Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland
On the Agriculture of the Counties of Edinburgh and Linlithgow
By Thomas Farrall, Aspatria, Carlisle

ON THE AGRICULTURE OF THE COUNTIES OF EDINBURGH AND LINLITHGOW, AND THE INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THESE COUNTIES DURING RECENT YEARS.

By Thomas Farrall, Aspatria, Carlisle.
[Premium—Fifteen Sovereigns.]

Introductory Remarks.

The agriculture of the Lothians already possesses a considerable literature, especially the county of Haddington, which has often formed the subject of essays, reports, and reviews. In the present paper it is our intention to describe the agriculture of Mid and West Lothian, which are embraced in the counties of Edinburgh and Linlithgow. The two Lothians under consideration lie side by side, and on the north are washed by the waters of the estuary of the river Forth. They are therefore situated in the eastern part of the southern division of Scotland. The figure of Edinburgh proximates closely to that of a half moon, resembling, on a coloured map, the outstretched wings of a butterfly. Its extreme length from east to west is about 36 miles, and its breadth from north to south about 24 miles. The superficial area was computed by the authors of " Caledonia," and of the "Agricultural Survey of Mid-Lothian," at 229,120 and 227,832 imperial acres respectively; but more recently it has been ascertained on reliable authority, that the area is 367 square miles, or 234,926 statute acres. Mid-Lothian lies between 55° 39' 30" and 55° 59' 20" north latitude, and between 2° 52' and 3° 45' 10" longitude west from Greenwich. The shire containsforty-eight quoad civilia parishes and part of two others. The county throughout presents a striking scene of industry, not only in an agricultural point of view, but also with respect to mining and other profitable resources. Though it cannot lay claim to high mountains, like the lofty Ben Nevis or the majestic Ben Lomond, yet it is not entirely destitute of mountain chains of an inferior order. Most prominent are the Pentland Hills, which appear in continuous and parallel ranges from Peeblesshire, on the south, and sweep along the centre of the county, rising in Cairnhill to upwards of 1800 feet above sea-level. In the east are the Muirfoot Hills, which are a continuation of the Lammer-muir Hills. About one-third of the entire extent may be estimated as the proportion inaccessible to the plough. This lies chiefly in the south and south-east parts of the county, and produces sweet and healthy herbage, which supports large flocks of sheep. In the north and west, the land, although diversified by rising grounds and gently undulating eminences, is mostly capable of cultivation, and produces a variety of crops which tend to bring credit to the farmer, to enrich the agricultural district, and beautify the far-extending prospect.

Owing to its peculiar configuration, Edinburgh possesses no stream deserving to be dignified with the title of river; it is, nevertheless, well watered by numerous burns or waters. The Almond, after intersecting a wing of the parish of Mid-Calder, forms the north-west boundary line to the sea. Leith water rises in the parish of Mid-Calder, and after pursuing a course of over 20 miles in a deep bed between well-wooded declivities, enters the sea at Leith. The largest stream in the county is the Esk, which, with its tributaries, drains the whole extent of country lying between the Pentland and Muirfoot ranges of mountains, and empties itself into the sea at Musselburgh. The remaining notable streams are the Tyne and the Gala. The former holds a sinuous course of 7 miles, and then flows into East Lothian; while the latter, after running a distance of 10 miles, leaves the county at its south-west angle.

Linlithgow, or West Lothian, lies between 55° 49' and 56° .1/ north latitude, and 3° 18' and 3° 51' west longitude. Its greatest length is about 20 miles, and its extreme breadth about 15 miles. According to Armstrong's map of the Lothians, the area is only 112 square miles, or 71,680 statute acres, but the area given by the Ordnance Survey is 127 square miles, or 81,114 acres. The surface of Linlithgow, though not so interesting as that of Edinburgh, is, notwithstanding, exceedingly diversified and beautiful. The centre of the country may be described as an elevated plateau surrounded by an amphitheatre of hills, the culminating point being Cairnmaple, which rises to a height of 1498 feet. Other elevations are Kipps-hills, Knock-hills, and Drumcross-hills; and in the west, Cuckold-le-Roi, with an elevation of about 500 feet. Generally, the eminences are inconsiderable hills or elevated grounds, covered with fields of waving corn, ornamental plantations, or pasture lands dotted over with sheep. About three-fourths of the land is arable, and the soils are generally fertile and well-drained.

Linlithgow is very well watered. Logie-water, a tributary of the Avon, and its affluents Barbauchlaw-burn and Ballencrieff-water, drain much of the western division; while Broxburn and several inferior streamlets drain the eastern, and find their way into the Almond. Flowing into the Forth are Nethermill-burn, Dolphinston-burn, and some tiny brooks. These several streams, though totally insufficient for navigation, are useful in supplying power for driving machinery, and furnishing never-failing supplies of water for other purposes. The principal lakes are Loch-coat in Torphichen, and Linlithgow-loch in the parish whose name it bears, with two or three smaller ones on the boundary.

Interesting associations crop up in the mind of any one who "loves to dwell on bygone scenes," as he visits the various towns in Mid and West Lothian. Edinburgh, the capital of the former, and the metropolis of Scotland, is delightfully situated upon a group of hills overlooking the Firth of Forth. On the highest of these the old town is built. Prom the castle, which stands upon an elevation 380 feet high, a commanding and magnificent prospect may be had. This gorgeous view has been well described by Sir Walter Scott, in his "Marmion." The Gaelic form of the name of the city was Dunedin, from dun, a Celtic word meaning hill or fort, and Edin or Edwin, king of Northumbria, 617 a.d. Hence Dunedin and Edinburgh have the same meaning. When the fine palace of Holyrood Abbey was erected in 1128, the city was a royal burgh, and a royal residence was supposed to have been built a short time afterwards. Until the 15th century Edinburgh remained defenceless, when King James II. granted a licence for fortifying it. Great improvements and enlargements in buildings have been made within the past seventy years, but the union of the two kingdoms doubtless checked very much the advancement of the city. The new town, for beauty of design and excellence of architecture, is not rivalled by any town in Great Britain. Edinburgh is supplied with water from the Pentlands, and the sanitary condition has much improved of late years: The population in 1871 was 196,500. Two members are returned to the House of Commons. Dalkeith is distant from Edinburgh about 6 miles in a south-east direction. The town is well built, and has a large weekly market for grain. It has also manufactures of brushes, woollen stuffs, and felt, beaver, and straw hats. In the neighbourhood are some large collieries. The population in 1871 was 7114. Standing upon the site of an ancient castle is the splendid mansion of the Duke of Buccleuch, with its beautiful and well-wooded grounds. Musselburgh, a royal burgh, is situated upon the eastern bank of the Esk, where it enters the Firth of Forth, 5f miles east of Edinburgh. The manufactures are haircloth and sailcloth. It has also a small amount of trade in tanning and leather-dressing. The neighbourhood is rich in historical lore. A little to the east is the battle-ground of Pinkie, where the English defeated the Scotch in 1547. In the immediate neighbourhood was also fought the battle of Prestonpans, in 1745, when the royal army sustained a signal defeat by the forces of Charles Edward. The port of Musselburgh has no vessels of its own, but is resorted to by coasters, which bring in timber, oil-cake, bark, seeds, and hides; the export trade being chiefly in coal. The links are much resorted to for racing, golfing, and other sources of amusement. The population of the town in 1861, was 7423. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in the "harvest of the sea." Situated about 2 miles north-east of Edinburgh is Leith, whose commercial importance lies in its colonial and foreign trade and imports of grain, for which it is the great emporium in Scotland. It has also considerable manufactures of glass, ropes, sails, and artificial manures. Fish-curing may be ranked among its industries likewise. So far back as the 11th century it was a port; in 1541 the town was burnt by an English fleet; in 1549 it was taken possession of by French troops; in 1567 it was sold to Edinburgh, and in 1838 it was made independent of that city. There are also several villages in Mid-Lothian, each of which has interesting associations, but scarcely such as come within the scope of an agricultural paper.

The county town of West Lothian is Linlithgow, a place of great antiquity and an early seat of the Scottish kings. It has a weekly market, and fairs are held at certain times of the year. Other places of note are Bathgate, a market town with a larger population than Linlithgow, and Borrowstounness or Bo'ness, a burgh of barony, situated on a tongue of land stretching into the Firth of Forth. At one time the town was in a flourishing condition, but it declined after the opening of the Forth and Clyde Canal, on account of the trade being turned into another channel.

Both counties are intersected by good roads, which are kept in excellent repair.

The population has gradually increased during the present century, as will be seen on reference to the following table:—

The advance in the county of Edinburgh has, therefore, in less than three-quarters of a century, been 205,738, or about 168 per cent.; that of Linlithgow, 23,347, or 131 per cent. The present population of Mid-Lothian is at the rate of 1.3 persons to each acre, and of West Lothian close upon 2. The employments of the people are variously distributed between trade, commerce', manufactures, and agriculture.

History of Agriculture.

In common with many districts south of the Forth, agriculture-was pursued in the counties at a comparatively early period. It is indeed averred by some writers that this part of the country produced a considerable amount of grain in the times of the Romans; as to this, however, we cannot, in the absence of. reliable information, speak with any degree of certainty. A large proportion of the land was then undoubtedly covered with forests, and the culture of corn would generally be confined to fertile patches near the sea-shore, or along the haughs where the soil was deep.

So early as the 13th century, the monks cultivated large tracts of land on the south of the Forth, and were said to be skilful in the management of extensive orchards. We also have it that they understood something of resting, if not of fallowing their lands, and the rotation of cropping. For a long period after the 13th or 14th century, history is silent upon matters relating to agriculture. It may, consequently, be reasonably assumed that small progress was made until about the time of the union of Scotland with England, when the farmers of East Lothian had opportunities of seeing for themselves the superior practices in agriculture observed in England, some of which they were not slow in copying. Neighbouring shires soon afterwards followed their example, but for a period extending to three-quarters of a century, farming did not make so much headway as could have been wished, owing not so much to the apathy of agriculturists, as to the adverse circumstances by which they were too often surrounded.

