THE AGRICULTURE OF THE COUNTY OF STIRLING. 143 



THE AGRICULTURE OF THE COUNTY OF STIRLING. 



By James Tait, 4 Argyll Crescent, Joppa, Edinburgh. 



\_Preminm — Ten Sovereigns.'] 



The county of Stirling is bounded on the north by Perthshire, 

 and by the river and Firth of Forth. The parishes of Logie 

 and Lecropt are north of the Forth, and the parish of Alva is 

 a detached portion of Perthshire. On the east side the county 

 is bounded by the Firth of Forth and the county of Linlith- 

 gow, on the south by the counties of Lanark and Dumbarton, 

 and on the west by Dumbartonshire and Loch Lomond. The 

 greatest length of the county from east to west is 36 miles ; 

 but followin<:{ the curvature of its outline from Linlithgow 

 bridge to the neighbourhood of Inversnaid, Loch Lomond, in 

 the west, it is 45 miles. The greatest width is about 18 

 miles ; but in the west it is less than 5, and the average 

 width of the county is about 10 miles. The area of tlie 

 county as given in the Eeturn of Owners of Lands and Heri- 

 tages in Scotland, 1872-3, is 284,751 acres, and its gross annual 

 rental was then computed at £521,406, lis. From the same 

 record it appears that, in the county, there were 848 owners 

 of land of one acre and upwards, who were estimated to possess 

 283,468 acres, at a rental of £413,190, 2s., being a little over 

 £1, 9s. per acre ; and 3409 owners of less than one acre, who 

 owned 1283 acres, at a rental of £108,216, 9s., being upwards of 

 £84 an acre. The most extensive proprietor is the Duke of 

 Montrose, who is entered as owner of 68,878 acres, with a 

 rental of £15,706 a year, or less than 4s. 7d. an acre. In the 

 eastern part of the county, Mr Forbes of Callendar has 13,041 

 acres, at a rental of £12,795, 16s., or fully 19s. 8d. an acre, 

 besides £3419, 10s. for minerals ; the Earl of Dunmore, 4620 

 acres, rented at £8072, 10s., or nearly £1, 19s. an acre, and 

 £850 for minerals ; the Earl of Zetland, 4656 acres, at £9552, 

 or upwards of £2, Is. per acre, and £4255 for minerals. In 

 the county there are twenty-six parishes, and the population in 

 1881 was 112,798, an increase of 14,580 in ten years. 



In the agricultural returns for 1882 issued by the Board of 

 Trade, the total area of the county is stated to be 295,285 acres. 

 The total acreage under crops, bare fallow, and grass was 

 114,543 acres. Under corn cn)])s there were .'U,45u acres, of 

 which there were 2786 acres wheat, 4846 barley and bero, oats 

 20,345, rye 70, l)eans 3389, and ])eas 8 acres. Under green 

 crops there were 9174 acres, of which 4066 were under jiotatoes, 

 4589 turnips and swedes, 16 mangold, 15 carrots, 81 cabbage, 

 kohl-rabi, and rape, and 407 vetches and other green crops, 

 except clover or grass. Of clover, sanfoin, and grasses under 



