there is no folvent which we can expect, with the remoteft probability, will reach that diftant part, with its virtues unimpaired.

We have now completed our review of these volumes; if the laft is not equally important or interefting, it must be attributed rather to the fubject, than the author. The whole is a ftriking proof of the extenfive knowlege, as well as the ingenuity, of the profeffor; and perhaps when time fhall have decided with impartiality, will be looked up to with suitable respect.

Prefent State of Hufbandry in Scotland. Extracted from Reports made to the Commiffioners of the annexed Eftates, and published by their Authority. Vol. III. to VI. 8vo. 11. Cadell.

THE

HE furvey of agriculture in Scotland was undertaken fome years ago by Mr. Andrew Wight, of Ormiston, at the defire of the commiffioners of annexed eftates*. In the two volumes formerly published, Mr. Wight gave ample proof of his abilities for fuch an employment; and in those now before us, he continues to profecute the fubje&t not only with a precision which confirms his fidelity, but with fuch obfervations as conduce to promote the utility of the work.

The third volume (the firft of thofe under confideration) begins with the furvey of Selkirkshire, which is represented as a chequered country, of muir and dale, hill and mofs; but the dale, or low grounds, bears no proportion to the rest. The first, whofe improvements he mentions, is Mr. Scott of Gala, who evinces, by the following experiments, that potatoes are not a robbing crop, but rather an enricher of the foil.

The

The one half of a large field, carefully dreffed and dunged, cropped with turnip, and the other half with potatoes. following crop was barley, with grafs feeds. The potatoe half carried the belt barley, and was the fooneft ripe: not only fo, but the hay taken the two following years gave the weightieft crops. An experiment he made with fhell-marl deferves alfo peculiar attention. Upon a field, the half in pasture, the other half in tilth, equal quantities of fhell-marl were laid. On the part in pafture it was spread on the grafs, and lay fo a year. What was laid on the other part was mixed with the foil, by a fingle ploughing and harrowing: and, though fome years have elapfed, the part marled on the fward fhows far the best in grafs, and appears to be the best relished by the cattle. Upon after reflection, this experiment is not altogether fatiffactory. Without going into other particulars, a deep furrow

* See Crit. Rev. vol. xlvii. p. 267, &c.

would

would bury the marl, and leave little on the furface for vegetation. This probably has been the cafe. The effect of shellmarl, clay-marl, and lime, depends greatly on their intimate mixture with the foil; and there can be no means for an intimate mixture more effectual than fuperficial ploughing and harrowing. The advantage of fpreading lime or fhell-marl on the fward is, that it is washed in gradually among the roots of the plants, and not apt to be buried; and, at the fame time, there is no crop loft. That method, however, cannot exceed the other, provided only that care be taken to keep the manure near the furface.'

The potatoes are found excellent food for working horfes; half a peck to each for one feed, raw, but well washed. When the horses are hard wrought, a fmall feed of oats is given them in the morning, and potatoes in the evening.

In refpect of fmearing, the general practice in this country is one pint of tar mixed with two pounds of butter. This quantity is laid upon fix fheep; which Mr. Wight obferves, cannot fail to injure the wool greatly. Mr. Curror, of whose agricultural economy our author fpeaks with approbation, mixes double the quantity of butter with a pint of tar; and with this he falves twelve fheep. From the experience of feveral years, he is certain that not only the quality of wool is improved by this means, but the quantity of it encreased; and the flock is alfo in better order than formerly. He confiders falving, in the common method of the country, as extremely pernicious to a weakly sheep.

The following experiment is worthy of being mentioned.

