AND METEOllOLOGY OF THE YEAR KELATIVE THERETO. 329 



allowed, but were free from disease. Clip of wool, average quality and 

 quantity. 



Wigtownshire. — Wheat, 25 bushels ; quality not so good as last year ; 

 straw abundant, but badly harvested ; seed, 3 bushels. Barley, 30 bushels ; 

 52 lbs. quality; less than in 1882; seed, 31 bushels. Oats, 36 bushels; 

 40 lbs. quality; a good crop; seed, 4| bushels. Harvest later by three 

 weeks. Hay, 1 ton ; good quality, but less than in 1882. Meadow hay, 

 rather less." Potato crop, 8 tons; hardly any disease; Champions and 

 Magnum Bonunis, and little else planted. Turnip crop, 16 to 20 tons; 

 good quality, and brairded w^elL Little damage by insects and weeds. 

 Pastures hardly so good, owing to little sunshine. Stock throve moderately ; 

 there were two outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, but they did not 

 spread. Clip of wool, nearly average in the hill districts ; not so good on 

 low lands. 



Ayrshire. — Wheat early sown, with land in good condition, has given 

 satisfactory returns ; the best fields have yielded 36 to 50 bushels, weighing 

 60 to 63 lbs.; the later crops larger in area have yielded small quantities 

 ■of inferior grain, much of it fit only for cattle food ; the straw was bulky ; 

 about 3 bushels of seed is sown. Barley was a well grown crop ; but a 

 storm in August lessened materially the return, especially from exposed 

 fields ; but better class of land yielded 30 to 40 bushels, weighing 54^ to 

 55^ lbs. On cold and late soils, the yield was about 26 to 28 bushels 

 of 51 to 53 lbs. Oats were a bulky crop, and gave large returns in fine 

 early land ; both quantity and quality good ; but the crop came up thin 

 on middling and inferior land in Carrick, and in the latest parts of Kyle 

 it did not ripen ; late crops in stook after the middle of Octoljer were half 

 lost. Harvest nearly three weeks later than usual. Hay middling crop ; 

 less bulky than last year. Upland meadows rather deficient; well 

 manured timothy grass, good returns. The beginning of potato raising 

 was about ten days later than usual. The earliest crops paid well. The 

 secondary crops did not swell rapidly in the cold July weather and wnth 

 falling markets were unremunerative. Autumn crops have been mostly 

 Champions and Magnums; the crop was fair, and little injured by disease, 

 ^liddling turnip crop ; it improved greatly in September and October. 

 Pastures middling in early districts ; rather deficient in the uplands. 

 Stock throve moderately well, and there was not much disease. 



Bute.— Wheat, about 30 bushels; quality of grain and straw about 

 same as last year, although less in bulk; seed, 4 bushels; not a great deal 

 of wheat sown, and valued as much for the straw as for the grain. Barley 

 about 34 bushels; quality of grain and straw much like last year, but less 

 bulky ; seed, 4 bushels. Oats, about 36 bushels ; quality of grain and straw 

 similar to last year's crop, although a good deal less in quantity; seed, 5 to 

 6 bushels. Harvest began two weeks later than last season. The while 

 crops on early farms were pretty well got in, but in colder land harvest was 

 protracted, — the season on the whole being rather wet and cold, with a want 

 of sunshine. Hay rather un<ler average of last season both for ryegrass 

 and clover— quantity U to 2 tons ; ])retty wt-ll got. Meadow hay less produc- 

 tive than last year"; not nnich cut in locality, l)ut pretty well got. Potatoes 

 better crop than last year, and not so much disease; Champions mostly 

 grown, return about 8 tons; other kinds, for early sale, about 5 tons. 

 Turnii)s, 16 to 20 tons; fully better than last year on dry land, but worse 

 on danq) soil ; cro]» brairdc*! well, with no rc-sowing ; was slow in growth, but 

 filled up wonderfully well in September and 6ctol)er. The crops were 

 very little injured by insects, excepting oats on heavy lea lam', which were 

 hurt a good deal with grub-worm, owing to cold weather in May. Weeds 



