8 ON THE AGRICULTURE OF THE COUNTY OF FIFE. 



house accommodation, and are well-behaved, economical, indus- 

 trious, and trustworthy. Miners, an exclusive class of men, not 

 always credited with peaceful social habits, form an important 

 class in the county. Barring a little roaring now and again, 

 however, about strikes and trades unions, Fifeshire has little to 

 complain of in this respect. There is less stir and bustle now, 

 however, in the mining centres than some two or three years ago, 

 when the revolutionary movements in the mining world were at 

 their height. On a summer's Saturday afternoon some two years 

 ago it w^as almost an absolute impossibility for ordinary persons 

 to obtain a cab or a carriage of any description in Dunfermline 

 for an hour's drive, the miners, rampant with their ten shillings 

 a day, having them all engaged for a drive " into the country." 



The dialect of the county is varied. The ordinary people speak 

 mixed Scotch, while in the higher circles English only is heard. 

 Throughout the county generally several antiquated social habits 

 still obtain. The farmers, for instance, in speaking of the pro- 

 duce of their farms, calculate by the Scotch acre instead of by 

 the imperial acre as in most other coimties, while the ancient 

 system of regulating rent by the fiars is still adhered to in many 

 cases. Sporting is indulged in only to a limited extent. There 

 is one pack of foxhounds and one pack of harriers, and no fewer 

 than forty-one curling clubs in the county; but the favourite 

 outdoor sport seems to be the " royal game of golf." The links 

 at several of the towns and villages along the coast are specially 

 adapted for golf, and during the summer they are all taken full 

 advantage of. The county can also boast of a very creditable 

 body of mounted volunteers, as well as a strong regiment of 

 rifle volunteers. 



Climate. 



The climate of the county is modified by proximity to the sea. 

 It is not so variable, not so cold in winter nor so hot in summer 

 as in larger continental areas of country. The climate is mild, 

 and the air humid and healthy, while the rainfall is not by any 

 means heavy. In the darker ages, when the extensive valleys 

 lay in spongy swamps, foul mists continually shrouded the county, 

 keeping it constantly in a damp, disagreeable, unhealthy state. 

 These mists are peculiarly trying to delicate constitutions, while 

 they foster and encourage disease of various kinds, and man and 

 beast often suffered very considerably from their prevalence. As 

 the ignorant feudalisms and rude barbarities of ancient Fife have 

 been swept away by the current of modern culture and the spread 

 of civilisation, these dingy mists have disappeared before the 

 enterprising agriculturist. Thorough drainage and improved cul- 

 tivation have completely revolutionised the county of Fife — have 

 changed it from an unhealthy swampy waste, a nursery for wild 



