284 -REPORT ON THE AGRICULTURE OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 



tions ; these are the cultivation of turnips, and the consumption 

 of them upon the land by sheep. Previous to the potato failure 

 turnips were not much grown, at least in the upper districts of 

 Dumfriesshire. When it became apparent that that calamity 

 was permanent, and when, in consequence of the failure, potatoes 

 proved so unremunerative, the attention of arable farmers was 

 earnestly turned to the cultivation of turnips ; but their cultiva- 

 tion was very imperfectly understood, and the crops of them 

 which were produced were comparatively light. This deficiency 

 arose from many causes ; the radical one was the fact that suffi- 

 cient farm-yard manure could not be produced to raise a good 

 crop, and most farmers had yet to be convinced that the expense 

 incurred in supplementing such manure by bones, guano, and 

 other artificial manures, would be highly remunerative. But there 

 were other points on which much light required to be thrown 

 before turnips could be successfully cultivated. There were, for 

 example, the varieties which would best suit particular districts 

 and elevations, the time at which each variety should be sown, 

 what width of drill and hoeing would yield the heaviest crop. 

 A great revolution of public sentiment on all these points has 

 taken place since turnips began to be extensively cultivated, and 

 we confidently assert that the Lockerbie Farmers' Club was 

 largely instrumental in hastening this change. We say " hasten- 

 ing" this change, for we are far from saying that without their 

 exertions it would not have taken place at all ; all we believe 

 and assert is that, by the practical and decisive steps which that 

 club took, it brought about this improvement much more 

 speedily, at least in that immediate district, than would other- 

 wise have been the case. 



To detail all their operations would occupy more space than 

 we can spare. We may merely remark that the turnip crops of 

 the members, and of others who desired it, were weighed every 

 November for twelve consecutive years. A tabulated report was 

 printed and circulated throughout the district, which specified 

 not only the weights, but also the kinds of turnips, width of 

 drill, and of hoeing, quantity of farm-yard manure given, quan- 

 tity of artificial manure given, distinguishing the different 

 varieties, and the date of sowing. There was appended to the 

 report a condensed summary of the information which another 

 inspection had elicited. The stimulus which it gave to a more 

 liberal application of artificial manures, and the light which it 

 threw on the various important practical points which the inspec- 

 tion embraced, was very great. The credit is due to the members 

 of the club generally, who entered most heartily into the whole 

 scheme, and who, moreover, were not slow to act upon the new 

 information which the periodical inspections elicited. But the 

 intelligent interest which Mr Robert Elliot, Hardgrave (now at 