At the close of the 11th century, agriculture had made little advancement in Mid and West Lothian. Even then, large tracts of the country were covered with forests, and the pastoral pursuit was almost exclusively in the hands of the wealthy, who owned large flocks of sheep, which roamed upon the uplands and depastured in the woods. What little arable land was in cultivation was in the hands of the poor, who had neither capital to expend nor energy to cany on their pursuits. The small patches they cultivated were chiefly composed of the best soils in sheltered situations, or the partially alluvial deposits by the sides of the streams. These soils were scourged by successive cropping, rendered filthy by the growth of weeds, and reduced to extreme poverty, owing to the small amount of manure given.

The reign of David I., which commenced in 1124, was a new era in agricultural improvement. This monarch gave a large share of attention to the cultivation of the land, in which he evinced considerable ability. He founded several agricultural establishments, both in Mid and West Lothian. His grange farm at Linlithgow is mentioned as being much abreast of the times. Roused by the noble example of their monarch, the barons also cultivated farms in various parts of the country, so that the agriculture of the counties under notice received an impetus which was at once salutary and lasting in its effects. David I. also devoted much attention to horticulture, and mention is made in his charter of Holyrood of his garden under the castle.

For many years after the termination of this monarch's reign agriculture may be said to have retrograded rather than progressed. The prevalence of forests was a great barrier to the extension of husbandry, for, they not only occupied much of the land, but they also afforded shelter to the warriors and freebooters who scoured the country at all seasons, and trampled down the crops of the more peaceful inhabitants. In the early part of the 14th century Edward III. lessened the extent of forest in Mid-Lothian very materially; and mills, kilns, and breweries began to be established throughout the county, thus showing that agriculture was gradually gaining ground and subduing the asperities of the soil. But even then farming was far from being on a satisfactory footing. The tillers of the ground still belonged to the poorer classes of the community, who lacked sufficient capital to carry on their avocations successfully: they, therefore, performed the duties devolving upon them reluctantly for others rather than willingly for themselves. This was chiefly owing to the unsatisfactory tenure upon which they held their "farms. They not only rented the land from the proprietor but everything upon it; who, in turn, at the expiration of the tenancy, claimed everything the farmer possessed. This tenure was called "steelbow," which, in a modified form, still lingers in many of the remote districts of Scotland. In Linlithgow matters were even worse,. for, after the peaceful reign of Alexander III., the country was plunged into ruin by foreign invasions and domestic strifes during a period of about seventy years, when the strong oppressed the weak, and the hardly-won earnings of the industrious too often fell to the lot of cruel and oppressive invaders.

The year 1723 may be regarded as a fresh starting-point in the history of agriculture, when a society was formed in Edinburgh for the purpose of issuing instructions, illustrated by example, on the most practical and profitable methods of land culture. This was called the Society of Improvers, and from the date of its establishment cultivation in both Edinburgh and Linlithgow began to advance with rapid strides. Two years later, a sale of manure at Cuffabouts, near Bo'ness, by one Higgins, realised 1s. per bushel—thus affording an indication that the teachings of the society were doing good service. Enterprising farmers now began to spring up on all sides. Sir James Macgill, and, seventy years later, Sir John Dick of Prestonfield, carted much manure from Edinburgh, and soon converted the worn-out and barren soils under their management into fertile fields.

In the year 1728, John, Earl of Stair, introduced much that was new on his farm in the parish of Kirkliston, in West Lothian. He began to practise the horse-hoeing system of husbandry, and commenced to crop the land in rotation. A few years previous, Lord Haddington had brought clover and sown grasses into the adjoining county: these the Earl of Stair took advantage of, and began to grow upon his own farm. He also brought into field culture turnips, carrots, and cabbages, which had previously been confined to gardens. How far his turnip-culture extended we have no means of ascertaining, but since his time, there have been many claimants for the honour of being the first to cultivate field-turnips on a large scale. This enterprising earl had a noble imitator in Charles, the first Earl of Hopetoun, who even excelled the illustrious earl in farm management, but they both died in the year 1740, before they had seen their plans fully matured or their efforts appreciated.

The institution of a Farmer's Club in Ormiston, East Lothian, by Mr Cockburn, the celebrated agriculturist, about this time also gave a marked impetus to husbandry, as members began to exchange and extend their ideas, so that not only themselves but the whole community in the immediate district were benefited. In Mid-Lothian the good work once begun was not allowed to slumber, and soon after the middle of the 18th century land was limed, fences built, grasses and succulents introduced, and improved implements brought to bear upon the working of the soil. Sir John Dalrymple of Cousland, the Duke of Buccleuch, and other gentlemen of note, spared no pains in bringing their system of agriculture to as high a pitch as possible.

Bearing the date of 1770, a minister of Dunse, Adam Dickson by name, issued a work, entitled "The Husbandry of the Ancients," which threw considerable light upon the agriculture of bygone days. This appeared at a time when men's minds were ready to grasp at new ideas upon a subject which was receiving a large share of attention. A few sentences showing the practice of the ancients may not be here deemed out of place. We cull from Mr Dickson's admirable little work:—"Varro says that land should rest every other year, or, after a severe crop, carry one that in a lesser degree exhausts the land.

"Columella says that wheat requires rich land, and that which carries a crop, and rests, and is well ploughed alternately.

"Virgil requires that the fallowed lands, after they have carried a crop, shall be again fallowed.

"And Pliny says that this direction, given by Virgil, is most proper when the extent of the farm allows it; but that if the situation of the farm does not allow this, then wheat may be sown after such crops as meliorate the soil. This kind of land that was so frequently fallowed was seldom dunged."

Mr Dickson continues in much the same strain. His book could not but form a useful companion to rising farmers at the time we speak of, and no doubt it was to a certain extent appreciated by such of the community as were readers.

In an interesting work published in 1795, by George Robertson, farmer, Granton, it is stated that the competition for farms lying around Edinburgh was so great as to reduce the profits of the husbandman to little more than legal interest on his capital. The writer thought that it was unfair of the laird or factor to exact rigorously the rent at the precise term of payment, and maintained that in order to make it, the tenant was often obliged to sell his produce at a great disadvantage. He declared that he frequently had occasion to observe the circumstances attending failure among the farmers, and could trace them to the injudicious conduct of the landlords.

The capital then employed in agriculture was L.5 the Scotch acre in the low country, L.2 in the moorlands, and 5s. on the hills. From two causes chiefly, this amount was soon afterwards thought to be inadequate: first, because all articles of stocking became dearer; and secondly, from having everything of a superior quality to what farmers were formerly satisfied with. One fourth part was therefore added, and the result found to correspond very nearly with the capital employed upon a farm near to Edinburgh, which was L.6, 5s. 3d. the Scotch acre. On the above data, the whole capital employed in Mid-Lothian farming was calculated at—

The same author throws some light upon the sheep and horses kept at that time. A small number of black-faced sheep was bought in from year to year, generally from Tweeddale, the wool of which was coarse, and the fleece seldom worth a shilling, while the carcass rarely weighed over 12 lbs. per quarter. On the lower grounds a better class was kept, chiefly of the Cheviot breed; in some cases they were crossed with Herefords, in others with Bakewell species. These gave a fleece worth four times the amount of the blackfaces, and the weight rose from 12 lbs. to 25 lbs. per quarter. About 5000 horses were used for husbandry; of these one-half were home reared, the remainder coming from Linlithgow and Lanark. The amount annually paid for imported horses amounted to something like L.6000. After the year 1784, value in horses ran up considerably. Best sizes, 16 hands and upwards, which were previously sold at L.18 to L.20, made L.30 to L.35, and the price of smaller animals rose from L.12 or L.14 to L.18 or L.20.

Mr Robertson asserts that the condition of the labouring classes was at that time somewhat ameliorated. Their cottages were more comfortable than formerly, being larger, better lighted, and warmer. The kailyard, or plantation of cabbages, in the front was also common, and not a few kept poultry, the produce of which brought a good price in the Edinburgh market. The furniture consisted of two beds, a few chairs or stools, table, chest of drawers, press, &c, and a cuckoo-clock. Oatmeal with kail-brose formed the principal part of their food.

Another practical writer of that day added much to the literature of agriculture. We allude to Lord Kames, who wrote in an easy and interesting style, and published a work known as the "Gentleman Farmer." In it he discusses at great length the question of oxen versus horses for beasts of draught and burden, agriculturally considered, and finally winds up in favour of the former, making out that in the course of twelve years the difference of expense between the keep of a horse and an ox is L.74, 4s., or an average of over L.6 per year.

We now come to what may be called the era of improvements and inventions in farm implements and machinery, when grain winnowers superseded the use of through draughts in thatched barns, or the "gentle breezes on fairy knowes;'" when the flail gave place to the thrashing machine; and the old-fashioned "rippler of the ground" made way for the swing-plough; but we must forbear, lest our lengthening notes be thought tedious.

Suffice it to say, that within the present century, agriculture in both Mid and West Lothian has advanced rapidly, in draining; in the deep culture of the soil; in the extended use of machinery; in the introduction and appliance of steam power to many of the most laborious offices of the farm; in the use of extraneous feeding stuffs and artificial manures; in the scientific knowledge possessed by the leading farmers; in a word, in almost everything pertaining to the satisfaction of the proprietor, the prosperity of the farmer, the happiness of the labourer, and the welfare of the community at large, as meat and bread consumers. Not that during the past seventy odd years there have been no depressions; great lessons are seldom taught without a certain amount of sacrifice on some one's part, and the agricultural panics of the present century have doubtless driven many a helpless, honest, and struggling farmer to the wall.

Climate.

