REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 53 



and a rather less than Perthshire, but both of these counties 

 grow barley extensively. Lanarkshire is greatly more deficient 

 in wheat than Ayrshire, and Wigtownshire grows about equal 

 proportional extent. Wheat in our inland straths is almost all 

 autumn-sown ; the land being ploughed with a good deep furrow 

 when in suitable condition, from beginning of October to end of 

 November, and sowing immediately after at the rate of about 

 3 bushels per acre. More seaward the potato land is generally 

 sown from middle till end of November, and the turnip land 

 afterwards, as soon as it can be got cleared, and as weather per- 

 mits. February being preferred generally for spring sowing. 

 Spring seeding from 3 to 4 bushel per imperial acre. Wheat is 

 almost without exception sown broad-cast and from hand. We 

 see cases occasionally of it being ploughed-in on the light holm- 

 ing land. The kind mostly grown is " Hunter's white," al- 

 though "woolly-eared " or " rough-chaffed white " (alias " hoary - 

 ear," alias " velvet- ear ") is also much run upon in some districts, 

 as it yields better per acre, and the grain is preferred by bakers. 

 Most of the other white varieties are raised in more or less pro- 

 portion, but no red wheats are grown, except sometimes a little 

 " bearded April " for late sowing. Ayrshire or home grown seed 

 (usually only one year grown from English or East Lothian) is 

 generally pickled before sowing ; the most common steep being 

 simply brine (salt and water), and afterwards dried with finely 

 powdered lime. English or East Lothian seed is always sown 

 clear. It is a sign of a good by-gone season, when wheat aver- 

 ages 60 lbs. per bushel over the county. We would not feel 

 justified in giving the average produce for the county during the 

 last 6 or 7 years at more than 20 bushels per imperial acre. It 

 has been no joking matter with arable land farmers, these some 

 years back, trying to raise a turnip crop, and that coupled with 

 the subsequent poor crop of wheat, as well as the deplorable 

 sum which even that poor crop now realizes. 



The house-feeding given by the dairy fanners, generally, to 

 calving or early-calved cows, consists of chaff and barn-gather- 

 ings with a few turnips boiled together. The sap is partly 

 dried up by mixing " rough seeds" and " mill-dust" with the 

 " boiling" in the cooler, and to this is added an allowance of 

 bean-meal, or maize-meal, or ground oats, or all three mixed, for 

 each cow that gets. But since the introduction of mangold-wur- 

 zel, it has greatly superseded the turnips for boiling, and from its 

 superior nutritiousness, less beanmeal or other auxiliars are 

 required. The mangold retains its feeding qualities till spring- 

 time much better than turnip, and produces richer milk without 

 the peculiar taste which turnips give. Turnips certainly throw 

 a large quantity of milk, but of a watery quality, with little 

 cream off it. In 1856-57, the acreage under mangold in Ayr- 



