EEPOKT ON THE AGRICULTURE OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 303 



succeeding year, part of these " seeds " are pastured, and part of 

 them kept for hay. The proportion used for these respective 

 purposes varies from year to year. The extent kept for cutting 

 is principally dependent upon the state of the hog market in 

 April. If the demand for hogs is not good at that period, the 

 farmers who have wintered them are induced to put them upon 

 their young grass rather than accept of the small prices which 

 are offered for them. In the average of seasons, fully less than 

 one-half is reserved for hay, while the remainder is pastured. 

 The practice of seeding rye-grass hay, which prevails to such a 

 large extent in Ayrshire, is happily very little followed in 

 Dumfriesshire. We say "happily," because it is a practice 

 which is most hurtful to the land. Scarcely as much rye-grass 

 seed is preserved as is sufficient to supply the wants of the 

 county. It is customary for most farmers to preserve as much 

 seed as will suffice to sow their own lands, and a few bags are 

 commonly exchanged or purchased, with the view of securing a 

 change of seed. The hay, or part of it, produced from this new 

 seed is preserved for seeding purposes in the succeeding year. 

 The above is a pretty accurate account of the practice pursued 

 over the county generally, although it should be borne in mind 

 that there are a few exceptions — some keeping no seed, and 

 others preserving a large quantity. 



Permanent Pasture. — It appears from the Government Eeturn 

 of 18(36, that the extent of land in Dumfriesshire in permanent 

 pasture is very great ; in fact, so great that the return must be 

 meant to include Lochar Moss and other waste land of a similar 

 nature. The total acreage under permanent pasture (meadow or 

 grass not broken up in rotation) amounted at that time to 72,550. 

 This is exclusive of hill pastures. Lochar Moss, which (with 

 the exception of small parts of it on the outskirts which have 

 been reclaimed) is quite unproductive, measures several thousand 

 acres ; so that if it and land of a similar nature, of which there 

 are patches here and there all over the county, were deducted 

 from the above, the extent of permanent pasture of any value 

 would be very much reduced. The grass land not broken up in 

 rotation may be divided into two parts : the first includes all 

 land which, being either naturally dry or drained, is pastured 

 " all the year round;" the other part comprehends meadow land 

 which has been only partially drained, and off which the hay is 

 cut every autumn. A large number of even the arable farms in 

 the county, especially in the higher districts, include patches of 

 both kinds within their bounds. There are few counties in 

 Scotland that have such a variety in the nature and quality of 

 the soil, even on the same farm, as Dumfriesshire. From the 

 undulating character of much of the county, there is sometimes 

 a great difference in the altitude of separate parts of the same 



