COUNTIES OF EDINBURGH AND LINLITHGOW. 



25 



A little nearer the city are the Lochend meadows, tenanted 

 by Mr Scott, Duddingston. They have been laid out on the 

 ditch system, which involves a little more expense, but still they 

 pay well. In all, they extend to about 80 acres, most of which 

 is in grass, but on an arable plot of 12 acres, potatoes are some- 

 times grown, the land being sown with Italian rye-grass after 

 their removal, which comes in for cutting before winter. The 

 second crop brings about L.5 per acre. The permanent grass has 

 averaged during nine spring sales L.27, 12s. per acre ; prices 

 ranging from L.20 to L.45, according to crop and demand. 



At Dairy, on the west, Mr Thomson has about 70 acres under 

 sewage irrigation. These meadows have been in grass for 

 at least half a century, and possess a thick well-set swaid. The 

 sewage has ample natural fall, and involves little expense. The 

 produce is disposed of in a similar manner to that on the farms 

 already described. 



At Grange, on the south, a plot consisting of 16 acres gets the 

 drainage of a small section of the city. Altogether, the sewage 

 irrigation of Edinburgh has been a great success, the produce 

 being worth at least L.6000 per annum. This is, as already 

 stated, principally grass, which is mostly consumed by the 2000 

 dairy cattle estimated to be in the district. Much has been said 

 uud written anent the suitability of sew^age grass for dairy cattle, 

 and while we do not intend here to enter into the pros and cons 

 which have from time to time been advanced, we may remark 

 that the cow-feeders of Edinburgh acknowledge it to be a valu- 

 able milk-producing commodity, and that they can get no other 

 feeding stuff to compare w^ith it for the same amount of cash, 

 notwithstanding the high prices they have to pay per acre. 



Green Crops. 



Turnips. — About one-tenth of the cultivated area of Edin- 

 burgh and one-fifteenth of Linlithgow are annually under tur- 

 nips. This is a much higher percentage than the turnip area 

 occupies in many counties, but vastly inferior to Aberdeen and 

 some other im^^ortant cattle-feeding districts. The extent was in — 



In both Mid and West Lothian there has been a gradual reduc- 

 tion in the area during the i)ast twenty years, though not to any 

 appreciable extent. On all tlie soils where turnip culture is 

 suitable, it is still considered the mainstay of arable and mixed 



