REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 23 



proportions throughout Kyle and Cunningham, particularly in 

 the latter, and many parts of these, consequently, now possess 

 little of rural quietness. 



The general aspect of Carrick is of a nigged character, hence, 

 probably, the name. The Carrick coast, from a little past Gir- 

 van, all on to Loch-ryan, as well as at Culzean Castle, and 

 several other parts, is bold and rocky ; although there are some 

 fine stretches of warm low-lying shore-land between Doonfoot 

 and Girvan. This division is generally hilly, with a few lovely 

 and very fertile valleys interspersed. The south-eastern half, 

 or more, particularly, is very wild. The altitude of the hills to 

 the east of Carrick and Kyle, and north-west of Cunningham, 

 will run between 800 and 1000 feet — the summit-heights attain- 

 ing 1,500 or 1,600 feet being few ; but the moors, generally, will 

 not be more than from 600 to 800 feet, whilst the average alti- 

 tude of the cultivated lauds may be put at about 150 feet — all 

 above sea level. Carrick, unlike the other divisions, is yet 

 almost exclusively an agricultural and pastoral district. 



The pastoral and tillage lands of Ayrshire, with but small 

 exception, are quite distinctly separated one from the other. 

 The former lying semicircular ly around the rim, and enclosing 

 the cultivated lands on the lower slopes and bottom of the 

 half basin. Owing to the basin-like make of surface, no other 

 county of Scotland can shew so great a stretch of cultivated 

 land at one view ; and few counties in Britain present such 

 rich and varied prospects, as are to be seen from almost any 

 of the interior heights, No other part of Scotland either, 

 bears such a close resemblance to some of the English counties ; 

 mainly from the prevalence of hawthorn hedges interspersed 

 with trees, surrounding the comparatively small fields. It 

 would be a pity, certainly, to see the hedge-row timber 

 entirely disappear, on account of its ornamental show, but many 

 of the trees might be rooted out to the advantage of both land- 

 lord and tenant. And although the hedge-rows are as plentiful 

 as in most English counties, yet they are not such wide straggling 

 affairs. The fence in all cases consists only of a single line of 

 thorns, which being occasionally cut over when the fields are 

 lifted to prevent thinning at the roots, and in very many cases 

 yearly dressed up the sides, the ground can thus be got ploughed 

 till within a foot or so of the hedge bottom. Beech plants are 

 always intermixed with the thorn quicks for fences towards the 

 moor-edges ; and dry stone dykes may occasionally be seen 

 here and there on upland farms, but these are not at all common, 

 except on sheep runs. Tor several years past more attention 

 has been paid to the regular and proper scutching of the hedges. 

 The writer would wish to note just two instances of first-class 

 fences — viz., those (thorn) on the farm of Whinpark, near Kil- 



