BUTE AND ARRAX. 41 



from tlie mainland were the lirst to introduce the practice, and 

 ■the natives were not slow to follow their example. 



In the Southend what little barley is sown is " Chevalier " ; on 

 the smaller farms common barley is used. Seed is brought from 

 the Edinburgh market, and the crop weighs about 53 lbs. per 

 bushel. 



Bere used to be widely grown in Arran. When Dr M'Naugh- 

 ton wrote his "Statistical Account" in 1840, he tells us that 

 sown- down land was as often cropped with bere as with oats, 

 but this is not the case now. Since thrashing mills became 

 common, people are too lazy to thrash with flails, and bere can 

 only be satisfactorily thrashed with these latter instruments. 



Beans are grown, as we have said, in Lagg, and round the 

 -south end. They are either sown broadcast or in drills — as often 

 the one way as the other. The crop is cut down by the reaping 

 hook. 



The corn stacks on some of the larger farms are well made, and 

 rest on iron stools ; on the smaller farms the stacks are thick and 

 short, and flat on the heads. Notwithstanding the apparent want 

 •of fall which they possess, these stacks keep very dry, and it is a 

 rare thing for one of them to become " heated." 



The great proportion of the grain is ground into meal, but one 

 of the larger farmers, at least, disposes of much of it as seed corn 

 to the smaller farmers. The price received for seed corn averages 

 .about 23s. per 6 bushels. In order to keep up the quality of 

 the seed, a quantity of Midlothian oats are sown annually on 

 most of the larger farms, which provides a change of seed for the 

 lest of the island. After being ground, oats, which weigh 40 lbs. 

 per bushel, usually give 140 lbs. of meal in return for a 6 busliel 

 bag of corn. The price of oatmeal in 1879 was 20s. per boll of 

 140 lbs. ; in 1880, it is 15s. Mills are erected for the convenience 

 •of the tenantry by the landlord at Lamlash and Sheddog, and all 

 the oats are ground at these places. The tenants are bound to 

 :send their oats to be ground in the mill of the district (except 

 seed and horse corn), and they pay the miller at the rate of a peck 

 •of meal for every sixteen ])ecks made, or Is. per boll of 140 lbs. The 

 prices of meal are fixed by the rates current in Ayr market ; the 

 millers being bound not to charge more than Is. per 140 lbs. above 

 Ayr prices when selling Arran oatmeal ; and on the other hand 

 they are bound not to pay the farmers who may have oatmeal 

 to sell, more than Is. per 140 lbs. under Ayr prices. 



As in Bute, so in Arran, the habits of the peoi)le have changed 

 much (hiring recent years. About fifteen years ago, all the material 

 sold by the grocer in one of the landward parts of the island was 

 brought over from Brodick in a cart drawn by one horse, whereas 

 now, for the same part of the island, several boat loads of stuils, 

 weighing about 100 tons in all, are brouglit in during 



