able, to render them capable of accomplishing many purposes of great practical utility. The most obvious plan for striking these fiars would be, to give power to the Sheriffs of the diffe rent counties to have them fixed by the verdict of a jury, as is done at present in the case of grain. But, without any intention of quarreling with the mode in which these fiars are ascertained, we do not think that it would be the most eligible plan for those of sheep and cattle. It is well known, that the greater part of the sales of the sheep and cattle of the Highlands of Scotland takes place at a few principal markets or trysts, such as the Amulree Tryst in May, the Dumbarton Market in June, the Falkirk Trysts in August, September and October, and the Doune Trysts in November; and were clerks of markets to be appointed to attend these several trysts, with power to call before them the sellers and buyers, for the purposes of ascertaining the average prices; and were the mode of ascertaining these prices, and of striking these averages, to be regulated by some known and approved of principle, and made public, to insure their accuracy, we think they would answer all practical purposes, and be infinitely preferable to averages ascertained in all the different counties, or even in a few of the northern ones. For, while this plan would greatly simplify and facilitate the operation, it would be found that the averages thus ascertained would answer the purposes of parties resident at Cape Wrath or the Braes of Lochaber, just as well as those situated in the vicinity of the market itself. And it would be applicable to the occupiers of the barren moors, as well as those of the more fertile straths; for, when once a properly regulated and authenticated average was thus ascertained, contracting parties could make every requisite allowance to suit their own particular case, whether arising from distance, soil, or climate. It will be kept in view, that, in ascertaining these averages, it would be requisite to have several rates of the different classes of stock; such as, three year old wedders, white faced, best 23s., second 21s., third 19s. 6d., and so on with the different other classes. With respect to wool, again, the price of the different clips is so much the same throughout all the Highlands, that the ascertainment of it would be matter of the simplest operation. From these several averages, one general average of rates, to be called the Fiar Prices, could be easily struck about the end of November yearly, probably by an officer connected with the Courts of Exchequer or Session, to whom the several averages would be remitted by the different clerks, as ascertained. We do not think it necessary to enter more minutely into the details of the matter at present, as we conceive enough has been said to call the attention of the proprietory and tenantry of the Highlands to the subject; and should they deem it of sufficient importance to deserve a legislative enactment, we have no doubt that, were its practical utility pointed out to the Directors of the Highland Society of Scotland, they would willingly undertake to procure such information as would enable them to draw up a plan of proceeding, so simple and easy of application, as to render the measure at once useful and effective. PERTHSHIRE, ON SUMMER FALLOW. FALLOWS are of two kinds, namely, green fallow, so called from the land being cleaned under a green crop, such as beans, potatoes and turnips; and naked, bare, or summer fallow, so named from the land bearing no crop during the cleaning process in the summer season. Green fallow has already been treated of in this Journal, in the paper entitled " Plants cultivated for their roots," in vol. i. p. 271; and as the preliminary operations of green fallow are very similar to those of bare fallow, we propose to confine our attention for the present solely to the latter. On every kind of soil, the fallowing process should be begun in autumn:If the weather is dry in autumn, and the land in consequence become hard, the ploughing of the stubble-land should be delayed till it is softened by rain, as it is severer labour for horses to turn over hard soil, and its furrow-slice breaks and appears jagged when laid over; it is probable, too, that the plough may not be able to cut that furrow-slice from the bottom, but may leave part of the land below unploughed. The subsoil will be left serrated like the teeth of a saw, ready to intercept any percolating moisture. On the other hand, stubble-land, in a green or moist state, is cut clean with the coulter, and turned over with the mould-board with an uniform and unbroken furrowslice. The object of ploughing in autumn is to smother the surface-weeds, which would grow in mild weather, even in winter, by inverting the surface of the ground; and to expose the earth under the root-weeds to the frost, by turning up the bottom of the furrow-slice to the air. It is clear, that the more closely the inverted surface can be placed, and the more exposed the under part of the furrow-slice can be exhibited to the influence of frost, the better is the chance of smothering the surface-weeds, and of killing the roots of the root-weeds. The advantages of ploughing on good principles have been already demonstrated, in this Journal, to be obtained, in the greatest degree, by placing the furrow-slice at an angle of 45° with the horizon; and yet a practice prevails in many places, which decidedly runs counter with this principle, and that is, of laying a loosened furrow right on its back over the surface of a rib of land which is left untouched by the plough. The appearance of this kind of work is that of very ill made drills. A free soil, in clean condition, which is not wished to be much affected by