The climate of the two counties is materially modified by their geographical position. Continually bathed on their northern boundary by the waters of the estuary of the Forth, extremes of heat and cold are for the most part prevented. The mean temperature of winter is rarely very low: that of summer never very high. This will be better understood by comparing the climate of Edinburgh with those of Copenhagen and Moscow—places nearly under the same parallel:—

In winter, therefore, snow seldom continues long upon the ground, except in the vicinity of the mountains, and frosts rarely lock up the soil so as to retard its cultivation. Sometimes a few nights characterised by more than ordinary severity damage the turnips in the fields; at other times the shaws retain their greenness until the returning spring again awakens the plants into active life. Cold east winds prevail in March and April, and impede vegetation to a certain extent; and night frosts, even so late as the end of May or the early part of June, have been known to blacken the potato-tops and leave their impress upon the young clovers. As a rule, however, the fields and gardens exhibit a green aspect early in the season, which shows that vegetation is not much retarded by the unfavourable influences just mentioned. Garden produce is brought into Edinburgh market earlier than it can be procured in many parts of England 200 or 300 miles further to the south, and the early strawberries grown in the immediate neighbourhood are justly held in great repute for their delicious flavour. Late in the year the agricultural landscape often presents the varied and beauteous aspect of lingering summer, when many districts have been robbed of their charms and swept bare by the surly blasts of chill November. Within one hundred years the climate has been much improved by the drainage of wet moors and morasses ; and the winds, which at times sweep over the country, modified by judicious clumps of trees or thriving belts of plantation. The summer heat is always sufficient to impart a golden hue to the wheat crops, and enable the farmer to ingather his cereals without delay or difficulty, but now and then a disastrous harvest occurs and does much injury to the outstanding stooks. In 1872 the harvesting of grain was a slow, troublesome, and expensive process, and considerable losses were experienced by most arable farmers. The season alluded to was, however, exceptional. As a further proof of the mildness of a Lothian winter, we may note that early in January 1874, Mr M'Nab laid before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh no less than 138 species of flowers in full bloom, culled from the Royal Botanic Garden on New Year's Day. Of these 35 might, he said, be considered as winter and spring flowers, while the remaining 103 might be looked upon as summer or autumn plants still flowering. The rainfall is inconsiderable throughout the Lothians, but the annual average is much greater in Mid than East Lothian. The average for nineteen years as shown at Inveresk is 19.68. As we advance westward the rainfall is greater, especially in the locality of the hills, where, oftentimes, a shower is experienced when the weather is beautifully fine in the low country. The annual mean rainfall in Edinburgh is 26 inches, but in the south and south-west districts it may be computed at 30 to 40 inches.

Geological Formation and Soils.

The geological features are well varied, and thus form an interesting field of research for those who delight in rock-exploring pastimes. To describe these fully would take a much larger space than we have at our disposal; nevertheless, as the rocks are closely associated with the surface soils, and, therefore, have a direct bearing upon the agriculture, a brief notice of the leading characteristics may not be deemed inappropriate. An extensive coalfield, of which Dalkeith forms the centre, pervades a considerable portion of the Lothians, and has for ages produced a large annual amount of this useful commodity for fuel. Extending through the whole of the south-east part of Mid-Lothian are the Lammermuir Hills, which belong to the Silurian formation, and consist almost entirely of gneissic rocks. The volcanic or igneous rocks are largely developed in this county, much of the fertility of the soil being due to the extensive. beds of these rocks which occur in the geological strata. The hill called Arthur's Seat, near Edinburgh, is thought to have been the site of an old volcano, and the supposition is quite borne out by the immediate surroundings. This is now, we believe, the theory generally accepted by experienced geologists. From Edinburgh westward, the carboniferous strata prevail extensively, forming the beautifully undulating country as far as Linlithgow on the western confines of West Lothian. Near this ancient town there occurs a vast series of sandstone and shales in frequent alternations. West Lothian is also rich in igneous rocks, which geologists have divided into three kinds, viz., volcanic ash or tufa, interspersed among the sandstone or shales; beds of greenstone; and trap dykes. The latest geological formation is known as drift, consisting of clay, sand, and gravel mixed with boulders and scattered over the surface. The drift theory is borne out by the grooves or markings which are found on the surface of the underlying rocks. These run from north-west to south-east, and were doubtless caused by the grating of boulders and. sand frozen in icebergs, which were drifted from the northwest during the glacial periods. The fertile soils of the Lothians may, therefore, have been brought, in part at least, from the cold and barren shores of the Arctic Ocean, where the Green-lander now yokes his faithful dog to the sledge, or the Esquimaux passes the dreary winter in his rudely-built snow-hut. It will thus be seen that the geological map requires to be used with great care, for the character of a farm cannot be inferred from the rocks upon which it lies. Notwithstanding this, it may be said generally that the fertile soils of Mid and West Lothian rest upon a rich geological basis, containing abundant supplies of coal, limestone, and building-stone. The surface soil along the coast varies much: sometimes in a limited area all classes, from bad to best, may be found. Some of the hills are moorish and mossy, others are covered with a thin clay, which, when well managed, produces crops abundantly. In the valleys principally, the most fertile subjects are to be found, while in the various river basins are some deep patches of loam. The north and mid sections of Edinburgh bear the palm in the quality of the soil, and have for ages reared a race of farmers and labourers which will bear favourable comparison with those of most districts in Great Britain. In the south and south-east the land is to a large extent pastoral, but for a long period, and especially in the past twenty-five years, the agriculturist has been encroaching on the "woolly peoples' wide domain." As already stated, about one-third of the entire county is now deemed as inaccessible to the plough; and, indeed, persevering capitalists and enterprising-farmers may possibly yet reduce the proportion of unreclaimed or mountain land considerably, by driving this implement over large beds of heath and barren pasture, which at one time were thought irreclaimable.

The county of West Lothian, though fairly rich in its agricultural capabilities, has nearly all varieties of soil. According to proximate calculations, abou 20,000 acres are clay, either of carse kind or otherwise of fine quality; 22,700 are clay, on a cold bottom 9500 are loam; 9500 are light gravel and sand; 14,000 are moorland and high rocky ground; 1500 are moss; and the remainder is occupied by a few patches of peculiar soils, lakes, and rivers. In Carriden parish the land is light and early, and is capable of producing good crops. It is scarcely possible to give a general character to the soils of Abercorn, so rapid and manifold are the changes which it undergoes. Sandstone, whinstone, limestone, and coal are extensively wrought, and add in no small degree to the wealth of the district. A better and more uniform subject prevails in Dalmeny, upon which thrive good crops of wheat, potatoes, and turnips, as also the luxuriant and picturesque plantations of the Earl of Rosebery. In the parish of Cramond there is some good land, in a high state of cultivation. Heavy-cropping soils are general throughout almost the entire parish of Duddingston. At the opening of last century it consisted of nothing but an unreclaimed moor, growing little but scrubby heath and the stunted juniper; now there are few, if any, foul spots to stain the agricultural picture. Eastward from the town of Linlithgow, a broad band of strong clayey land overlies the carboniferous system, and stretches to a considerable distance. It is fairly productive when well farmed, but somewhat difficult to work, and in ungenial seasons the crops are rather late. That portion of West Lothian lying to the south-west of the town of Bathgate has some good soil, but in the hilly districts it is much intermixed with patches of heath and moor. In the parish of Torphichen is also some wet moor towards the west, but the land under the plough is fertile and well cultivated. In this district the farming is necessarily of a mixed character, being partly pastoral, partly arable. In the Penicuik district, lying a few miles to the south of the city of Edinburgh, the surface is chiefly moorland, with moss and mountain pasture, but much has been reclaimed in twenty-five years. There is a considerable extent of wood in the locality. Coal and other minerals are found, but are not worked extensively. The population is somewhat sparse and scattered. Towards the south-east extremity of Mid-Lothian the land is hilly and not very favourable for tillage. The upper soil is only moderately fertile. It rests upon graywacke and clay slate. A considerable breadth of land in the Gala water district is entirely inaccessible to the plough, but the hills are covered with a short succulent herbage, well adapted for sheep. Of late years the moors have been much dried by the formation of sheep drains or open cuts, particularly those portions where moss occurred. Large beds of limestone are found in the parish of Borthwick, and the land in general is of a hilly character. Some of the soil is thin and moorish, but a great part is well cultivated. Coming back more into the heart of the country, the surface around Dalkeith is beautifully undulating, and the soil, though somewhat light and patchy, rests upon a deep clay, and is highly adapted for the growth of fruit and forest trees. Around Corstorphine village a black loamy soil generally prevails, with traces of clay and sand. This district is literally, and has not inaptly, been termed "the garden of Edinburgh." The meadow ground in the vicinity is largely composed of decayed vegetables, and yields abundantly. Crichton parish possesses a fine, rich, deep soil, most of which is accessible to the plough, and brings forth good crops annually. The high lands are sheltered by belts of thriving plantation. The Fala and Soutra districts, in the eastern division of Mid-Lothian, contain some heath-clad hills covered with a thin gravelly soil, as also some marshy grounds. Fala-Flow is a large moss, extending to several hundreds of acres, from which a very large quantity of peats is annually dug. Among the Pentland and Lammermuir Hills are much moorland and moss, the farms in the neighbourhood being either wholly pastoral, or more commonly partly pastoral and partly arable. In these notes upon the soils of Edinburgh and Linlithgow, we might have given a much' more elaborate and detailed account of what the farmers in each particular district have to work upon, but having fixed upon certain localities, embracing as nearly as possible every class of soil in the counties under consideration in order to illustrate our remarks, we think it is quite unnecessary to devote more space to the subject. In a future part of the paper, where the system of crop rotation pursued by several farmers is described, more details of the soils and their capabilities are brought under notice. We may, however, remark that, in general, there are few impediments to the plough, except where the land rises abruptly into mountain peaks of considerable altitude. Here and there boulders are found in the soil within reach of modern cultivation, but in the old reclaimed lands most of these have been removed, and are doing good service either upon the roads or in the drains. Very few of the soils are so thin as not to admit of a good furrow being taken, while they generally are of great depth, particularly where thorough culture has been practised during several rotations. In many instances subsoiling has been effectually carried out, thus affording a safeguard to the crops in wet weather, by allowing the rain to pass off more readily to the drains; and also being beneficial in dry weather, as a well-wrought subsoil is a retainer of moisture in the time of drought.

Rotation of Cropping.

