REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 43 



are " soiled " from May till end of October, but receive at same 

 time a little oilcake (more or less to each as may seem necessary) 

 at night, and always an allowance of oat fodder, although they 

 do not appear to care much for it. As auxiliary to the liquid, 

 from 1 to 1| cwt. of peruvian guano or sulphate of ammonia, 

 per Scotch acre, is applied to each cutting, and washed well in 

 with the liquid from the pipes immediately after. 



The liquid-manuring at Lagg was set agoing about 15 years 

 ago by the present Mr. Iialston's father, the late Alex. Ralston, 

 Esq., DundufF, than whom a more intelligent farmer or gentle- 

 manly man Ayrshire never produced. It was the first instance 

 (we may say) of the profitable application of " cattle-urine- 

 manure" by pipes and hose for soiling purposes in Scotland. But 

 of later date, equal areas of low land have been under almost 

 exactly similar treatment on the farms of Greenan (Mr. Quintin 

 Bone) and Drumshang (Mr. John Craig), both also on the May- 

 bole coast. Mr. Bone, we believe, has a fully larger area laid 

 with pipes than at Lagg, and is also well deserving of notice for 

 his general good management. These cases of " high-farming" 

 are all carried on to good pecuniary advantage. Most other in- 

 stances of the kind that the writer has heard of were always at 

 the landlord's risk, but Messrs. Bone, Ralston, and Craig, are 

 merely tenant-farmers, shrewd business men all, without a bit of 

 " fancy" material in them, and by whom it must be and is made 

 to pay — paying as they do at least £3- per imp. acre of rent for 

 their low lands, and interest as well on the outlaid money for 

 tanks, pipes, &c. 



The present tenant of Myremill (Mr. Duncan) only uses the 

 pipes on a small low-lying holm of some 8 to 10 acres, keep- 

 ing a large stock of dairy cows now on Myremill, and feeding 

 also to certain extent. Myremill " high-farming" was certainly 

 a failure in a financial point of view. Probably the chief cause 

 of that was, the endeavour to convert most of the solid excre- 

 ment as well into a sort of fluid state, and force the whole through 

 the pipes by steam-power. The dispersing power used at Lagg, 

 &c, it must be remembered, is simply gravitation. But Mr. 

 James Kennedy deserves very great credit, at least, for origina- 

 ting the system at Myremill on a grand scale. He had many 

 difficulties to contend with that do not now present themselves, 

 and few farmers in Ayrshire or elsewhere could have stood along- 

 side of Mr. Kennedy for equal tact and ability in carrying on a 

 business so extensive and complicated. The Ayrshire men noted 

 above, — as well as Lord Kinnaird, at Millhill, and others, — all 

 had the benefit of Mr. Kennedy's experience, and doubtless 

 profited thereby. 



In the previous section was noticed, generally, Mr. Wason's 