• Mr. Curror falved a parcel of sheep with eight pounds of tallow, fixteen pounds of butter, and four pints of train-oil, well mixed. The wool was good, and in plenty. The fame falve was repeated next feafon with the fame fheep. The wool was lefs in quantity; and, to make up a ftone, two fleeces more were requifite than in the former year. The third year, the quantity of the wool was ftill lefs; and the fourth year there was fcarce any left. It was full time to ftop; and the fame parcel being now falved with one pint of tar, and fix pounds of butter, the wool gradually increased, and, in three years, was fully reftored; the fheep, too, got into a better habit, and more flesh. This experiment fhews that tar contributes to the health of the animal, becaufe it is probable that a weak or fickly fheep bears 'lefs wool than one in health. Mr. Curror obferves, that tallow is unfriendly to wool; that the wool of the fheep mentioned was much matted, and clofely united toward the end; which probably prevented perfpiration. He alfo found that train-oil fpoils the wool, and prevents its taking on a good colour. Another practice of Mr. Curror, which he has found fuccefsful, both for the quality and quan

tity of wool, is, immediately after fhearing, to rub the fkin all over with oil mixed with warm water. A pennyworth of oil is fufficient for a fheep. His cure for the brackshaw is logwood boiled in fpring-water till the water has taken on a full colour, of which give two gills, morning and evening, to a fheep. Keep it from water. This cure commonly proves effe&ual.'

Mr. Scott, of Singlie, another farmer in this country, had been educated in the practice of very heavy fmearing; but, from repeated observation of its bad effects, he now fears very lightly. He adheres, however, to tar in a fmall proportion; and he thinks that it contributes to the health of the animal, as butter does to the goodness of the wool. His opinion refpecting this point is founded upon the following experiment. For years past, a parcel of sheep have been kept unfmeared, in order to draw the highest price for the wool. That parcel is conftantly leaner in fpring than the fmeared, and longer of taking on fat. The wool, too, lofes in quality, becoming coarfer and harfher. This effect is extremely remarkable where sheep have been kept unsmeared two feafons running.'

Mr. Wight next enters the Stewartry of Kircudbright, and Shire of Galloway. The furface of the ground, in this wide extended country, is much varied with mountains, rocks, mofs, heath, and green pafture. Sheep and horned cattle thrive here wonderfully. In the lower parts, and on the coaft, the foil is capable of great improvements.

According to my information, fays Mr. Wight, it is a practice with many, that, as foon as the ewe drops her lamb, the is milked twice a day, and the poor lamb left to shift for itself; as it is allowed to fuckle only after the mother has been milked, both in the morning and at night, when I fear the greedy milker leaves a very feanty pittance for the lamb. The lambs are indeed allowed to fuck in winter; but this affords them little relief, as the mother's milk dries up when the weather begins to be fevere. Can the heart of a barbarian devifé any thing more cruel against that poor innocent animal? The wonder is, that any of them furvives this treatment, though they be naturally of a hardy conftitution. The ewes give much milk when fed, and are peculiarly kind to their lambs. A farmer in my neighbourhood, after having made various trials for afcertaining what fort of fheep are the most profitable, declares in favour of a parcel of ewes from Galloway. With these came a wedder, whofe value did not exceed fix fhillings. In April he was with other fheep put into a field of a middling quality for pafture, but not overstocked. About the middle of December he was weighed alive, and his value, computed by the rule laid down in the Gentleman-farmer, amounted to fe venteen shillings and fix pence, and the price he drew from the

3

butcher

butcher was not much under. This was a large pront for a little Galloway sheep. My neighbour obferved, that, if this wedder had been put on his best pasture, the rule would have answered to a nicety. He is charmed with that rule, as it is of great benefit to farmers, by preventing them from being over-reached by the butcher.'

So much is improvement advanced in this country, that though, till very lately, every bufhel of wheat ufed in the town of Dumfries was imported from a distance, they have now the agreeable prospect of being fully supplied from the neighbourhood.

The knowlege we have of the earl of Stair, as a politician, will not permit us to pass by Culhorn, without laying before our readers what Mr. Wight fays of this nobleman with refpect to his improvements in agriculture.