The rotation of cropping varies much in both counties, depend-ing upon the quality of the land, climate, and so on. Since the production of meat has become of paramount importance, there is even greater variation in the methods pursued than in former times when corn and potato growing on a large scale were considered necessary in order to produce a satisfactory rent-roll. In some of the best farmed districts, the ordinary six-course shift still prevails, namely—

1. Oats.
2. Potatoes, with part Beans.
3. Wheat.
4. Turnips.
5. Barley.
6. Hay or Pasture.

This rapid succession of grain crops is naturally very trying to the land, and in order to keep it in good order, the potato crop is invariably manured heavily. Many farmers are now strong in the belief that two years in pasture in the place of one would be preferable, as there would then be more grass in summer for stock. As it is, there is very little land devoted to pasturage; hence both the cattle and sheep stocking of many holdings in summer is reduced to a minimum quantity, while in winter it has to be considerably increased on account of consuming straw and the turnip crop. This importation of stock entails much risk from the introduction of disease, particularly when pleuro and foot-and-mouth are prevalent. As meat-making, rather than corn-growing, is now, or at least ought to be, the chief object of the farmer, it seems only reasonable to suppose that a larger extent in grass and a less breadth in corn would bring in the most profit. In some parts the rotation stands thus—

1. Oats.
2. Potatoes and Turnips.
3. Barley or Wheat.
4. Hay.
5. Pasture.

This five-course shift is very common in some parts of Linlithgow, and is found to answer well where a part of the stock is reared upon the farm. Of course the breadth of potatoes grown on such holdings is not large, so that the green crop break is chiefly devoted to turnips for wintering cattle and sheep. Another six-course shift is—

1. Oats.
2. Beans.
3. Wheat.
4. Turnips.
5. Barley.
6. Grass.

This is generally observed where the land is a strong clay, but on those portions where the soil is fairly free, grass is taken two years, making thus a seven-shift course. On a few holdings we find the four-course adopted, but this is not general. Indeed, glancing at the notes we took when making a tour through the counties, we find no less than six or seven courses which are observed on different farms, so that a full account of the various rotations, and the reasons for their adoption given by the farmers who practise them, would swell out this Report to an undesirable length. We now proceed to notice each kind of crop in detail, with the mode of preparation, quantity of seed given, method of harvesting, and other matters connected therewith.

Grain Crops.

The total area under cereals of all kinds in 1875 amounted to 38,816 acres in Edinburgh, and 18,154 in Linlithgow. Good crops and fine samples are usually produced, and the aim of the farmer is generally directed to have the seed put down soon in the season, for he knows that an early sowing season is often the precursor of an early harvest, and this sometimes makes a difference between securing the grain well and only moderately well. Great discussion has lately taken place as to the desirability of the British farmer growing a much smaller area of grain than he now does, and increasing the production of meat as much as possible ; and while this has been done to a certain extent as regards wheat, we do not know that the Lothian farmer could, with advantage, reduce his oat or barley crop very materially, as straw is needed for the winterage of cattle, bedding, &c. But this by the way. Harvest usually commences in the early districts from the beginning to the middle of August, being often a fortnight more backward in the hill country, where the climate is not so favourable, and the soil, as a rule, is thinner and less fertile. If anything, corn is cut before it is quite so ripe as it used to be when operated upon by the sickle. Wheat, particularly, is said to be finer in the sample when taken somewhat early, but, of course, moderation ought to be exercised in this as in other matters, for if cut much too soon, the grain becomes shrivelled when dry. Cutting is now mostly done by the reaping machine, although on very small farms, and in exceptional cases upon larger, the scythe is still used, and when the crops are laid or twisted, even the antiquated sickle is yet occasionally resorted to. Now and then we see small farmers work upon the reciprocity system, several joining in the purchase of a reaping-machine, the labourers moving from farm to farm as required. In most places, a few extra harvest hands can be obtained from other branches of local industry, and these, with the regular farm labourers, generally succeed in taking off the crop in two or three weeks. From eight to ten persons are required for each machine in addition to the driver and the man who puts off the sheaves. The harvest labourers work about ten hours per day, but sheafing is much easier work than hand-reaping used to be. A machine will cut about 6 to 8 acres in a day; some a little more, others a little less, according to weight of crop, whether it is favourable for cutting and the dexterity of the people employed. Although harvesters in general bewailed the introduction of reaping-machines which they declared took the bread from their mouths, vet it cannot be denied, even by those sons of industry, that they have been of great benefit to the farmer. In former times, when the corn crops ripened in rapid sequence, or rather perhaps simultaneously, the utmost difficulty was experienced in getting them cut before they were so ripe as to lose much grain by shedding. More corn by far was also injured by exposure to weather, as before the last parcels were cut and carried, the season was quite advanced, stormy weather frequently set in, and the wind-up of the harvest was rendered slow, tedious, and expensive. By the use of machines two to three weeks of average weather should see the grain all cut; in ten days more it ought to be carried. It is a noticeable fact that, contemporary with the introduction of the reaping-machine, the weather during harvest has become much more fickle and less to be depended upon. Were harvest now, as in days of yore, to continue eight or nine weeks, the chances of securing the grain in anything like fair condition would be considerably lessened. Kemp, Murray, and Nicholson's (Stirling), with Jack & Sons' (Maybole) machines are most extensively used in the Lothians. In Edinburgh, harvest hands are somewhat high, owing to a gradual and growing scarcity of labourers, best men being paid 3s. 9d. to 4s. 3d. per day, with food for a month or sometimes longer. Women are paid 3s. to 3s. 6d. per day, and the ordinary farm hands have a month's meat in addition to their regular wages. In the hill districts, rates are a little lower, as the season is more advanced before harvest commences, and the demand for extra hands is consequently not so great. The cereal crop is carted with all despatch when it is once dry, as the Lothian farmer never believes that his grain is safe until it is under "thack and rape." Round stacks are usually built and dressed with as much care as if they had to stay for several years rather than so many months. The wheat stacks that have to stand over-year are mostly built upon pillars, to secure them from vermin. Fires are not very common in the Lothians, but it is a sate plan to insure the crop, as a spark from a cottage or passing train is sufficient to deprive the farmer of his whole year's crop.

Wheat—The counties were more noted for the production of wheat a few years ago than they now are. Still, with less than one-half of the land cultivated than in Ayr, Edinburgh has a similar area of this cereal; but Haddington, with 20,000 acres less land under cultivation, has twice the acreage. In Linlithgow comparatively little ground is sown with wheat - scarcely one-thirtieth of the land under the plough. The annexed table shows the acreage in

A glance at the above shows that less than one-half of the area of land is devoted to wheat than was twenty years ago. This may partly be accounted for by the comparatively low market price of this commodity with other productions of the farm, the value of wheat being much affected by the importation from foreign parts. For example, within the time named, butchers' meat has been doubled, while value in wheat has remained almost stationary. A very small proportion of the crop is taken after naked or bare fallow, the area of which is year by year becoming "small and beautifully less." Wheat is rarely taken after grass, being almost invariably sown after roots or beans. Farmers generally contrive to get as much seed in as possible from the middle of October to the end of December, but sometimes a little is left over till the spring. Both broadcast and drill sowing are practised. "Where the land is clean the former method is perhaps preferable, as the roots of the plants, not being so confined as they are in the drills, tiller better. On stiff clays, too, the broadcast system is to be recommended, but on fine free-working soils drilling is preferable, as the crop is more certain, there being less liability of the plants dying out in winter, owing to want of firmness in the soil. Another point crops up which is of manifest importance had we time to dwell upon it—the best width between the drills. What this should be is by no means decided, nor is it likely to be, because of the varying circumstances of soil, locality, and climate; yet we have it on good authority that wide drilling almost compels clean farming, as the hand and horse hoe have to be kept pretty regularly at work in order to keep down the weeds. But close-drilling also has its advocates, and when doctors differ, who can decide? For drilling at intervals of 8 inches, from 2 to 2½ bushels in autumn to 3 in spring are about the quantities used, from 1½ to 2 pecks additional being allowed for broadcasting. Before sowing, the wheat is steeped in a solution of blue vitriol, at the rate of about 1½ lb. to each quarter of grain, as a remedy against ball and smut. Many varieties of wheat are grown. Of these we may mention Benton, Hunter, and Shirreff's King Richard, the latter of which is an excellent cropper. Chedham and Trump are also cultivated to some extent. In the red varieties, Square Head has attained to some celebrity, while Spalding and Browick have their admirers. The estimated average produce of wheat in Edinburgh is 31 bushels per acre in the best districts, and 24 to 25 in the higher, although many crops exceed these figures by 12 or 15 bushels, and some by a great deal more. In Linlithgow, 30 bushels is stated as the average, but from 4½ to 5½ quarters is often reached.

The usual weight of wheat may be set down approximately at 60 to 63 lbs. per bushel; on good soils a little more, on poor thin subjects something less. Weeding of cereals is not so much attended to in the Lothians as it might be. It is, therefore, not uncommon at certain times to see the fields yellow with the flowers of the wild mustard; at others, red with those of the poppy. Wild oats, too, are a serious source of annoyance in some districts, while thistles spring up luxuriantly in soils favourable to their growth. Top-dressing of wheat is practised here and there. When fertilisers thus applied are mixed with potash and common salt, the straw becomes much stiffer, and thus root-falling and stem-rotting are, to a certain extent, prevented. In adverse seasons the larvae of the crane-fly or daddy-long-legs (Tipula oleracea) occasion much mischief to the roots of the plants; small insects sometimes attack the stem, while the ear is now and then injured by the wheat midge.

