ON THE AGRICULTURE OF THE COUNTY OF FIFE. 33 



as practicable in the spring, while the fields intended for turnips 

 and potatoes are in some cases scarified or cross ploughed or 

 grubbed during the winter, thus giving the frost full play upon 

 the soil. Weeds are generally plentiful, but, as a rule, great care 

 is taken to clean the land well. Eolling stones or surface 

 boulders were never very abundant, and what did exist have 

 lonQ- aM been driven to the edges of the fields or utilised in 

 drains and fences. As will be inferred from the stiff nature 

 of much of the land, and the depth to w^hich it is ploughed, 

 the Fifeshire soil is heavy on horses ; strong Clydesdales are 

 generally kept, and, on an average, only about 60 acres are 

 allotted to each pair — a small breadth compared with several of 

 the other counties of Scotland. On the lighter soils a pair of 

 horses sometimes work as much as 80 acres ; but taking the 

 county as a whole, the average is not much above what we have 

 stated. The farmers of Fifeshire cultivate their soil with no 

 niggard hand. They manure liberally and cultivate carefully; 

 and, in fact, spare neither pains nor expense to bring the utmost 

 out of their holdings. Artificial manures are nsed very exten- 

 sively, and have been so for a considerable number of years, 

 while an immense quantity of the very best of farm-yard manure 

 is made every year and all spread on the land. 



Fifeshire stands almost unrivalled with respect to the imple- 

 ments employed in the cultivation of its soil. All the most 

 improved farm implements of the day are in use in Fifeshire, 

 while manual labour is economised to the utmost possible degree. 

 Double furrow ploughs are worked on several farms, but are not 

 generally approved of. The single and drill ploughs, however, 

 have all the modern improvements. Iron harrows are used 

 almost exclusively, while the sowing and reaping of the grain 

 crops are accomplished by machinery on nearly every farm 

 above 50 acres, and many even below that. Steam is the pre- 

 vailing power in thrashing the grain, there being also a good 

 many water and horse-mills in the county. A number of port- 

 able thrashing-mills traverse the county, and are extensively 

 employed. In a large majority of cases the thrashing-mills are 

 fitted up with apparatuses for thoroughly preparing the grain 

 for the bags, while a great many also convey it to the granary. 



Steam Cultivation. 

 We know of very few counties in Scotland better suited for 

 cultivation by steam than Fifeshire. Leaving out a iew of the 

 higher lying parts, and the parts most cut up by collieries and 

 other mineral operations, almost the whole of the remainder of 

 the county might be cultivated by steam. The surface, though 

 a little undulating, is seldom steep, and the fields are generally 

 pretty large and conveniently shaped. JSTo stones (at least if 



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