48 ON THE AGFJCULTURE OF THE 



tliose of the times alluded to ; the total cost of manual labour 

 upon an arable farm, especially where many potatoes are 

 grown, being high. On large farms close to Edinburgh, having 

 only one year's grass in the rotation, the amount per acre is 

 estimated at SSs. to 45s., in some cases as far as 48s. Twenty- 

 five years ago the outlay in the same localities ranged from 24s. 

 to 28s., or 30s. at most. Thus it will be seen that workins: ex- 

 penses have gone up at least 50 per cent, on regular crop farms, 

 while in the more remote districts the uprise may be put down at 

 'lo to 30 per cent. 



Miscdlanco us Ohserva tions. 



Size of Farms. — The subjoined table shows the number of 

 holdings of various sizes in Mid-Lothian : — 



The average extent of farms in Edinburgh is 131 acres ; that 

 in Linlithgow, 108 acres. In the former, the number of occu- 

 piers having less than 20 acres is 357 ; in the latter, 145. Ordi- 

 nary farms in Mid-Lothian range from 100 to 400 acres, some 

 occupations in the liill districts being still larger. Six separate 

 holdings range over 1000 acres each, and it is not at all unusual 

 for one farmer to hold several occupancies. In West Lothian 

 the ordinary size of farms is 80 to 200 acres ; a few farmers, 

 liowever, rent 300 to 500, or even 600 acres where more than one 

 farm is held. There are only seven farms with an extent ex- 

 ceeding: 500 acres, one of which contains over 1000 acres. For 

 the sake of comparison, we may state that East Lothian has 200 

 ncres to each occupier; Berwick, 197; Ecxburgh, 146; and 

 Wigtown stands in a similar position to Linlithgow, having 110 

 acres. On the whole, the landed property is well divided, suit- 

 ing the advanced state of husbandry practised in the district, but 

 we heard a few complaints of farmers having an excess in 

 hand. Much might be said upon the subject of large versus 

 small farms, there toeing arguments in favour of both sides, but it 

 is not within the province of this paper to attempt to discuss the 

 question. Within twenty-five years there has been little change 

 in the extent of the occupations, nor indeed in the names of the 

 occupiers, for farms not unfrequently go from father to son for 

 several generations. Many whom we visited were in their 

 second or even third nineteen years' lease, and this speaks 



