BUTE AND ARRAN. 15 



favourite roots grow well on the sharp gravelly soil of Kilchattan 

 Bay and Kingarth, and the farmers in that district vie with each 

 other in sending the earliest potatoes to the Glasgow market. In 

 the spring time potatoes used to become rather a scarce commo- 

 dity in Bute, but the advent of the " Champion " potato has some- 

 what obviated the danger of a local famine of these vegetables. 

 *' Pted Bogs " is the principal variety planted for sale in the early 

 markets. The average price of early potatoes is about £18 per acre ; 

 although in Kilchattan Bay from £20 to £24 have been obtained 

 in an exceptionally good season. The buyer digs the crop, and 

 the farmer drives to the place of shipment free of charge. On some 

 of the shore farms the stubble is during winter covered with sea- 

 weed, but in general it is ploughed down or grubbed about 

 Martinmas, and again ploughed in February. Potatoes for early 

 sale are planted as soon as possible after the end of February. 

 The width of potato drill is from 25 to 26 inches, the latter 

 figure being the standard. The crop is in most cases sold to 

 dealers from Glasgow, and the frequent communication between 

 Bute and the mainland — steamers sailing hourly during summer, 

 — admits of the crop being lifted and transported to Glasgow in 

 a very short time. 



In the extreme northern portions of the island and in the more 

 exposed situations, potatoes are only grown in quantity sutticient 

 to supply the wants of the family. On one of the farms in 

 Kingarth, in 1880, a fair crop of barley has been raised on a 

 field on which a crop of early potatoes was grown. The potatoes 

 were lifted about the middle of June, and the barlev was sown 

 on the 26th and 30th of the same month. This is rather an 

 unusual proceeding (rape-seed being generally sown on the potato 

 ground), and its success will be watched with interest. 



Turnips. 



The growing of these favourite feeding-roots forms a large 

 part of the agriculture of Bute. Turnips were first introduced 

 into Bute by Mr Knox, then tenant of Kerrylamont, in 1800. 



The sorts now in most common use are purpletop Swedish 

 and greentop yellow, and about one-half of the breadth under 

 turnip crops is sown with the former, and the other half with 

 the latter variety. As a rule the whole produce of the crop is 

 consumed by the stocks on the farms, but a good exportation 

 trade is carried on by some of the farmers. The turnips are 

 shipped in bulk, and sold in Glasgow and Greenock. 



The average width of turnip <lrill is 27 inches. In the south 

 end of Bute the turnip crop has — since the growing of early 

 potatoes assumed its present important position — been chieHy 

 grown with artificial manures, as the farmyard dung is all 



