom of their own wills, and no lack of opportunity, the consequences in due time appear in the 19 per cent. as above! A healthy religious element has for long existed within the class of small farmers, and of farm servants generally, in Ayrshire, and long may it continue.

With regard to the Law of Hypothec, as to which Ayrshire

has become so notorious of late, it seems to the writer that the total or partial abrogation of that law would affect our farmers very little, if any at all. The rise in rents, however, cannot be much laid to the law of hypothec, but is due almost entirely to strong competition amongst the farmers for more land, often more than they have funds properly to manage, either for themselves or their sons, and to a pretty numerous class always cropping-out amongst the "bowers" and upper farm-servants, ambitious of possessing small farms. Such desire on the part of these is commendable enough. To talk of them being "men of straw" is simply incorrect. Men of straw! Honest and independent men they are, of the true Burns stamp: men of bone and muscle, and practical knowledge, as much required on the small farms as great amount of lying capital. What great capital does it take to enter into a clay farm of from 80 to 100 acres, with only some 20 acres of it in all under the plough? Although the milch cows may be rather few the first year, the grass is all that the more productive of milk, and the cows soon multiply and replenish. Farms taken between 1850 and 1860, are doubtless too high-rented,-much higher comparatively in Ayrshire than in other western shires, and by much too high for profitable investment in tillage-farming, or even in grass-farming, unless seasons become greatly warmer,-but who is to blame?—just the farmers themselves, both larger and smaller; and rents will soon again adjust to their proper level, for these few years back have damped the rage for land very considerably Some of the landlords, to their credit be it said, were not very exacting during the late cycle of bad years, Eglinton and Ballochmyle returning 10 per cent. of the rent once or twice, whilst Auchinleck and Sorncastle gave 10 per cent. of a drawback in lime. From a pretty long experience of both, the writer would as much credit the smaller inland farmers of Ayrshire with goods, as the more extensive ones nearer the sea; but, the former indeed, as a class, neither want nor ask for credit, as what few seeds, manures, implements, &c., they require, are generally paid cash. Talk of the effect of repealing the law of hypothec being to drive these from their farms! Nonsense. They can hardly be more fore-rented than they are presently. Getting possession of the ploughable land about or after Martinmas, and entering fully to the houses and grass at Whitsunday, they pay their first half-year's rent at Martinmas following, which is as much as they have yet drawn from the cows, and the small amount of grain-crop they cannot-without loss both on grain and fodder -thrash out at once. Although the law was made null tomorrow, that would not alter the case in Ayrshire with regard to fore-rents or back-rents in the slightest, we believe. If our landlords did think of such a thing as asking rent immediately on

entry, or even prior to at least a half-year's rent being drawn from the soil, they would find the utmost difficulty in getting their lands let at all, or if let on such terms, it would only be probably at not more than some one-half the present rents received. The very supposition of such a thing is a sort of insult to the farmers of Scotland generally. What would a seedsman say, if, having taken a seed-loft for one or more years, the landlord should demand half-a-year's rent in hand ere giving up the key? Go to would say the seedsman, and turn on his heel at once.

as

Any capitalist who would take 4 or 5 adjoining small inland farms (say 500 acres in all), at anything near a rent equal to the average of those presently paid by the 4 or 5 individual small farmers, the writer would at once mark as a fit candidate for the honour of placing "M.P. for Gartnave!" behind his name; and he would strongly advise any retiring Bailie-NicolJarvie of Glasgow, who, with no experience of farming, fondly hopes to spend his declining years in "the delightful, gentlemanly, and sure wealth-producing practice of agriculture!"Cicero has it, by no means to try it on Ayrshire clays under Ayrshire climate. Whether the law of hypothec is totally annulled or only modified, it would only be justice to the merchant that they should have the power of knowing when sequestration is taken out against a farmer, and that landlords should have no power whatever to follow a bona-fide purchase. Failures as a rule have been amongst our larger class of farmers, but any money lost through these is infinitesimal in amount contrasted with the sums sunk in commercial bankruptcies, and failures amongst our farming class, indeed, are of comparatively unfrequent occurrence.

Farms without exception in Ayrshire are always let on leases. of from 18 to 21 years in duration, mostly either 18 or 19. The rent of arable land ranges from about 10s. per imperial acre, up to near £5 in a few cases of crack shore farms. It would only be a very rough guess to attempt giving the average rent for the county; suffice it to say, that, taking into consideration the quality of soil and climate, we verily believe land is higher rented comparatively in Ayrshire than in any other part of the three kingdoms. Seriously speaking Ayrshire farmers generally have had a sore time of it of late, and most of them been very hard pressed for the wherewithal. However, the reporter sincerely hopes there are many better years in store and close at hand for his Ayrshire friends; and in concluding this report, he does so with the most hearty wishes of success to all.

"Good luck to the hoof and the horn;
Good luck to the flock and the fleece;
Good luck to the growers of corn;
May they ever have plenty and peace."

APPENDIX.

THE Committee appointed by the General Meeting of the Ayrshire Agricultural Association of 17th May 1853, "to fix the points in Ayrshire Cattle which shall be held of most importance as indicating superior quality," after careful inquiry and consideration, report the following as the points which should, in their opinion, be attended to:

HEAD short, forehead wide, nose fine between the muzzle and eyes, muzzle moderately large, eyes full and lively; horns wide set on, inclining upwards, and curving slightly inwards.

NECK long and straight from the head to the top of the shoulder; free from loose skin of the under side, fine at its junction with the head, and the muscles symmetrically enlarging towards the shoulders.

SHOULDERS thin at the top, brisket light, the whole fore-quarters thin in front, and gradually increasing in depth and width backwards.

BACK short and straight; spine well defined, especially at shoulders; the short ribs arched, the body deep at the flanks, and the milk-veins well developed.

PELVIS long, broad, and straight; hook bones (ilium) wide apart, and not much overlaid with fat; thighs deep and broad; tail long and slender, and set on level with the back.

MILK-VESSEL capacious, and extending well forward; hinder-p -part broad, and firmly attached to the body; the sole or under surface nearly level. The teats from two to two and a half inches in length, equal in thickness, and hanging perpendicularly; their distance apart at the sides should be equal to about one-third of the length of the vessel; and across to about one-half of the breadth.

LEGS short, the bones fine, and the joints firm.

SKIN soft and elastic, and covered with soft, close, woolly hair.

Thi COLOURS preferred are brown; or brown and white; the colours being distinctly defined.

REPORT OF IMPROVEMENTS ON THE ESTATES OF MURKLE AND DOUNREAY, IN THE COUNTY OF CAITHNESS.

By WILLIAM R. TAIT, C.E., Factor, Oldfield, Thurso.

Premium-The Gold Medal

THE estate of Murkle, containing 2216 imperial acres, lies in the parishes of Thurso and Olrig. Its northern boundary is Dunnet Bay, and the bluff headland of Dunnet (the most northerly point of the mainland of Scotland) is its only shelter from the piercing winds of the north-east. The soil is a clayey loam, resting on the Caithness flagstone. The flagstone lies,on the average, within three feet of the surface. The crops principally grown are turnips, oats, and grass.

The estate of Dounreay, containing 16,464 imperial acres,