Barley.—In both Mid and West Lothian a comparatively large area of barley is grown, being in each county almost one-eleventh of the breadth under cropping. The acreage under barley was in—

Of late years a slight increase is noticeable in the extent under cultivation, but not nearly so much as in some counties. The fluctuations in the statistics effected by the growth of this cereal in the past twenty years have been very trifling, although prices have varied considerably. Compared with wheat, the value of barley now stands relatively high; this is, without doubt, one reason why the area under the latter is so well maintained. On farms near the sea fine crops are annually grown, as also on the lighter soils in the interior of the county. Barley is generally taken after turnips. As the crop draws its constituents from the soil very quickly, unlike wheat, which takes them gradually, it is necessary to have the land manurially rich, for the plant sends out numerous roots which spread laterally through the soil. "Where the whole of the turnip crop has been drawn, farm-yard, or artificial manures are substituted, but the barley crop is rarely as good as it is after the consumption of the turnips upon the land. The condition of the "bed" in the time of seeding is of primary importance. The best state of the soil is a friable one, so much so that when sowing the seed, in the language of the old adage, "the dust should rise above the harrows." Still there should be, at the same time, a sufficiency of moisture in order to germinate the grain and give the plants a start. With these conditions of soil, early sowing answers best, for it is usually productive of the largest bulk of straw and the heaviest grain yield. Both broadcast and drill sowing are practised. While there are undoubtedly great advantages to be derived from the former, which in some respects suits the habits of the plants very well, the great difficulty is to secure that uniformity of depth which alone gives, or at all events gives best, the uniformity in the sample so desirable in the barley crop. If sown broadcast, about 12 pecks per acre are allowed; if by drill, 8 to 9 are considered sufficient. On account of its productiveness and the preference shown to it by maltsters, Chevalier still seems to be the favourite variety, but on high-lying farms much common barley is also grown. Annat and Golden Drop also have their patrons, but these descriptions do not yield so well as Chevalier. Moreover, where the soil is manurially rich, the latter is least liable to lodge, and when it does fall it is not at all subject to send out lateral germs or shoots. Full crops yield 56 to 60 bushels per acre, but this quantity is not often reached. A fair return for Edinburgh may be stated at 42 to 48 bushels per acre, and 40 to 46 in Linlithgow. The weight of best samples reaches 56 or even 57 lbs. per bushel, but a good average may be estimated at 54 or 55 lbs.

Oats.—The oat crop in Edinburgh covers a similar area to that occupied by the same crop in Argyll and Moray, Linlithgow having about half the extent. The acreage was in—

It appears from these statistics that the land devoted to the oat crop in both counties has decreased somewhat in twenty years, but has varied very little in the past ten years. It is almost the invariable practice to take oats after lea, the exception being here and there a patch of potatoes which are taken from the lea furrow, or on the high farms a crop of oats taken after roots. Some farmers plough their land early; others leave it until after the stubble has been turned over. Early ploughing, to the depth of 6 or 8 inches, generally gives the best results, as the turf is deep enough, and has sufficient time to decay, and act a fertiliser to the young plants. The surface, too, becomes flowed by the winter frosts and rains, and a good seed-bed is ensured. The condition of the soil for the oat plant is a deep and well-stirred one, the subsoil being free from stagnant moisture. In habits of growth, oats resemble wheat more than barley, inasmuch as the roots, or rootlets, push themselves vertically into the soil rather than laterally near the surface. In the matter of sowing, a part is done with the drill, but it is not always either convenient or expedient to do so. A saving of seed is effected, and where hand-hoeing is practised, it is undoubtedly the best plan. Sown broadcast, about 2½ to 3 bushels of seed per acre are used; often a great deal more. Indeed, it is a fault that the Scotch farmers have of scattering far too much oats upon the ground. When the seed-time is favourable, and the seed good, the mistake of thick sowing is manifest. Many fields are one-fourth too thickly planted. Pour bushels sown by hand, and 2 or 3 by the machine, must be considered as ample. On the early holdings, seeding commences with the advent of March, but towards the hills it is well on to the end of the month, and now and then into April before the crop is entirely got in. Two double turns with the harrows generally suffice to cover the seed, but of late farmers have shown a preference in finishing with the chain harrow. Several varieties of oats are grown in both counties. The popular sorts seem to be the Potato, Sandy, Hopetoun, Longfellow, Tartarian, Gray, and Early Angus. On deep soils, manurially rich, the Potato yields well, while upon moderately-conditioned lands the Sandy is a very suitable variety. The Black Tartarian is a prolific cropper when sown upon a deep rich soil, often yielding as much as 7 to 9 quarters per acre, weighing 35 to 38 or even 40 lbs. per bushel. A fairly good crop of Potato oats in Edinburgh may be stated at 45 to 50 bushels; in Linlithgow, 40 to 45 bushels. Certainly these figures are often exceeded, while in many cases they are not reached, so that stating an average yield is at best only a hazardous conjecture. The weight per bushel varies from 40 to 43 lbs., or about 41 lbs. on the average. No cereals benefit more from top-dressing than oats, but since the more extensive use of extraneous feeding stuffs for stock, less top-dressing has been required and given. When found necessary, a mixture, consisting of l½ cwt. of guano with 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda and 1 cwt. of common salt, has a most salutary effect on the crop, particularly if applied in showery weather. Moreover, the salt acts, to a certain extent, as a specific against grub and other insect pests, so that its virtues for agricultural purposes can hardly be over-estimated.

Beans.—A very small breadth is annually devoted to beans. In 1866 it was 802 acres in Mid-Lothian, but by 1875 the area had been reduced to 467 acres. In Linlithgow, for the same years, the acreage was 1029 and 1026—a very small difference in ten years. In the latter county the crop is sometimes a very good one, the returns being ample and satisfactory. A firm consolidated soil is best for the bean crop, the tilth being such that the plants can send their rootlets a long way down into it. If lime is not present, it is generally added, as it is an essential element in the constitution of the bean crop. Both the drill and broadcast systems of sowing are common, but the former mostly prevails, and is undoubtedly the best. A width of from 16 to 24 inches between the drills allows of the plants being thoroughly cleaned, and is therefore considered the most convenient. The bean crop reaches from 32 to 36 bushels per acre on the average: when these figures are exceeded, the return is thought good.

Rye and Peas.—Very little land is occupied by these crops in either county, being confined to a few acres in small patches. As the produce affects the agriculture in a trifling degree, it would be a waste of time to enter into details of quantities and methods of cultivation. We may note, however, that in 1875 there were in both counties 52 acres of rye and 41 of peas in the aggregate.

Hay and Grass. Within the past ten years a much larger breadth has been annually devoted to sown grasses. The acreage was in—

The grass seeds are generally sown along with the barley crop, which is the last in the rotation; now and then this plan is deviated from, but seldom. When barley has been put down early, the grass seeds are sown after it has brairded, because, if they are put in at the same time, they get too profuse by harvest time, and cause great difficulty in securing the drying of the sheaves for the stack. In a favourable season, sowing commences by the middle of April. The seed is now almost universally deposited by a drill, 16 to 18 feet wide, and covered in either by a very light stroke of the harrows or by a turn with the roller. The latter plan is mainly adopted, and is to be recommended, because the nearer small seeds are to the surface the better. Throughout both counties farmers hold various opinions as to the quantity of seeds requisite to produce a full and close sole of grass. Mr Anderson, of Norton Mains, sows 10 lbs. of mixed clovers with 1¼ bushel of ryegrass—one-half home grown, that is British, and one-half foreign. This quantity is found to answer well upon his farm. Mr Wilson, Lochend House, Linlithgow, sows 8 to 10 lbs. of mixed clovers with 5 or 6 pecks of perennial ryegrass. Both quantities are often exceeded on other farms. A good mixture for pasture land is 8 lbs. white clover, 5 or 6 lbs. of red, 2 lbs. of alsyke, with 6 pecks of mixed ryegrass. A little cowgrass and trefoil added will be an improvement. For hay, 10 lbs. of red clover, 4 lbs. of white, 2 lbs. of alsyke, 3 pecks of perennial ryegrass, and 3 pecks of Italian is a mixture which is found to answer well. Farmers have discovered that in the matter of seeding with grasses it is a wise maxim to err on the safe side, and so secure a thickly-set sole or sward. We made several inquiries as to clover sickness; it is experienced in some cases, and is undoubtedly owing to want of potash. ["We may here remark that a friend of ours applies kainit or potash salts where the land was formerly clover-sick; now he raises splendid crops of clovers which are never thrown out in the winter months, as they were before potash was used.] A good dressing would be highly beneficial to many of the soils. In Edinburgh, about two-thirds of the grasses under rotation are made into hay or cut green for cattle; the remainder is grazed by stock. In the neighbourhood of the city, a considerable quantity is annually cut and consumed in the city byres and stables. A large area is let every year for the purpose at high rates. This year (1876), clovers and artificial grasses for cutting made L.19 to L.20 per acre, but in times of scarcity we have heard of L.30 being reached. In Linlithgow about three-fifths of the entire crop is made into hay. There is a very small acreage of permanent meadow-land reserved for this purpose, amounting only to 1300 acres in Edinburgh and 718 in Linlithgow. Towards the end of June, or as soon as most of the flowers are in bloom, cutting of the grasses for the hay crop commences. This is now almost entirely done by the mowing machine, although the scythe is still employed on small holdings or where the crops are much weather beaten. When seed is not intended to be taken, early cutting is deemed most desirable, as the farmers are fully alive to the fact that the hay is more valuable, and the aftercrop heavier. The best time to harvest clover is a little before the period of full blossom; if allowed to stand longer the stalks partake too much of the woody fibre; if taken before, the juices are not properly formed. But the time of cutting seems to be much better understood than the making of the hay after it is cut, for although the Lothian farmers are abreast of those in many other parts of Scotland in the matter of hay-making, nevertheless, almost all of them allow the grass to lie too long in the swathe. A day or two is sufficient, with careful management, to get it ready for large cock, after which it is better to cart it to the stacks at once than to cole it in the fields, because this system entails great waste. In hay-making the Scotch farmers might advantageously take a lesson from their English brethren, who delight in having their hay green, crisp, and aromatic. To make a good article, it should be done quickly, so that the juices may all be retained. In order to secure a full aftermath, some leading farmers are now in the habit of top-dressing with a light application of nitrate of soda and dissolved bones; others use 2 cwt. of Peruvian guano. A mixture of Peruvian guano, nitrate, and common salt in equal proportions, and applied at the rate of 3 to 4 cwt. per acre, has been tried with good results. In the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, the foggage, so forced, is sometimes cut for stall feeding, and in a dripping season the yield is large. The permanent land devoted to the production of hay has been vastly improved in recent years by draining and surface dressing with compost, but there are many portions susceptible of still further improvement. Unless full compensation be made, the scythe is the greatest robber that comes upon a farm. As a rule, the land which is grazed the second year carries a fair head of stock, but grazing on a large scale has not yet drifted in to be one of the branches of farm management observed by the Lothian occupier.