frost, may be usefully ploughed in this manner, for the purpose of keeping part of the land firm; but, while the furrow-slice receives all the benefit of the action of the atmosphere, the part upon which it rests is prevented from receiving any advantage. These ribs are generally made across the ridges, or at an angle with them; and, on strong land, they form a sort of receptacle for surface-water. This practice deserves, on every account, to be condemned. Light land, on open bottoms, may be advantageously ploughed, crown and furrow, to lie all winter; that is, what is the crown of the ridge at one time is made the furrow at another. Surface-water will not remain so long on such lands as to do them harm, but may assist to consolidate them, and even to irrigate them. Strong clay-lands, on the other hand, cannot be kept too dry in winter; and, as their ridges have a considerable roundness, the best succeeding furrow that can be given Vol. i. is to cleave down the gathered up ridges, that is, the open furrows of the rounded ridge is still kept the open furrows of the cloven ridge, while the crown of the rounded ridge is made the middle furrow of the cloven ridge; the rounded ridge being, in fact, cloven, or split in two. The furrow-slices of a rounded ridge meet from both open furrows in the crown; whilst the furrow-slices of a cloven ridge depart from the crown to both open furrows, where they are prevented closing up the open furrows by the plough passing up between the furrow-slices, which would otherwise meet from two contiguous ridges. This furrow is called the "gore" furrow. In this state, strong land will lie dry all winter; and this mode of ploughing has the advantage of rendering the rounded ridges quite flat, which is the best position the land can be in for the cross furrow which is to follow. It is found desirable, in working all kinds of land, to plough a succeeding furrow at right angles, or nearly so, to the preceding one, because the land is thus most easily cut to pieces; and as it is the safest state for land to be in all winter, with the water furrows open, the next furrow to the fallow-land, which is given in spring, after the hurry of the spring-sown crops is over, is the cross-furrow, so named from its direction being across that of the ridges. This furrow cutting the land into detached pieces, which cannot resist the pressure of the mould-board, is generally thrown up in an irregular manner, and presents to the inexperienced eye a confused aggregation of lumps of earth. Such a state, however, is well adapted for exposing a very enlarged surface of the soil to the ameliorating influence of light and air; and, if the weather continues dry after the ploughing, surface weeds will receive a check in their growth. The land should lie in this state till its surface is dry, which is indicated by the earth assuming a light brown colour. In the mean time, the potato and turnip land may be worked. Immediately after the surface of the earth has been "rizzared,” or dried in the sun, and before the lumps become too hard from drought, the harrows should be set to work, and break down all these apparently confused lumps into a uniform surface. These harrowings should be repeated three or four double times, at right angles each time, as its great object is to loosen every kind of weeds, and bring them to the surface of the earth. In light lands, this ploughing and harrowings, more than any other, destroy weeds; and, upon such lands, the weeds should be immediately collected together into heaps by women. On heavy lands, too, they should be gathered at this time; but, in case any fibre or root should be held in durance in the midst of the clods, it is advisable, at this stage of the work, to use a heavy roller to bruize these clods into powder, its operation at this time being the most effectual, as the soil is yet pretty firm; whereas, if the rolling is left to an after period, when the soil has been greatly pulverized by ploughing and harrowing, the roller will press the clods into the soft earth instead of breaking them, and, if they are not broken, it will be impossible to pick off all the weeds from the land *. The power of vegetation, at this period of the year, will cause weeds to increase very much, and, if not subdued, great additional labour will be required ever after to keep them in subjection. It is a practice with many to cause the cart to carry off the weeds from the land, as the women gather them, and throw them into it; by which arrangement the women are often hurried in the picking up of the weeds, and there is positively great labour in constantly stooping and raising up the body, to throw every handful into the cart. What I think a preferable plan, is always to gather the weeds into small heaps, in a regular line, in the first place, by the women, and afterwards the cart should come and take them This mode saves the women some away. labour, gives time to pick up the weeds cleaner, and saves a considerable time in the work of the horses, which must make many and long haltings, whereas they may be more usefully employed in furthering other work, when the weeds are gathering into heaps. It is also a practice with many to burn these heaps of weeds on the land, instead of taking them off. Such a practice is not commendable. Heaps of weeds, to burn with effect, must generally be allowed to lie in the sun a considerable time, during which a new growth of them is probably making rapid progress in the • The best kind of roller that can be used either for light or heavy land, is that of a cylinder of large diameter, made of cast-metal, in two pieces, both revolving on the same axle-tree. Its great weight will bruize the hard clods on clay-lands, and consolidate the earth of light soils. |