14 REPORT ON THE DIETARIES 



Scotland. Poor-rates in Bracadale parish are Is. 6d. per pound ; 

 but in some parts of the island, as in Sleat district, they are as 

 high as 6s. per pound ; and in these localities some extreme cases 

 of poverty of diet occur. 



In Leadhills district (Dumfriesshire) nearly all the villagers 

 (miners) keep a cow each. These are grazed upon the " common " 

 ground ; and their owners unite yearly, and rent a piece of hill- 

 pasture, for which they pay from £50 to £60 per annum, and 

 upon which they raise hay for the winter's keep of their cows. 

 This will cost, when allocated, about 15s. a-year per cow. Some 

 of the villagers, in lieu of a cow, keep a few sheep. 



In Lochfine district chiefly Irish labourers are employed. The 

 bothy system principally prevails. One Irishman will work 

 as much per day as two Highlanders. The Highlanders are 

 generally poor, and cannot afford to send their children to trades. 

 When they grow up they migrate to the lowlands of Scotland, 

 where wages are higher, and readily find employment in public 

 works, or as porters, and many as policemen. On their return 

 home, some of those who have been engaged on railway works 

 or other large public contracts, take to farm service, and make 

 excellent workers. The Irish population come and go a good 

 deal. 



Throughout the various districts of Scotland, we find that, 

 contrary to the custom in England, on Sundays when the family 

 dietary is better and more liberal than usual, there is less cook- 

 ing as a rule on that day in Scotland than on the other days of 

 the week. The use of beer in Scotland as an article of general 

 diet among the agricultural population is quite unknown. 



In conclusion, we arrive at the following results from the fore- 

 going inquiry: — 



1. That the Scotch agricultural labourer and his family, as a 

 class, are plainly but well fed. 



2. That in all the districts of Scotland the average dietary is 

 considerably above the amount necessary for the bare sustenance 

 of life and vigour. 



3. That the nutritive value of the average rural dietary in 

 Scotland is very high, and considerably exceeds that of the 

 dietaries of England and Ireland usually adopted by similar 

 classes of the population. 



4. That an equal amouut of nutritive food is obtained by the 

 Scotch peasant at less cost than by the English hind. 



With the view of improving the dietary of the Scotch agri- 

 cultural labourer and his family, we suggest — 



1. That a more general use of pease meal (or dried pease), 

 beans, and Indian corn meal mixed with potatoes, and taken as 

 part of the usual diet, be adopted. 



2. That where no butcher meat is obtainable, a larger quantity 



