REPORT ON THE AGRICULTURE OF PERTHSHIRE. 167 



maintained, and when the altitude and quality of the grazings 

 are considered, they are the best and hardiest breed for the pur- 

 pose. Twenty years ago, all these farms bred only pure black- 

 faced lambs, and the only cross-bred lambs then produced were 

 got from the old ewes of these farms after being sold to the low 

 county farmers and served with Leicester tups ; but of late 

 years, in many cases, in consequence of the advance in the price 

 of wool, the young ewes are crossed with Leicester tups, and 

 cross-bred lambs got from them yearly. This, of course, necessi- 

 tates the purchase by such farmers of pure blackfaced ewe lambs 

 from other farms, which accounts for the advance in price of 

 that stock, as well as of the better classes of sheep. 



The rents of all sheep grazings in Perthshire that have come 

 out of lease during the last ten years have advanced greatly ; but, 

 nevertheless, the present occupants have been making much more 

 profit from them than their predecessors did at lower rents. It 

 could not be otherwise, when the price of mutton has risen 50 

 per cent, and the price of wool 150 per cent. We may, therefore, 

 close these remarks on the hill lands with a hope that something 

 like the recent times and prices may be vouchsafed to them ; 

 and although these prices should go back considerably, it would 

 only be a loss in the degree of profit. 



The next class of land that claims attention is — 



2. Light Arable Land. 



As already stated, under this head are included all the lighter 

 arable lands not connected with hill grazings. 



When the present condition and management of this class of 

 land is compared with what it was thirty years ago, it is evident 

 that generally there has been a very great and marked improve- 

 ment. This improvement is the result of a very large proportion 

 of these lands having been thoroughly drained ; of the erection 

 of large additions to the farm buildings, especially in adding to 

 the accommodation of cattle, and in many instances of entirely 

 new steadings ; also, in the erection of fences of various kinds ; 

 and in the adoption of a much better system of management by 

 the tenants. 



Thirty years ago, and on many farms up to a later date, the 

 rotation of cropping for lands of this class, prescribed by the 

 leases and practised by the tenants, varied little from the rotation 

 in the clay lands as to the proportion under grain crop, except 

 that the wheat crop taken before the barley sown out for grass 

 on the latter was omitted on the light lands. The rotation was 

 — 1st, oats ; 2d, beans, and latterly a large proportion of this 

 division was potatoes ; 3d, wheat ; 4th, fallow, latterly turnips ; 

 5th, barley ; 6th, grass, cut for hay. It is impossible to conceive 



