136 ON THE AGRICULTURE OF 



at £2, 2s. 9d. per qr. (the average of the fiars' prices for the 

 ten years ending 1878), the total value of an acre of wheat 

 would be about £9, 16s. 3d. Wheat generally follows potatoes 

 in the rotation, and is sown as soon as possible after that crop 

 has been got out of the land, between the end of October and 

 1st of January. The coarser varieties are more extensively 

 gTown now than formerly. Little of the Fenton variety is grown 

 now compared to what was at one time. Clubhead and other 

 red varieties are more in favour. The amount of seed given 

 ranges from 2 to 4 bushels per acre. Forfar stands second in 

 Scotland, next to Fife and Haddington, in regard to the area 

 under wheat. Kincardine ranks eighteenth. 



Barley, 



The extent under barley at various times since 1854 is shown 

 in the following table : — 



Forfar. Kincardine. 



1854, .... 25,222 acres. 7,815 acres. 



1870, .... 26,416 „ 11,032 „ 



1875, .... 30,096 „ 12,743 „ 



1880, .... 31,604 „ 12,233 „ 



Increase in Forfar since 1854, . . 6382 acres. 



„ Kincardine „ . . 4418 „ 



The figures show an increase of more than double the decrease 

 in the area under wheat. The counties of Fife and Forfar are 

 by far the largest barley growing counties in Scotland. They 

 usually have about the same acreage under this variety of grain, 

 but this year Forfar has the advantage by about 1500 acres. 

 Kincardine stands ninth. On the whole, barley is perhaps the 

 most profitable variety of grain grown in these counties. Along 

 witli potatoes it is undoubtedly the mainstay in Forfar, and also 

 in the earlier and better parts of Kincardine. Where so much 

 feeding is carried on as in these counties, a large supply of good 

 straw is indispensable ; and there is no doubt that, bat for the 

 coarse quality of its straw, a much larger area would be put 

 under barley than at present. The yield of barley varies 

 from 4 to 6 qrs., the average being between 36 and 

 40 bushels per acre. The weight per bushel ranges on an 

 average from 50 to 54 lbs., bQ lbs. being frequently reached. 

 The general quality of the barley grown in these counties is 

 undoubtedly very high. Since 1850 the yield of barley has 

 increased by from 4 to 8 bushels per acre, w^hich has been 

 brought about by the more thorough draining of the land, the 

 use of more artificial manure and feeding stuffs, and by better 



