32 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 



scription of rotation yet answers for that carried on by many of 

 the inland dairy farmers now, excepting, probably, one or two of 

 their very stiffest clay fields, and also that turnips with man- 

 gold have taken the place of the potatoes, and wheat alone is 

 now commonly sown after green crop, although in high-lying 

 districts oats still generally follow. 



Probably Ayrshire has greater variety in modes of land man- 

 agement than any other county of Scotland. The farmers seem 

 to enjoy considerable latitude in respect to their cropping 

 rotations, and doubtless that is for the general good with so 

 very variable a climate as ours. Aiton remarked fully fifty 

 years ago, that " it is too common in Ayrshire to leave the tenant 

 to the freedom of his own will in managing the land, provided 

 he pays the rent punctually." Correct you were, Sir. If the 

 tenant pays his rent punctually, he most likely is farming very 

 well both for his own interest and that of his landlord ; and so 

 long as the rhino is forthcoming punctually on rent days, there 

 are few landlords in Ayrshire or elsewhere who will care to en- 

 quire particularly into the system, but will wish him more suc- 

 cess, and thank him heartily for his punctuality as well. On 

 the earliest of the shore-lands, a four-year rotation is sometimes 

 carried on ; early potatoes wholly forming the cleaning crop, 

 and these often followed the same year by yellow or white 

 turnips. Still near the sea, but of rather higher altitude, the 

 5-year course is very prevalent, embracing two year's seeds. 

 Although many in the sea-ward districts prefer and work upon 

 a 6-shift — including one year's hay and two year's pasture. A 

 7-shift is also followed by a limited number near the shore, 

 having two years in course under green crops — the first gene- 

 rally potatoes and drilled beans, the second mostly turnips, and 

 two year's seeds. The system carried on by the coast farmers 

 working as above, may be described as crop, stock, and dairy 

 husbandry combined ; there not being more than 5 or 6 farms 

 in all Ayrshire managed exclusively with fattening stock and 

 crops. Farther inland on the limited areas of loamy soil, the 

 above-noted six-year rotation, viz., oats, green crop, wheat or 

 oats, hay, and two year's pasture, obtains considerably ; and the 

 system is almost exclusively " dairy." A few cattle, haply, gene- 

 rally aged cows, being annually fattened, but the number (if any 

 at all) varying by the success of the turnip crop. That is the 

 case, at least, in Kyle and Cunningham, but in Carrick they 

 feed to a greater extent. In the former divisions a ready 

 market enough is found in the neighbouring towns, for what 

 extra turnips or other green crop may be grown. Of late years, 

 however, these 6-year men have been restricting the area 

 under turnips, and letting the land rest three years in grass, 

 bringing them, of course, into a 7-year rotation; or, other- 



