42 ON THE AGllICULTUEE OF 



spring and summer. These stuffs consist of flour, Indian corn,, 

 oatmeal, sugar, tea, &c., and as the population in this particular 

 district has in no way increased during the past decade, a great 

 deal less farm produce must inevitably be consumed by the 

 residenters. Consequently a greater quantity of the oat crop is 

 now sold as grain than at any former period. 



Potatoes. 



These roots are not very extensively grown in Arran, except- 

 on the deep land on the west side of the island. The early 

 varieties are not so much planted as formerly. The sorts now 

 common in the island are " Walker's Early," " Eed Bogs," 

 " Eegents," '* Dalmahoys/' " Skerry Blues," but chiefly the 

 " Champions," except in the north end, where the " Skerries " 

 still hold their own against all comers. The first to introduce 

 the " Champion " potato was Mr James Allan, junior, Balnacoole, 

 Shiskan, who in 1877 planted two bags of this seed on his farm,, 

 and now the most of the potato-growing portions of the island 

 are covered by them. On good land, in 1879, the yield per acre 

 averaged about 5 or 6 tons ; the average yield per acre in'^'1855 

 was only 4 tons 7 cwts. The crop of 1880 is the best, both in 

 quantity and quality, which has been grown in Arran since 1847, 

 some plots of " Champions " yielding from 12 to 15 tons per acre» 



The crop is lifted by the tenants immediately after harvest is 

 finished, and is pitted. In the spring the potatoes are sold to 

 dealers from Glasgow and Greenock. The price realised for them 

 in 1879 was about £6 per ton, but in 1880 not more than £3 

 per ton is expected. The pits are of various lengths, and the 

 potatoes in them are covered with heathery turf, over which 

 about 6 inches of earth is placed. 



After the failure of the potato crop about twenty-five years ago, 

 the landlord provided the tenants with flax -seed, and an experi- 

 ment was tried for two years of growing flax instead of potatoes. 

 A mill was erected by the landlord, at Lagg, where the flax was 

 bought by him and dressed for the market. The experiment proved 

 very unprofitable, and was abandoned after two years' trial. 



TurniiJS. 



The history of turnip-growing in Arran is very much similar to- 

 that in Bute. Wherever there is a plot of ground suitable, this 

 favourite feeding-root is raised. Swedish and yellow, purpletop 

 and greentop, are the varieties sown. On the larger farms about 

 two-thirds of the entire acreage under turnips is sown with 

 Swedish, and the remaining third with yellow. The smaller 

 farmers use the same kinds of seed as their neighbours, although 

 they grow more yellow than Swedish. In a fairly good year, on 

 the deep land of Southend and Shiskan, the yield of swedishi 



