REPORT ON THE AGRICULTURE OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 305 



moisture which falls so encourages the growth of the straw, that 

 lodging is no uncommon thing, even when the ordinary course of 

 cropping is pursued. 



So much for the first kind of grass land which is not broken 

 up in rotation, namely, that which is either naturally dry or 

 drained, and pastured throughout the whole season. There is 

 another variety, commonly called meadow land, which is only 

 partially drained, and off which hay is cut every autumn. It 

 exists more or less in almost every district of the county, and 

 the hay reaped off it is very valuable, especially to dairy 

 farmers, who give it to their cows in spring. The reporter is of 

 opinion that sufficient expense is not generally incurred in im- 

 proving the condition of the meadow land. In too many in- 

 stances, little or nothing is done to replace the strength which is 

 annually taken from it, and it seems to be expected that it ought 

 never to cease to shed its " grassy fleece." The incessant cry of 

 its owner to it is " Give ! give ! " and bitter reflections are cast 

 upon it if the fleece which it sheds happens to be a light one. 

 However much it yields, it never seems to strike them that they 

 ought to " give " it something in return. But while the above is 

 too true of many whose farms are partly composed of meadow 

 land, there are others whose treatment of it is much more liberal. 

 As mentioned under the section on dairies, there are some who, 

 having only a limited extent of green crop, put a portion of 

 their farm-yard manure upon the meadows ; but these con- 

 stitute a very small fraction of the farmers in the county. 

 Others apply occasionally a " compost " of earth and lime, which 

 never fails to exert a most reviving influence upon the herbage ; 

 while a top-dressing with bones is sometimes tried with very 

 good results. Abundance of good meadow hay is so important 

 for use in spring, especially when given to dairy cows, that 

 much more attention ought to be paid to the land on which 

 it is produced than is done at present ; for it appears to the 

 reporter that this is one department of husbandry in which the 

 Dumfriesshire farmer might make much advancement. Sep- 

 tember or early in October is generally regarded as the best 

 season for top-dressing meadows, whatever be the material 

 applied. 



Section VII. — Cattle. 



Dr Singer, in his " View of the Agriculture of Dumfriesshire," 

 published in 1812, gives an estimate of the number of cattle 

 which he supposed were in the county at that period. He 

 estimates the number of all kinds at 30,000 head. His cal- 

 culation was made in the following way : — He sets out on the 

 supposition, which seems to have been generally granted, that 

 there were about 12,000 milch cows within its bounds. He 



