REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 31 



paneling. The present healthy condition of most of the near- 

 town crack dairy-farms, undoubtedly is to be traced back to the 

 •pulverising mid fertilising influences of town-potato cultivation. 



The wayfarer yet casually comes across fields of some 8 or 

 10 acres in extent throughout the interior, mostly on the. river 

 haughs of dry soil (all embanked against flooding from " spates"), 

 but these, though usually throwing a large bulk of produce, are 

 not so generally exempt from disease, nor can they compete in 

 the early market with those grown more seaward. Potatoes now 

 are confined chiefly to the warm coast lands between Largs and 

 Ballantrae. Aided as they are by a mild moist climate, as well 

 as superior culture, these lands are second to none in Scotland, 

 for early and prolific growth of sound tubers. And this early 

 potato cropping, viewed in conjunction with all its accessories, 

 is probably the most remunerative husbandry in Ayrshire at the 

 present time. The varieties mostly grown are Walker's and 

 Jackson's early, Damahoys, Regents, red-hogs, and a few other 

 named sorts similar to these — differing more in name than in 

 reality. The late sorts cultivated are principally ivhite-rocks and 

 flukes. The growers rely chiefly on a liberal supply of farm- 

 yard dung ; and the more extensive raisers whose farms bound 

 with the sea, have good supplies of " sea-wrack " of which every 

 advantage is taken. All of them supplement with an allowance 

 more or less of Peruvian guano, as their stocks of dung and 

 need for such may be larger or smaller. The potato crops 

 in most cases are sold on the foot to dealers, the farmer being 

 at no further trouble save carting to the nearest railway station, 

 and prices per acre vary from £22 to £26 on the earliest farms, 

 and from £18 to £22 on those later and more inland. Early 

 potatoes and wheat, alternately for years, were not uncommon a 

 while back on some parts of the Girvan shore. 



It was near to 1830 ere many of the inland farmers thought 

 of trying an acre or so of turnips. As may be inferred, how- 

 ever, from the foregoing remarks, many in the vicinity of towns 

 had given up the alternate grass and oats system, and gone into 

 potato and wheat cultivation, for some considerable time prior 

 to that date. The rotation then generally followed by these was 

 somewhat as follows : — First and second years, oats (or some- 

 times part of one of the years, broadcast beans) ; third year, part 

 fallowed it might be, but the greater part under green crops, and 

 consisting of potatoes as the bulk, along with drilled beans, tur- 

 nips, and cabbage — the beans in larger proportion, but the two 

 others mere plots ; fourth year, mostly wmeat, or partly oats, and 

 occasionally a portion of bere ; fifth year, rye-grass hay — very 

 generally (even at that time) allowed to run to seed ; and finally, 

 resting under grass for three, or four, or five, or more years, ac- 

 cording to need and the tenant's convenience. The above de- 



