24 ON THE AGPJCULTUIiE OF THE COUNTY OF FIFE. 



his many battles, and in the process of cutting drains, several 

 horse shoes were dug up from a depth of three or four feet, and 

 it is affirmed that these shoes helouo;ed to the horses ridden by 

 followers or enemies of this immortal warrior. The farm of 

 Backmarch, lying in this valley, and extending to about 230 

 acres, is tenanted by Mr Mitchell. It is worked in six shifts, 

 and its soil is chiefly strong adhesive clay, some parts being 

 strong black loam, ilr Mitchell grows excellent crops of beans 

 and good crops of potatoes, wliile oats and barley grow fairly. 

 Turnips were usually very subject to damage by " finger and 

 toe," but last season he tried an experiment which has proved 

 an entire remedy. When the field on which the turnips were 

 sown last spring was in grass, he spread a slight doze of slack 

 lime over it, and the turnips show no signs of disease, which he 

 attrilmtes entirely to the action of the lime. Within the 

 memory of some of the oldest inhabitants, a large stretch of the 

 Laich was lying in a swampy, spongy, unhealthy state; but now 

 it is comparatively dry, and is one of the best cultivated parts 

 of the county. Mr ]\Iitchell has redrained a good deal of the 

 farm during the past few years ; but still a few patches are in 

 want of better drainage. In some of the more retentive parts of 

 the farm, there are only about fifteen feet between the drains, 

 and still the soil is not thoroughly dry. Xo pick is required in 

 cutting the drains, and a three-feet drain can be dug at 2s. per 

 chain. Almost all the old drains were laid with stones, but 

 tiles are universally used now. The rents of a few farms in 

 this neighbourhood have been tripled since 1800, and doubled 

 since 1830. Proceeding by Inverkeithing along the coast to the 

 picturesque little village of Aberdour, we pass a number of 

 •extensive and very highly cultivated farms. On the large and 

 valuable estate of the Earl of Moray, in the parishes of Dalgety, 

 Aberdour, Beath, and Auchtertool, numerous and very expensive 

 improvements in the way of fencing, draining, and building have 

 been effected during the past twenty-five years. A few acres of 

 new land have been added to two or three farms in the parish 

 of Beath; but the total acreasre reclaimed since 1850 is not bv 

 any means large. The road from Aberdour to Burntisland 

 winds along the coast through most charming wooded scenery, 

 forming one of the most delightful walks to be had, even in the 

 picturesque county of Fife, and during the summer and autumn 

 months is the favourite saunter of many hundreds of holiday 

 seekers, who crowd the rising little town of Burntisland. The 

 soil on a good deal of the land around Aberdour, and running 

 down to the Firth of Forth, is not by any means heavy, but 

 it is friable and very fertile. The farms of DaUachy and 

 Balram form the principal holding in the parish of Aberdour. 

 They extend to about 600 acres, and are rented at L.1253, the 



