Mr. Smith's Visit to the Island of Lewis. 5 



laid it loosely on, just as the farmers here spread it over the top of a 

 stack, and then tied it down with ropes spun from the heath. In this 

 position it was exposed to the smoke of their peat fires. He might 

 here mention, that the fire was placed in the middle of the room, and 

 there were no chimnies ; but instead of them, a number of holes were 

 rangod all around the top of the side wall. When the smoke ascended, 

 therefore, as it did by means of its lightness, and a portion of it was 

 forced back, it escaped by means of these holes. A great deal of it, how- 

 ever, made its way up through the straw on the roof, and when approach- 

 ing one of these little towns, he could compare its appearance to nothing 

 more likely than that presented by the smoke rising from a cluster of 

 heated grain stacks. This straw became very valuable, from the great 

 condensation of ammonia and other products which took place in it. 

 The people of Lewis planted their potatoes without any manure what- 

 ever ; but when the plant had got up to the length of two or three inches, 

 a general unroofing of the houses took place, and the straw which had 

 been preparing there all the season was thrown upon the drills; it 

 was rarely covered up, excepting in windy weather, when a slight 

 sprinkling was put upon it to prevent its being blown away. This 

 manure penetrates the soil immediately, and the potatoes forthwith 

 come up with the greatest luxuriance. Indeed, if they were to scatter 

 guano upon the soil, the effects would not be more rapid or complete 

 than those produced by this prepared straw. This certainly evinced 

 great ingenuity on the part of these people, who, from the difficulties 

 of their position, were driven to it as the only means of preparing 

 manure. He had no doubt, indeed, that it might lead to valuable 

 results in the agricultural practice of more favoured districts. The 

 people of Lewis, however, had another kind of manure than that 

 described ; they had the manure which was produced from their cows, 

 and he might here mention that in their care of it they evinced a 

 degree of intelligence superior to that of farmers of much higher pre- 

 tensions, for they kept it constantly covered up, and each and all 

 joined in the opinion that if it was exposed it lost, to a great extent, 

 its efficacy. When the manure, therefore, was taken out of the house 

 for one crop, they immediately commenced to accumulate for the next, 

 and thus they kept adding to its bulk, till it was needed for the pota- 

 toes or barley. It might seem strange that the people should live in 

 the next apartment to so much decaying matter; but the people feel 

 no inconvenienco from it. He might mention, however, that at the 

 time the manure was taken out fever often prevailed amongst the 

 people, which he could only attribute to this cause. Some of the best 

 agriculturists were about to follow this plan of keeping the manure 

 constantly covered up; he did not say that they should live in the 

 same house with it, but it was of great moment that the manure should 

 be constantly under cover. 



In Lewis they followed a strict rotation of cropping. They had 



