REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 27 



nine miles of turnpike road from Barrliill to Bargrennan,aiid other 

 four miles of private roads to the several farm-houses, as well 

 as building five stone bridges of considerable magnitude, &c. 

 Space will not permit full details of the reclaiming operations, 

 but these will be glanced at further on Sufficient now to state 

 that the Corwar improvements, have been made to the good 

 pecuniary advantage of both landlord and tenants, and the bene- 

 ficial effects upon the surrounding district, especially in respect 

 to Barrliill village, can scarcely be over-estimated. 



Considerable tracts of wet, spongy, grassy moor, amongst 

 the hills, have also been vastly improved within the period 

 mentioned above, by simply liming on the sward, and draining 

 those portions most needful ; and it is questionable if more good 

 is not effected in that way, than by first exhausting the land 

 with corn crops, and afterwards sowing down with heavy (an- 

 nual) rye-grass seeds. 



Ayrshire has for long borne the name of being the most 

 humid district in Scotland. West country climate, generally, is 

 of too moist a nature for profitable culture of cereals or root- 

 crops. The long seaboard of Ayrshire, and prevailing westerly 

 and south-westerly winds, with the peculiar figuration of the 

 county, account sufficiently for its constant and extra moistness. 

 Almost literally, " the rain it raineth every day." Yet it is not 

 so much the excess of yearly rainfall in Ayrshire, — say one- 

 third more than on the east coast, — as that it does not usually 

 fall in such heavy casual plumps, but conies down in more con- 

 tinuous succession of steady moderate showers or thick drizzling 

 smirrs. From this continual drip-dripping of moisture, it is 

 only in occasional years (say one in eight or ten) that horses and 

 implements can be put upon the clay lands to work them for 

 green-crops, without inflicting more damage by " potching" and 

 consequent souring, than any benefit likely to ensue. It is not 

 merely the loss of the green-crop, but the " potching" tells most 

 injuriously upon the succeeding white-crop, and grass as well. 

 From most of the clays, too, resting on a close retentive subsoil, 

 the surface mould takes longer time to dry. But " it's an ill 

 win' that blaws naebodie gude," and the constant moistness is 

 very beneficial for either green- crops or white-crops on what 

 extent of light loams and sandy soils there is. More so is it 

 beneficial to the productiveness of the grass lands (where pro- 

 perly drained), and which are the mainstay of three- fourths of 

 all the farmers ; if the dairy farmers, as a body, would only per- 

 mit themselves to have good grass, by giving up the baneful 

 practice of sowing down with heavy rye-grass seeds only, and 

 regularly saving the seeds from the hay-crop. 



The seasons on the West coast during the last fifteen years 

 or so, have altered in character very considerably, and that for 



