26 EEPOET OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 



such as Muirkirk, New Cumnock, Barr, Colmonell, &c, the 

 arable lands are far more light and friable than those lying in the 

 centre of the basin. All the moundish hills, or hillikins rather 

 lying within the basin, such as the Dairy Hills, the Galston 

 Moor and Craigie Hill ranges, Dundonald Hill, the Craigs of 

 Kyle, &c, are cultivated up to and over their very summits. The 

 summit soils are generally of the prevailing clay of a more sterile 

 sort, except where lying close on the whin or upheaved lime- 

 stone. The hilly tract of land to the East of Largs and West 

 Kilbride parishes, is mostly covered with good sound grass, 

 growing upon peaty moorland with a clayish sub-soil — the pre- 

 dominating rocks being the old red sandstone and trap. The 

 higher parts in the north and centre of Carrick, also, are mostly 

 under good old grass, admirably adapted for cross-bred and 

 cheviot sheep. Some of the best land in Carrick lies on the 

 lower slopes of these hillikins, such as up the water of Stinchar 

 from Ballantrae by Colmonell, and in several other places. 



Large areas of moss and moorland were brought under cul- 

 tivation, both by proprietors and tenant-farmers, about the 

 latter end of last and beginning of this century ; but little pro- 

 gress in that line can be noted during the last twenty-five years, 

 with some exceptions, as for instance, at Corwar. Most of the 

 Eglinton portion of Shewalton Moss is now under thriving 

 wood (spruce and Scots fir) of from ten to twenty-five year's 

 growth, and some of it older ; and very many patches of moss 

 and swamp throughout, the shire, included within the bounds of 

 farms long cultivated and from half-acres or so up to five and 

 six acres, have mostly all been thoroughly reclaimed since tile- 

 draining became general. On many of the moor-edge farms, 

 chiefly in the parishes of Fenwick, Loudon, Sorn, Auchiuleck, 

 &c, small fields of reclaimed moor have been, and are being, 

 added now and again to the ploughable lands. These improved 

 blackish soils are famously adapted for growing sound potatoes, 

 and a ready market and good prices exist for any quantity 

 grown on them, as a change of seed to the clays and sands. 

 The reclamation of sands along the coast, will be noticed 

 farther on. 



The locality where the improvements of Mr. Bigby Wason 

 of Corwar have been effected, extends from the village of Barr- 

 hill to the water of Cree in the extreme south-east of Carrick. 

 With the aid of his tenants, Mr. Wason has altogether re- 

 claimed and improved, fully 3,500 acres of wild heathery moor 

 and 200 acres of black deep moss — mostly all now excellent 

 pasture — with no appearance of the heather returning. Corwar 

 estate, when Mr. Wason bought it, was merely a wild moor 

 with hardly a vestige of housing upon it ; but he has now built 

 and completed a score of farm-steadings, besides forming about 



