REPORT ON THE AGRICULTURE OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 309 



to admit, — that such land is at least as suitable for dairy pur- 

 poses as any soil in the county. On high farms of this class the 

 dairy farmer has not only the advantage of rich old pasture for 

 his cows during summer, but, what is of equal importance, he 

 has also a large quantity of superior meadow hay to give them 

 during winter. He generally ploughs only as much land as will 

 suffice to supply him with turnips for his cows. He thus re- 

 quires ouly a portion of his farm-yard manure for that part of 

 his farm which is under regular rotation, and as he generally 

 puts the reminder on his meadow land, the hay reaped off it is 

 both rich in quality and plentiful in quantity. 



We have already adverted to the fact that the cows on many 

 farms are let to dairymen, who may thus be said to " farm " the 

 cows. This system prevails pretty extensively, although since an 

 acquaintance with the process of cheese- making is becoming 

 more general it is getting more common for farmers to manage 

 their own dairies. There are, as in other counties, various 

 methods of fixing the rent paid by dairymen, some preferring to 

 take payment in kind — that is, they are paid so much weight of 

 cheese per cow ; while others are paid in money. There are two 

 considerations which seem principally to weigh in leading dairy 

 farmers to prefer the rent for their cows to be paid in kind. On 

 the one hand, they regard it as the fairest plan for all parties, as 

 it leaves them, as well as the dairymen, to take their chance of 

 the price of cheese in the market ; and on the other hand, they 

 have the idea that their rent is more secure than when it is paid 

 in money. Many of the dairymen have come only recently from 

 Ayrshire and elsewhere, and being comparative strangers, their 

 antecedents are not much known. It is perfectly possible that 

 a dairyman might sell his cheese and run off with the proceeds, 

 leaving the farmer minus his rent. It is due to the Bowers 

 to say that this rarely, if ever, happens. But such a result is 

 not only quite possible but even easy of accomplishment, and the 

 farmer cannot be blamed if he guards against it, and makes him- 

 self secure by bargaining for a certain quantity of cheese, which 

 is always upon the spot, and difficult of removal. 



Dairies are seldom let for a longer period than one year, and 

 the dairyman generally gets possession of the cows at Martinmas. 

 This term is found most convenient for exchanging any of the 

 cows in the dairy, such as replacing old cows and others (which 

 may be found unsuitable from any cause for dairy purposes) by 

 the young queys, and putting the former into the stalls to be 

 fed. The allowance of pasture for each cow varies in accord- 

 ance with the quality of the soil. It is found to be of great 

 advantage to have a portion of the land assigned to the cows in 

 permanent pasture, and well top-dressed with lime or bones. 

 Such pasture is of great use in the end of June or July, when 