Any report on grasses produced in the county of Mid-Lothian would be incomplete without a brief notice of the sewage farming carried on at Edinburgh, by which as much as L.45 per acre has been realised from what was originally the poorest of soil. The extent of these forced meadows is at present about 400 acres, and it is gradually increasing. The whole is irrigated with the sewage of Edinburgh, and as it is free of charge, and there is little expense connected with it, through the elevation whence the fluid manurial ingredient comes being some 300 feet above, the farming is very profitable.

At Craigentinny, between Edinburgh and the sea, are the most extensive meadows in Scotland, being about 200 acres, all of which have been under regular irrigation with sewage for upwards of thirty years. A large variety of seeds was put in at the outset, the principal being Italian rye-grass. Most of the sown grasses have disappeared long ago, but in their place has gradually sprung up abundance of natural grasses, which now form a close thick sole. The produce is sold each year, chiefly to cow-keepers, at L.16 to L.28 per acre, and one year the price reached L.44. The crop is cut five times in the season, from the beginning of April to the end of October. The annual proceeds of the farm, which is in the hands of Mr Christie, the owner, amount to between L.3000 and L.4000, the expenditure being merely the wages paid to two men for keeping the ditches in proper order. The gross produce per acre is estimated at 50 to 70 tons. A little nearer the city are the Lochend meadows, tenanted by Mr Scott, Duddingston. They have been laid out on the ditch system, which involves a little more expense, but still they pay well. In all, they extend to about 80 acres, most of which is in grass, but on an arable plot of 12 acres, potatoes are sometimes grown, the land being sown with Italian rye-grass after their removal, which comes in for cutting before winter. The second crop brings about L.5 per acre. The permanent grass has averaged during nine spring sales L.27, 12s. per acre; prices ranging from L.20 to L.45, according to crop and demand.

At Dairy, on the west, Mr Thomson has about 70 acres under sewage irrigation. These meadows have been in grass for at least half a century, and possess a thick well-set sward. The sewage has ample natural fall, and involves little expense. The produce is disposed of in a similar manner to that on the farms already described.

At Grange, on the south, a plot consisting of 16 acres gets the drainage of a small section of the city. Altogether, the sewage irrigation of Edinburgh has been a great success, the produce being worth at least L.6000 per annum. This is, as already stated, principally grass, which is mostly consumed by the 2000 dairy cattle estimated to be in the district. Much has been said and written anent the suitability of sewage grass for dairy cattle, and while we do not intend here to enter into the pros and cons which have from time to time been advanced, we may remark that the cow-feeders of Edinburgh acknowledge it to be a valuable milk-producing commodity, and that they can get no other feeding stuff to compare with it for the same amount of cash, notwithstanding the high prices they have to pay per acre.

Green Crops.

Turnips.—About one-tenth of the cultivated area of Edinburgh and one-fifteenth of Linlithgow are annually under turnips. This is a much higher percentage than the turnip area occupies in many counties, but vastly inferior to Aberdeen and some other important cattle-feeding districts. The extent was in—

In both Mid and West Lothian there has been a gradual reduction in the area during the past twenty years, though not to any appreciable extent. On all the soils where turnip culture is suitable, it is still considered the mainstay of arable and mixed farming, providing, as it does, such a large amount of winter food for stock, and its consumption being so valuable a manurial agency for corn. Where autumn cultivation is observed, the land is ploughed with a deep furrow of eight to ten inches as soon as possible in the fall. It is then allowed to lie till the following spring, when it is well grubbed, spring ploughing being rarely practised. A few years ago, as many as two furrows were given in spring, but this mode of culture has been almost abandoned, inasmuch as it not only entails more labour, but is positively mischievous in its effects, for the rainfall being moderate, the soil becomes dry and hard, so that a fine tilth is difficult to obtain, and there is a lack of moisture to promote the germination of the seed. Two or three good grubbings generally suffice, the last being generally made in the direction of the drills. Mr Davidson, Walton, approves of autumn cultivation, and he rarely ploughs in the spring. Mr Anderson, Norton Mains, also thinks that autumn ploughing and spring grubbing answer best. Mr Melvin, Bonnington, ploughs in autumn, taking a deep furrow, and grubs in spring, obtaining a fine tilth. Mr Inch, Liberton West Mains, has grubbed regularly in spring for thirty years, going over the land once, twice, or thrice, as may be found necessary. The practice never fails with him, as he gets his land into good order and retains all the moisture in the soil. Another successful agriculturist, Mr Dickson, Saughton Mains, also prefers spring grubbing, as he gets a finer mould and a better braird of plants. We have brought forward these examples in order to show the general esteem in which spring grubbing is held by many of the successful farmers in the Lothians. Mr Mylne, Niddrie Mains, on the other hand, advocates spring ploughing for turnips, but he works well up to the plough with the harrow and crusher, so as to retain the moisture. Drills are generally made 27 inches in width with a double-mould plough. Where farm-yard manure is used, it is forked into the stitches, if not previously applied to the stubble in autumn, and the drills split to cover it in. From 2 to 3 cwt. of portable manures is also allowed to give the plants a start at the outset. Where artificial manures are used alone, about 8 cwts. of mixed guano and phosphates are generally given in the proportion of 6 of the former to 2 of the latter. Of late years, farmers have seen the necessity of sowing a larger proportion of swedes than formerly, as they keep so much better than the softer varieties during a severe winter. The sowing of swedes commences in the second week of May, weather permitting, and is finished before the end of the month, the white and hybrid descriptions being sown immediately after, and the whole crop being got in, if possible, before midsummer. Occasionally, the turnip beetle—Haltica nemorum—proves very destructive when the plants are in the cotyledonous stage, and, as a safeguard, a heavy seeding is given, from 3 to 3½, or even 4 lbs. per acre being the usual quantity sown. Many farmers, however, consider that 2½ lbs. of fresh home-grown seed is quite sufficient. And here we may note that selection of seed is, or ought to be, a very important matter with the grower. Having faith in the adage that "like begets like," he should satisfy himself, not only that his seed is descended from a healthy and trustworthy stock, but also that the bulbs from which it was produced had been carefully selected and transplanted. Seed grown from a miscellaneous crop of bulbs can never be so good as that produced from those which have been selected for their shape, size, and general qualities, because roots of all kinds are liable to deteriorate, unless much care be exercised in their propagation. The varieties of swedes grown are Skirving's, East Lothian, and purple-top; of common turnips, the white globe, greystone, yellow bullock, and Fosterton hybrid. In singling, the roots are left 10 to 12 inches apart, as a rule, although we have seen many fields where the plants were much nearer, scarcely exceeding 6 or 7 inches. Singlers, unless well looked after, are apt to leave the plants too close together, as few of them can realise the size of a well-developed turnip when they see it only in its infant stages. Still, great care is often exercised in the singling, in order that no two plants may be left in close contact, as the growth of both is then abnormal. Hand-hoeing and weeding, with stitch-harrowing and grubbing, are vigorously prosecuted, with the view of keeping down weeds and stirring the soil, so as to allow the air to permeate it until the plants close in the drills and entirely preclude further operations. We may mention that a few farmers have latterly tried the top-dressing of turnips with a mixture of superphosphate and nitrate of soda applied broadcast immediately after singling. This is found to have a beneficial effect upon the plants, and the practice is worthy of being more generally adopted. About 16 to 18 tons of swedes, and 22 to 23 tons of common turnips per acre, may be put down as a good average return from first-class land, but the average of both counties on all classes of soil will probably not over-reach 16 to 17 tons. The proper storing of turnips is not so well attended to as it might be, neither in the Lothians nor in many other districts of Scotland. Too often they are carted from the fields during the winter as they are required, and in the event of a snow storm occurring or a hard frost setting in, there is a great waste experienced in this "hand to mouth" system. By the latter part of October, or, say up to the middle of November, the roots should be topped and tailed, and carted to the homestead, or in some way protected from the winter storms. When carted, the roots should be free from frost or rime, or their keeping qualities will be impaired. There are several methods of storing turnips observed. The old-fashioned plan of putting in longitudinal heaps and thatching with straw has in many instances been superseded by what we think is a better method— that of storing in square heaps, having a uniform depth of three feet. These heaps are finally covered with straw, and the bulbs keep admirably, the rain running through without doing any harm. Another plan is to cart the roots to a piece of clean lea, and set them closely together upon the turf, the tops serving for a protection. Where it is intended to consume the crop by sheep upon the land during spring-time, turnips are sometimes put in heaps as most convenient, and covered with straw and earth; or four rows are thrown into a drill, and a deep furrow drawn up each side, the soil being laid close to the roots. In consuming the turnip crop, the farmer has to consider two points—the making of the straw at home into manure, and the enriching of the land for the future wheat or barley crop. In order to provide for both these important matters, four drills are usually drawn off to consume with the straw in the cattle folds, the remaining four being eaten upon the land by sheep. This practice leaves the soil in high manurial condition, especially if a little cake has been allowed with the turnips. Some farmers let their roots for consumption, the rate per week for aged sheep being 6d. less or more, according to supply and demand. One penny per day is reckoned a very good price : if the crop is heavy, it ensures a remunerative return. When let for cattle, the general rate is 4s. or 5s. per week, or about L.8 to L.9 per acre. Should the purchaser desire to consume cake along with the turnips, of course the farmer gets the benefit in the improved manure; for this cake he gives an equivalent in money at the rate of L.2 to L.3 per ton. The city dairymen buy a considerable quantity of turnips from the farmers near Edinburgh, for which they pay heavy prices. Potatoes.—In each of the counties under consideration the potato crop covers about half the extent that is allotted to turnips, so that the apportionment of the green crop, with trifling exceptions, is one-third potatoes, two-thirds turnips. Edinburgh stands in the eleventh position as regards other counties, while Linlithgow, owing to its limited area, holds an inferior position. The breadth was in—

