56 ON THE AGKICULTURE OF THE COUNTY OF FIFE. 



Tis witli " old men, women, and boys " to cultivate our farms. 

 That such should have been the case, we are not in the least 

 surprised ; nor would we be astonished though the tide of 

 emigration should continue to flow uninterruptedly for some 

 time to come, unless strenuous efforts are made to check 

 it. True, these attractions which are offered to emigrants 

 are too often false and cruelly misleading ; but still, to men 

 who are discontented with their present position, or who 

 consider themselves hampered or carelessly treated at home, they 

 sound well ; and wdio can blame a man for honestly seeking to 

 push his fortune in whatever region of the globe a competence 

 seems to him to be easiest within his reach ? 



We are not very careful to inquire who is really to blame for 

 the unhealthy state of matters at home ; we think that not only 

 one class, but three — landlords, farmers, and servants — are in 

 fault. Our object is to endeavour to point out a remedy. 

 Though efforts were commenced immediately, a considerable 

 time would necessarily elapse before the present unsatisfactory 

 state of matters could be entirely removed. Improvement would 

 have to be effected in many and various ways ; but we think that 

 the key to the whole question is the erection of cottages, and the 

 encouragement of married servants. A thorough acquaintance 

 with tlie counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Moray, Nairn, and Inver- 

 ness, where cottages are few and far between, and where at least 

 80 per cent, of the farm servants are single, and live in kitchens 

 or " bothies ; " and with Eoss and Caithness, and Fife, and one 

 or two other counties in the south of Scotland, where cottage 

 accommodation is almost complete, and where upwards of 60 per 

 cent, of the agricultural labourers are married and live in these 

 cottages, enables us to judge of the advantages and disadvantages 

 of the two systems. And we would advise all those landed pro- 

 prietors who are really anxious to improve the condition of the 

 farm labourers on their estates, and who have the means to do so, 

 to adopt the latter system, if they have not already done it. Let 

 them visit the county of Fife, and carefully examine the state of 

 matters there, and we feel satisfied that they would return con- 

 vinced of the efticiency of the remedy we have recommended. 

 As previously mentioned in this report, a very large majority of 

 the Fifeshire farms are accommodated with servants' cottages, and 

 those still wanting them are speedily being supplied. About 

 four-fifths of the servants are married, and live comfortably and 

 contentedly with their wives and families in these cottages. 

 Every man has his nice little garden, or division of garden, and 

 perhaps a pig, which he feeds for the winter's pot. His home is 

 his whole possession, and his daily aim is to make it happy and 

 comfortable. The humble, but tidy, little cottage is as dear to 

 him as the noblest mansion in the kingdom is to its favoured 



