AND METEOROLOGY OF THE YEAR RELATIVE THERETO. oV.i 



instances, :i third, sowing' wiis necessary ; avera;^'e much in excess of 187!) ; 

 the pastures were also deficient, and did not stand the amount of eatin^^ 

 ■iiiuiiared with lliat of former years, and consequently cattle did not 

 lini ve so welL Not many potatoes <^'ro\vn, and tliose phmted did not nearly 

 <-ome up to averiige ; the averaj^e yield, in many instances, hein;^' 4 tnns, 

 whereas the two previous years nuj^ht have been nearly a half juore ; croj) 

 only sli^'htly diseased, and syni])toins of such disease generally shown about 

 middle of Auf^nist. The disastrous season of 1879 was owing to the excessive 

 rainfall during the season. As the quantity of barley nov: sown is at least 

 <ix times in excess of what was sown twenty years ago, and as this crop was 

 deiicient in yield by at least one-half of bygone yeai's, and prices of cattle 

 A'cry low and oats low priced, these, combined with dull trade all over, and 

 the fact of the tiu-nip crop, on which so much depended, having proved a 

 comjiarative failure, the season of 1879 must be pronounced as the most 

 disastrous to farmers as any they have passed through during the last 

 twenty years. The above remarks are apjilicable to Forguc, in tlic north- 

 west distri(;t of Aberdeenshii'e, and Inverkeithny in the south-east district 

 of BiUiil'shire. 



Abkrdeen and B.vxffshires. — Barley, 2i quarters in 1879 against 4 

 ■<[uarters in 1878. Oats, 3i quarters in 1879 against 4l in 1878. Harvest 

 tour weeks later. Hay crop, 120 stones of 22 lbs. in 1879 against 150 iu 

 1877 and 187S. In 1879 the quality of the hay was inferior. Turnips, 7 

 tons in f879 against 15^ in 1877 and^ 1878 ; braird of 1879 partly destroyed 

 by frosts and partly by tiy ; half the crop in 1879 had to be sown twice. 

 Pastures were abundant in quantity, but greatly awanting in feeding power. 

 Potatoes not grown as a crop, but merely for family use. 



Banffshire. — Barley, on good dry land, approached two-thirds of an 

 average crop ; on damp or cokl land the out-turn of grain was under half an 

 average ; straw was an average bulk, but soft ; the grain was inferior, and 

 fi'om .3 to 4 lbs. per bushel under an average weight. Oats, in the lower 

 district, was a fair average both in quantity of straw^ and quality of grain ; 

 in the middle of the county, on moderately dry land not exceeding 700 feet 

 above sea-level, the crop was about three-fourths of an average in quantity, 

 the quality varying from 1 to .3 lbs. per bushel under an average weight ; in 

 the higher districts of the county, with the exception of some of the earlier 

 farms, the cro]i was more or less a failure ; the grain was under a half in 

 ■(juantity, weighing only from 34 to 38 lbs. per bushel ; the harvest was 

 nearly a month later than usual. On dry lancl there was a fair bulk of well- 

 mixed clover and rye ; on cold clay land the grass suffered greatly by the 

 severe winter of 1878-79, and did not produce half an average bulk of in- 

 ferior quality. Turnips did not exceed half an average crop on dry land, on 

 <'old clay or wet land the crop will not amount to one-fourth of an average; 

 they brairded fairly well, but lacked vigour throughout the whole season. 

 On (b\y land, with an open sulisoil, the pasture was a full l)ite during the 

 summer, but on cold wet land it continued stunted and worthless ; on the 

 best land the grass lacked ([uality, and stock made little progress in conse- 

 ([uence of continual scouring, owing to the quantity of water iji the grass or 

 imbibed along with it. Potatoes are not grown extensively as a marketable 

 commodity ; as a crop, they were nnidi under an average both in quantity 

 and quality. Insects were less injurious than usual ; the grain crops sulfcred 

 very Little from grub worm, and the Hy did no damage to the turnip braird. 



Morayshire. — Wheat two-tifths under average as to quantity ; quality 

 of grain umler average 2 lbs. per bushel ; ([uantity and quality of straw fully 

 average. Barley about one-half under average of grain, quality under aver- 

 age 2 lbs. per bushel ; c[uantity and quality of straw average. Oats fully 

 average as to quantity and quality of grain ; quantity of straw considerably 

 over average ; quality average. Harvest from three to four Aveeks behind 