The extent of land under potatoes remains much the same as it was twenty years ago. The soil and climate are generally favourable to the growth of this esculent, and a good yield is the rule. But the crop hardly pays so well as formerly, owing to the demand for Scotch potatoes not being so keen in the London markets. Sales are, therefore, scarcely so easy to make, while prices are less than they were twenty years ago. Potatoes form the second crop in the rotation, occupying a portion of the oat stubble, which is almost always manured in the autumn. A few farmers, however, adhere to the drill-manuring system, inasmuch as they maintain that the crop is larger. Though we are ready to admit this, yet it cannot be denied that autumn manuring gives sounder tubers and better quality, while the labour in spring is reduced to a minimum. Where fall manuring is practised, as soon after harvest as is convenient, the land apportioned to this crop is divided by furrows drawn at a distance of 18 feet apart, in order that the manure may be regularly and evenly laid on. The quantity per acre varies, but it is well known that it is poor economy to give less than experience has proved necessary to the production of a full crop. From 20 to 25 tons is reckoned a good dressing, but even this quantity is, in some cases, much exceeded. For example, in the present season (1876), we saw a fine thirty-acre field of potatoes upon the farm of Mr Anderson, Norton Mains, which had been dressed with 1250 tons of well-made farm-yard manure, or between 42 and 43 tons per acre, allowance being made for hedges and headlands. Besides this, the crop was dressed with 4 cwt. of guano, at a cost of 10s. per cwt., one-half being applied at the time of planting, the remainder as a top-dressing. The potatoes were taken after grass, but the practice is not general. After the land has been manured in autumn, it is ploughed with a deep furrow, and where free from weeds little more is needed in the spring than a few stripes with the grubber and going over two or three times with the harrow. Sometimes potatoes are grown solely with portable manures, chiefly guano and dissolved bones; in such cases, 16 to 18 cwts. are given, at a cost of L.8 or L.9 per acre. After the land has got into a nice surface tilth, it is thrown into drills about 27 inches wide. The artificial manures are then applied and the potatoes planted. Ten inches is a common width between the setts, but a few growers prefer twelve; others, fourteen for the late descriptions. Dalmahoys and Bed-bogs are the chief croppers in the early varieties, Regents and Bocks in the late ones. Recently, Rintoul Dons and Victorias have been tried to some extent, while the old Orkney red, once so common, has almost entirely been supplanted. A wide opinion exists as to the best kind of setts to use. Some advocate those cut from large tubers; others prefer medium-sized potatoes planted entire, a small slice having previously been cut from the rose-end. Too many eyes in the seed are guarded against as much as possible, as they cause the haulms or shaws to be weak and the produce small in size. The seed tubers are not cut long before they are wanted, inasmuch as the germinating powers are liable to be either impaired or entirely destroyed, by this procedure. A few weeks after planting, the drills are harrowed down to check the first or spring braird of weeds. When the potatoes are sufficiently through, a good hoeing is given, and between the drills the grubber and stitch-harrow are used as required. Previous to the final earthing up, which should always, if possible, be done when the soil is damp, many top-dress with 3 cwts. of artificial manure sown broadcast, which acts very beneficially in the formation of tubers. It will thus be seen that, independently of rent of land, cost of seed, working, and other incidental expenses, the potato crop is a very expensive one. In-purchased farmyard manure costs about 8s. 6d. per ton, and before it can be laid on, generally entails 1s. 6d. more for carriage, thus bringing the price up to 10s. on application. A dressing of 20 tons at 10s., costs L.10; 4 cwt. of artificial at 10s., L.2 ; and, say 2 cwt. for top-dressing, L.1; making an aggregate manurial expenditure of L.13. This is only a low estimate, yet a very high figure. Still, as liberal manuring is essential to heavy cropping, there is no economy in limiting the supplies. Considerable losses are sometimes experienced from the crops being attacked by the malady which thirty years ago first created such wide-spread consternation throughout the British Islands. A fine crop in bygone times usually realised L.30 per acre when sold to dealers, but of late the prices have been much reduced. Ordinary value now rarely exceeds L.20 to L.25 per acre, sometimes less, so that, taking the risk of the crop and the expenses attending its culture into consideration, there is not a wide margin left for profit. An extra crop, however, still occasionally realises L.30 and upwards. A large proportion of the tubers grown in both Edinburgh and Linlithgow are sold to dealers who reside in Dunbar. The crop is lifted solely at the buyer's expense, the farmer furnishing the horse work only. These dealers carry on an extensive trade, some of them buying as far as L.20,000 worth in a single season. Lifting commences with the Dalmahoys about the beginning of July, or sometimes in the latter part of June. These are sent off to Edinburgh and other towns in baskets, where they command a good price. A few farmers pit all their later varieties in preference to selling to dealers, consigning to London or disposing of as best they can throughout the winter and spring. In October the general crop is lifted and stored, the whole being finished before Martinmas. The raising of the tubers entails a heavy expenditure. One practice is to throw them out with a plough specially constructed; another is to raise by the digger, but this implement is not yet in general use; while, perhaps, the most satisfactory method adopted is hand-digging. The potatoes are stored in pits, thatched with straw, and covered with nine inches to one foot of soil. From 7 to 8 tons per acre is thought a good crop, but the prolific varieties occasionally reach 9 tons. The tubers are sorted into three divisions, the largest size being for the table, the second for seed, and the smallest for stock or the starch manufactories. Large quantities of seed are sent to England, the change from the Lothians being a good one; while the seed required in turn is purchased every year, or every alternate year at furthest, from Perth, Lanark, and the adjoining counties, the aim being to obtain them from a later to an earlier and better district.

Other Green Crops.—In Mid-Lothian, 657 acres of cabbage and 968 of vetches were grown in 1875. These form a valuable food for dairy stock, as both crops come in at seasons when other substances are scarce. Seventeen acres of mangolds and 53 of carrots were also raised. The latter are sometimes used for horses, but a large portion of them goes to the Edinburgh green market. In the same year, Linlithgow had 307 acres under vetches, 72 under cabbages, 18 under mangold, and 1 under carrots.

Live Stock.

Cattle.—There are comparatively few cattle bred in Mid-Lothian, but a larger proportion in Linlithgow, although breeding is carried on not nearly so extensively as in many counties of Scotland. In Aberdeen, Berwick, Caithness, Moray, and Kincardine, for example, one-half of the entire number of cattle collected by the Board of Trade are under two years of age, while in Edinburgh only one-fourth, and in Linlithgow one-third, are under two years; and were the statistics collected at Christmas in place of midsummer, the proportion would still be much smaller. Breeding is chiefly carried on upon farms remote from the large towns, and on the upland holdings, where nearly all kinds of farming are now and then observed by one tenant. Often the calves from the large dairies are purchased by hill farmers, reared, and sold off fat. Feeding cattle are generally good crosses bought in at the autumn fairs, and disposed of during the next summer. The farmers near Edinburgh have great facilities for the disposal of dairy produce, hence the dairying interest receives a large amount of attention. The number of cattle was in—

There has been a large increase in the number of cattle kept within ten years, amounting to nearly 50 per cent. in Edinburgh, and very little less in Linlithgow. This has been brought about principally by the low rate at which grain has been selling, and the improved price of butchers' meat, combining to make the farmer change his system of management. The reduction in the area of wheat land has therefore seen a corresponding increase in the head of cattle kept—a noticeable feature in almost every part of the kingdom.

Breeding and Bearing of Cattle.—The total number of young cattle in Edinburgh in 1875 was 5412; in Linlithgow, 3851. These include all cattle under two years old, so that the number of calves annually reared cannot be large. They are generally born in spring, although in the vicinity of the dairies there is a fair proportion dropped in the fall of the year, the cows being destined to fill the ranks of the cattle which have become dry, and are put up for feeding. Spring calves get the mother's milk for a month at the commencement; they are then put upon skim milk, to which is added a little gruel, or, in some cases, artificial food. Different systems prevail in the after-management. Some prefer to turn the calves upon the pastures, giving them skim milk twice a day; others keep them under cover, and allow them grass or tares. We noticed that where it is the custom to drive milk to the towns, the calves were in poor condition, the immediate money return being most in favour. However desirable, therefore, it is in some respects that dairy farmers should rear their own cattle, this is one disadvantage of the system, for if the calf-flesh is lost, the animals are liable to be stunted in after-life. Winter calves get new milk for a month or six weeks ; they are then put upon skim milk or gruel. In addition to this, they have sliced turnips as soon as they can eat them, with a little hay. Cooked food is seldom given, the majority of farmers having a decided objection to it, but several have great faith in pulped roots. The method of rearing differs so little from that pursued in other counties that we have little to add on this point, but, by way of illustration, may give the practice of two or three farmers in the breeding districts. Mr Meikle, Seafield, Bathgate, who owns one of the best pure-bred Ayrshire stocks in Scotland, rears 20 to 30 calves annually, giving them warm milk from the cow for a month, after which they are run upon the pastures, and are fed with skim milk and artificial food. Mr James Mackay, West Craigs, raises 20 cross shorthorn and Ayrshire calves, giving new milk for a month or five weeks, and afterwards skim milk. These crosses he keeps two and a half years, selling off fat from October to Christmas. Mr Archibald M'Vicar, Woodend, Torphichen, brings up 15 to 20 calves to consume the milk from a dairy of 12 to 15 cows. This is principally a hill farm, on which blackfaced sheep are kept. In the city and adjacent byres some of the calves are fed off for the butcher with all despatch, and sold as veal; others, as already stated, are sold to the upland farmers, either to rear as dairy cattle or to fatten for the shambles.

