ON THE AGRICULTUKE OF THE COUNTY OF FIFE. 45 



improvement, however, takes place after the end of August. 

 The bulbs expand most marvellously, and many fields that 

 seem sickly and stinted at the close of summer turn out to be 

 rich and very heavy. A large quantity of the seed used is grown 

 in the county. 



Potatoes. — Fifeshire has long been famous as a potato-producing 

 county. It has always cultivated them extensively, and of late 

 years has been giving a little more prominence to them than ever. 

 The acreage under potatoes was in — 



1856, . 

 1857, . 



1868, . 



1869, . 



The increase since 1850, it will be seen, is not very large, but 

 then the county stood third highest in Scotland with regard to 

 the proportionate acreage under potatoes compared with other 

 crops. As already stated; the high prices which were being paid 

 for this esculent during the Crimean war increased its cultiva- 

 tion in rife, as in several other Scotch counties, and since then 

 it has never been abandoned, though these high rates have long 

 ago ceased to exist. The soil and climate of Kfe suit the culti- 

 vation of potatoes admirably, and yet the county stands only 

 about twentieth in Scotland with respect to the produce of 

 potatoes per acre. We have already expressed our opinion 

 against the extensive cultivation of potatoes, and stated our 

 reasons for doing so, which it would be needless to repeat. 

 Suffice it to say that the crop, taking an average of a rotation, is 

 not a paying one, and therefore it ought to be abandoned. It 

 has got a firm hold in the county of Fife however, and will not 

 likely be given up for some time to come. Potatoes are the 

 second crop in the rotation, coming after oats. The potato land, 

 at least in the heavier soils, is invariably manured on the 

 stubble with from 18 to 22 tons of farm-yard manure per acre, 

 and ploughed as deeply as possible in autumn or early winter, 

 getting from 3 to 5 cwt. per acre of guano and dissolved bones at 

 the time of planting. The advantages of autumn manuring are 

 found to be very important, and when a good doze of artificial 

 manure is applied along with the seed the plants come away 

 beautifully. It is very seldom that disease does much _ damage ; 

 and in general the crop is a pretty even one. The yield per 

 acre ranges from 5 to 8 tons, and in a very fine year, and when 

 the land is well done to, sometimes 9 tons are obtained. The 

 dressing operation, however, reduces the return available for the 

 market, all the small potatoes being turned aside as food for 

 cattle and for sale to the starch works. Eegents and blues 

 prevail, but several other varieties are grown to a small extent. 

 Part of the potato crop is planted before and part after the 