'I waited on the earl of Stair at Culhorn, and got information of his plan of farming. His lordship's breed is of true Galloway cattle, which, by reputation, fell at high prices. His lordship thinks the moft fubftantial improvement for a gentleman is to procure induftrious and improving tenants. He treats them kindly, and is ever ready to give them good inftruction. But words will not do; example is neceffary; and in that view he takes farm after farm into his own hand, and, upon dreffing high, lets them out to the most enterprifing. He has done a great deal in that way; but there remains fill more to be done. Many fields, thus improved, did not yield in the ftate of nature fix pence per acre, but are now let from 10 to 15 fhillings. His tenants are now beginning to follow his example, and to take the improvement of their farms off his lordship's hand. The great fund for improvement in that country is lime, brought raw from Ireland; it is burnt in a draw-kiln, and can be laid on the land, all expences borne, for about L. 3: 10 : 0 per acre.

• The earl holds 400 acres in his natural poffeffion, as a farm for the family conveniencies. The culture on it is conducted very properly; turnip, fallow, wheat, barley, oats, hay, abundantly plenty. Above all, I admired a large inclofure, on account of the rich pasture in it, and the fubftantial wall that furrounds it, fix feet high, copped in the manner of Galloway fnap-dikes, but fo well and artfully done, that neither man nor beast dares to attempt getting over it. This fine park ferves for fheep walk, deer park, horfes, and black cattle, all feed promiscuously on it, and all are plentifully fupplied with food, becaufe all are fat. The fight is beautiful, as well as proftable; for every kind keep by themselves, and make a regular circuit round the park, following out their daily pafture. I admired the steers, quays, and heifers, that are bred from the cows at Culhorn, more than any of the other kinds in the park, on account of their fize and very fine fhape. They are the

offspring

offspring of 30 cows, and none are reared but the very finest of the calves, they being intended for a fample of good cattle in the country, worthy of imitation by all improvers of land and black cattle.

His lordship's extenfive plantations will make a confiderable figure in a few years; and, as fewel for firing is not plenty in the country, the fir trees will render an excellent fupply of fewel, by the prunings and weedings of the plantations.'

From the Stewartry of Galloway, the furveyor proceeds to Ayrshire, where, we are told, the country offers, to a diligent enquirer, a very bufy and agreeable fcene. Among the gentlemen-farmers in this country is Mr. Hamilton of Bargeny, whofe name is known to the public from a tranfaction in the laft feffion of parliament. We are informed that this gentleman, from a chearful and kindly behaviour, has the choice of the best farmers; to whom he gives long leafes, and, by his own practice, teaches them the best method of improvement. Upon any complaint of a hard bargain, it is a rule with him never to bind a poor tenant to his ruin, and accordingly fets him free. This is a practice highly worthy of imitation; and Mr. Wight's obfervation upon it is well founded. Though this, I am convinced, fays he, be done from a motive of humanity and compaffion; yet I am far from being certain but that Mr. Hamilton will, upon the whole, be a gainer even in point of intereft. Not only will the best tenants flock to him, but will be frank in their offers, when they know that they cannot be substantially hurt.'

In the furvey of this country, we meet with a letter to Mr. Wight, from fir Adam Ferguson, giving an account of his method of farming, which is both judicious and fuccessful. From this letter it appears, that the people in fir Adam's neighbourhood are almost all getting into the practice, more or lefs, of fowing grafs-feeds; and, instead of running out their lands, by ploughing them up as foon as they are fit to produce a poor crop of corn, as was the practice formerly, they are now fenfible of the importance of having them in good heart; and the distinction of croft and field land, except among fome of the poorest fort, is, in a manner, entirely abolished.

An inftance of improvement, made by Mr. Hamilton of Sundrum, deferves to be mentioned in our detail. It is the converting of a mofs of thirty-one acres into a fertile field. The hiftory of this procefs, as Mr. Wight obferves, merits peculiar attention.

The bottom is fand, a happy circumstance that fuggefted the plan of operation. A main drain was opened, cut down

to