2 THE FIRST AXD FUNDAMENTAL PEINCIPLE IN AGRICULTURE. 



called the surface-soil is composed chiefly of the remains of the 

 vegetable matter accumulated on the surface of the earth before 

 tillage began, with the exception of what man has removed 

 from one place to another, and this has been done to a certain 

 extent all over Scotland. There is on almost every farm of 

 long standing a superior field or two, or, perhaps, several parts 

 of different fields, unmistakably pointing out the site of the 

 ancient townships, to which the vegetable matter had been 

 carried, and the adjacent land of higher altitude bears the marks 

 of robbery to this day. With these exceptions, almost invariably 

 the lowest lying lands and hollows are of the best quality. The 

 low-lying lands having been formerly overrun by water from 

 that of a higher altitude, the vegetable matter accumulated 

 there was of the finest equality and of greatest depth ; but these, 

 no doubt, having borne more than a fair share of cropping, and 

 the produce carried to other parts, the land is now more 

 equalised. As the demand for farm produce increased, and the 

 cultiv.ated area extended, and tenant farmers meantime having 

 been prohibited from carrying vegetable matter to make good 

 the deficiency caused by cropping, the rotation system was 

 evidently resorted to, in order to obtain a further supply of 

 vegetable matter. But when specially-prepared manures were 

 brought within convenient reach of farmers a power was put 

 into their hands, either for good or evil, that they never had 

 before, and during the last thirty years large quantities of these 

 manures have been applied to the soil by farmers — not generally 

 with the view of keeping up the fertility of the soil, but as 

 auxiliaries, and to act upon the vegetable matter in the soil, in 

 order to raise larger crops, and so long as the soil contained a 

 certain quantity of vegetable matter these manures served the 

 purpose, and paid the farmer. From twenty to thirty years 

 ago three hundredweight of these manures applied to the acre 

 along with half dung would have produced from twenty-five to 

 thirty tons of turnips per acre. The same quantity of these 

 manures applied to the same land now will scarcely produce 

 fifteen tons per acre. Let us look also at our corn crops. Do 

 they produce as much per acre as they did thirty-five years 

 ago? From a pamphlet published by Mr. Home, banker, 

 Ehynie, Aberdeenshire, I learn that the average return per acre 

 for that county at present is scarcely four quarters per acre, 

 whereas forty years ago it was five quarters four bushels, or 

 twelve bushels more. This seems a very important statement, 

 when to this deficiency there has to be added to profit and loss 

 account the amount of large bills for manures and feeding 

 stuffs that was not then in existence, even though there have 

 been added to the cultivated area a few thousand acres of 

 inferior land. Startling as it will, no doubt, appear to many, 

 yet we must inquire more particularly into this matter. If 



