140 ON THE AGRICULTURE OF 



neighbourhood of Dundee as much as £22 per acre is very 

 frequently obtained. The cost of growing an acre of turnips, of 

 course, varies with the rent of the land, the amount of manure 

 given, and other circumstances. 



The report of the judges in the turnip competition in con- 

 nection with the Storm ont Union Af'ricultural Association 

 (1880) has just been issued. The results are as follows : — 1st, 

 Mr Playfair, Coupar Grange, weight per acre 23 tons 15 cwts. 

 1 qr. 21 lbs. ; 2d, Mr Smith, Drumbeltie, weight per acre 23 

 toES 6 cwt. 2qrs. 21 lbs. ; 3d, Mr Tasker, East Camno, weight 

 per acre 23 tons 3 cwt. 2 qrs. 4 lbs. ; 4th, Mr Buttar, Corston, 

 weight per acre 23 tons 3 cwt. qrs. 12 lbs. The number of 

 turnips in each acre on the successful farms is stated at from 

 20,747 on Mr Buttar's fields, to 21,940 on Mr Smith's. The 

 manure given for turnips varies from 10 to 20 tons of farmyard 

 manure per acre, with a mixture of artificial manure, consisting 

 of guano, dissolved bones, or bone meal, and a little superphos- 

 phate of lime and potash, amounting in value to from £2 to £4 

 per acre. In some cases where most of the farmyard manure 

 is given to potatoes, the yellow turnips get nothing but artificial 

 manure. Coprolites are being tried to a limited extent. At 

 Balhousie, Mr Co we has been specially successful both in the 

 growing of turnips and potatoes. For turnips he gives from 12 

 to 15 loads of farmyard dung per acre, with the following 

 mixture of 10 cwt. — 2^ cwt. of guano, IJ cwt. of bone meal, 

 4 cwt. of crushed bones, and 2 cwt. of dissolved bones. Turnips 

 are sown between the 10th of May and middle of June, some 

 even later. A very large proportion of swedes is now grown, a 

 small quantity of soft varieties being sown for early use. A 

 great portion of the turnip crop is consumed every year by 

 sheep, mostly on the turnip field, but partly also on grass fields. 

 Many farmers store the greater part of their turnip crop in good 

 time, but still, as a rule, too little attention is given to this. 

 The turnip crop is, with the exception of potatoes, the most 

 costly one grown, and yet, many farmers leave their turnips 

 exposed to the whole winter's frost. 



Potatoes, — The area under potatoes at various times since 

 1854 was as follows: — 



Forfar. Kincardine. 



1854, 12,529 acres. 2645 acres. 



1870, 16,723 „ 3135 „ 



1875, 14,607 „ 2784 „ 



1880, 18,303 „ 3847 „ 



Increase in Forfar since 1854, . . . 5774 acres. 



„ Kincardine „ . . . 1202 „ 



Forfar stands third and Kincardine fourteenth in Scotland in 