Cattle Feeding.—The majority of lowland farmers graze only a few cattle in summer, but in winter feed many more. The Board of Trade returns afford no information as to numbers, as the bulk of the feeding cattle are purchased in during autumn, and sold off before the returns are collected in the following year. The beasts for fattening consist largely of strong shorthorn crosses from the southern counties of Scotland and the north of England, with here and there a sprinkling of Irish. These crosses are two to three years old when bought in, and are sold off as they become ready during the winter and spring months, the whole being cleared out by June. It is not uncommon for the in-buying price to be doubled, while there is generally a sufficient margin to fully remunerate the feeder. Sometimes good crosses are kept over-year and finished off by the following Christmas, when they make heavy weights. This system is, however, far from common. The food given to fattening animals is turnips, straw, cake, and corn, with or without a little hay. Roots are not given ad libitum as in some counties, only a sufficient quantity being allowed to keep the animal in a healthy, thriving condition. Crushed oats and rye are used in a few instances, so are refuse potatoes, when the crop is lifted by the owner. Mr Ford, Hardengreen, one of the best feeders in Mid-Lothian, uses hay, cake, and crushed grain. These substances he finds to answer well, and his cross-breds thrive admirably upon such generous fare. He has tried the experiment of running a few crosses upon rough pastures in the winter, allowing nothing but what they gather for themselves, and yet they make fair progress. Of course, they require a little better diet at the finish, but it is well bestowed. Mr Dickson, Saughton Mains, is also a noted feeder. In addition to straw and turnips, his cattle are liberally supplied with extraneous food, and are consequently sent off ripe before they have been long in his hands. Mr George Davidson, Walton, is one of the most noted feeders in West Lothian. He purchases either the best Irish or Westmorland cattle in the fall of the year, when the turnip crop is ready for use. A sufficient quantity of roots is allowed, to prevent the animals from requiring water, with a daily allowance of 3 lbs. of linseed cake. In addition to this, they get a feed of the following mixture once or twice a day:—Crushed cotton cake, grains, light wheat, beans, oats, light barley, and cut straw—or hay, when cheap—damped a few hours before use. On this fare they make good headway, and are quite healthy. Those which are ripe go off to market by the end of the year, when the stalls they occupy are filled by a few choice cattle drawn from the ordinary winter stock. The remnants are sold in spring and early summer, the whole being cleared out by June. The last consignments in the summer of 1876 realised L.35 each. Last year (1875), Mr Davidson tried an experiment with some pasture land purposely left rough in the autumn. He purchased a cheap lot of West Highland stirks at the Falkirk October Tryst for L.6, 5s. per head. They throve amazingly, and with a little help in the spring, made considerably over L.20 each. The courts at Walton are all covered in, Mr Davidson having little faith in open sheds for feeding purposes. "Loss of heat is loss of meat," he rightly considers, to say nothing of the superior quality of the manure which is made under cover. Mr Davidson also grazes a few stirks upon the pastures, winters them, and feeds off in the following summer. Mr Peter Wilson, Broomieknowes, who has a mixed farm consisting of arable land and hill pasture, grazes cattle upon the hill in summer, and finishes them in the courts upon turnips, straw, and corn, or cake in winter. So long as straw commands 4d. to 6d. per stone, Mr Wm. W. Anderson, Norton Mains, Mid-Lothian, thinks it profitable to sell it, and purchase an equivalent in town manure from Edinburgh or Glasgow. When the straw falls short of that price, he buys in cattle to consume it along with the turnips. Mr John Fortune, Inglis-ton feeds cattle in the open courts in summer with cut grass. This system makes good manure, and brings in a return of about L.10 per acre.

The dairymen in the district lying in and around Edinburgh change their cattle as a rule every year, sometimes oftener. The animals are purchased either on the eve of calving, or soon after the calves are dropped, and are hard fed and milked for eight or ten months, when, by a gradual change in the character of the food, the cows become dry, and are soon good beef. Thus they bring in sometimes as much, and occasionally more than first cost. In other cases they lose a little, and this is more common since the great advance in the price of newly-calved cattle, or those close on profit. In the more remote dairy localities, cattle are milked for one, two, or three seasons, so that there is not so much beef produced as where there is more pressure brought to bear upon the management. Milk being the primary object of the Edinburgh dairyman, he caters for it in every way, using substances in the forcing which would soon ruin the constitution of the cow. It is therefore to his interest to change his stock often, even if a little loss be experienced. We may here note that of late years large lots of foreign cows in calf are readily bought by city dairymen, at prices ranging from L.7 to L.15 each. These, as a rule, milk well, and are less risk to the owner, owing to their small cost; while, when fat, they frequently make L.3 to L.5 a-piece over inlaid price. We have said that Ayrshires and shorthorns sometimes lose a little, so that the dairyman is now drifting into the stocking which requires less capital, and is more sure of maintaining or exceeding its original value. Some of the foreign stock make very nice beef, and are readily picked up by butchers if their age is not too great.

Dairying.—Of the 19,004 cattle returned by the farmers of Edinburgh, 9614 come under the head of cows and heifers in milk. Besides these, there are about 1800 to 2000 milch cattle in the town and suburbs of Edinburgh, making a total of between 11,000 and 12,000 coming under the dairy interest. In Linlithgow, 3541 of the 11,543 may be classed as dairy stock, making a total for the two counties of about 15,000 head. In Mid-Lothian dairying has increased much in recent years. In the city of Edinburgh it has fallen off slightly, but has been fully compensated for by the extra number of stock kept, specially in the country, to supply the requirements of the town. Previous to the rinderpest year, the number of dairy cattle in Edinburgh was stated at 2100 or 2200; but the grievous plague claimed many as its victims, and the original quantity was never again fully made up. The Cattle Sheds Act, too, reduced the numbers to some extent. This insured a regular inspection of the byres, and a report as to whether they were properly constructed, had good sanitary regulations, and were well kept in general. Many were condemned, and the country thus came in for a larger share of the town's business. Had the town's cattle increased with the requirements of the population in place of falling off, they would now have, doubtless, numbered close upon 4000. Most of the produce of these cattle is sold as sweet milk. There are also dairies in the suburbs constructed on much the same principle as those in the city. In summer the cows are fed upon grass obtained from the irrigation meadows, together with brewers' grains, bran, and meal; in winter, they have hay, cut turnips, grains, beanmeal, and straw. Both feeding and milking take place three times a-day, except when the cows are being put dry. Besides the foreign cattle already mentioned, the breed consists of Ayrshires and crosses. It is computed that about one-half of the milk required in Edinburgh is obtained from the city dairies; the remainder is driven from the country, or, in some instances, where far distant, sent by rail. Amongst those who keep shorthorn crosses for dairying purposes, may be mentioned Mr Stenhouse, South Gyle, Corstorphine, who has about 60 cows; Mr Thomas Mylne, Niddrie Mains, who has 50 cows; Mr James Hope, Duddingston, whose byres contain over 70 dairy cattle; and Mrs Mure, Mid-Kinleith, who has 40, more or less. The 50 cows at the large dairy of Morningside, Egypt, owned by Mr Begbie, also belong, with a few exceptions, to the cross breeds. On many of the large dairy farms pure Ayr-shires are kept. Mr James Fleming, Coates, Penicuik, has, off and on, 50 of this favourite breed; the Duke of Buccleuch has 20 at Dalkeith Park; Mr Ainslie, Hillend, has 40 to 50; Mr Walter Kidd, about 50 at Balleny; and Mr Robertson, Harlaw, Currie, has between 30 and 40 of his own rearing. Mr Meikle, Seafield, keeps pure Ayrshires, his herd, for dairy purposes, numbering about 40; Mr Mackay, West Craigs, has 20 of the same breed, and Mr M'Vicar, Woodend, 15 to 20. The three last named stocks being in Linlithgow, the owners do not send their milk into Edinburgh, but find an offgate in another way. Mr Meikle has sent his churned milk to Newcastle for seventeen or eighteen years. The Penicuik and Currie districts in Mid-Lothian are both well adapted for dairy stock; and when sweet milk began to be scarce in Edinburgh, during the time of rinderpest, several farmers commenced driving their milk to the town, and have done so ever since. The method of feeding varies much according to the kind of cows kept, the district to which the dairy belongs, and other circumstances. On a dairy-farm in the Penicuik district, the cows are kept upon the pastures in summer, and get a feed of draff twice a-day; in winter they have boiled turnips mixed with feeding meals and draff twice a-day, raw turnips twice, with hay and straw each once in the day. The cost of the food is calculated at 12s. per week. Upon another farm, the cattle get cut vetches and meal in summer, besides liberty upon a good pasture; and in winter have turnips three times a-day, and hay or straw twice. Cost of maintenance, exclusive of attendance, 12s. to 13s. in winter; in summer, 7s. to 7s. 6d. In the parish of Torphichen, Linlithgow, a farmer who drives milk, feeds on turnips, meal, draff, and hay in winter, at a cost of 10s. to lis., and estimates the summer-keep at L.7 for twenty weeks. Another farmer in the parish of Linlithgow, who feeds in much the same way, calculates 11s. to 12s. as a fair average all the year round. His cows for this, return three to four gallons of milk daily throughout the season. On a farm in the Cuirie district, the cows are grazed in summer, and have a feed of cut grass at night; in the winter they get turnips, draff, meal, cake, and straw. Estimated cost, 14s. per week. The instances quoted scarcely give a fair criterion of the cost of keeping a cow, as the owners, having most of the food in their own hands, do not estimate everything at full price. The city dairies show a much larger expenditure. At Morningside the cows average about 18s. per head. Mr Honeyman, Dairy, gives 19s. to 21s. as the probable cost. Mr Mylne, Niddrie Mains, gives 17s. 6d., and some others estimate L.1. This may be a little over the mark, but where cows are kept in the stalls all the year, the expense is undoubtedly heavy. "We received various estimates as to the quantity of milk an average cow would produce. Some of the best, in the height of the season, give six gallons daily for a long time, while five is common. A good average for a dairy, throughout the season, is about four gallons; this is seldom exceeded, and not often reached; three and a-half gallons will be about the most correct figure to put down approximately. We have heard it stated at three gallons, but this, we are convinced, after making numerous inquiries, is too little. The selling price is 11d. per gallon, so that a cow which holds out at three and a-half gallons per day will bring in 24s. l½d. per week. There are, however, many incidental expenses, not calculated in the returns, which