340 THE CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1883, 



reduced the weight to 5 tons ; the crop was very stiff to braird, and in 

 general a second sowing was required, and in many cases a third. Frosts 

 in May, and the ravages of the turnip fly, account for the deficiency. Unless 

 the turnip crop, no other was damaged to any extent with insects. Weeds 

 were very abundant, and were difficult to eradicate owing to the extremely 

 wet season. Pastures were deficient in growth, and stock as a rule made 

 little progress in fattening, owing to the cold wet weather. Cattle and 

 sheep have been free from disease, unless in one instance where a few sheep 

 had the foot-and-mouth disease. The clip was about an average. 



Banffshire (Lower District). — Almost no wheat grown. Barley, 27 

 bushels ; quality below average, or one-fourth less than last year, and 3 lbs. 

 lighter in weight. Oats, 27 bushels, or about one-fourth less than last year, 

 and from 3 lbs. to 3|- lbs. lighter in weight. Harvest eight days later than 

 last season. 17 cwts. of ryegrass, and quality inferior to that of last year. 

 No meadow hay. Potato crop, 3^ tons ; quality excellent ; almost no 

 disease; Champions gro^Ti chiefly. Turnip crop, 13 tons; quality not 

 nearly equal to that of last year ; brairded unequally ; not much re-sowing 

 required. Fly was troublesome in many places. No injury by weeds. 

 Pastures not equal to last year. Stock did fairly well, and were quite free 

 from disease. Clip of wool about an average, but comparatively few sheep 

 kept. 



Banffshire and ]\[orayshire (Upper District). — Morayshire : Grain 

 and straw both deficient ; colour and weight both bad as compared with last 

 year ; grain would be a quarter short, weight and colour being equally 

 inferior. No wheat grown in Upper Banffshire. Barley — Morayshire : 

 Both straw and grain an average crop, but grain defective both in colour 

 and quality ; weight fully 2 lbs. under average. Banffshire : Straw a full 

 crop, but grain under average ; quality variable, but all very inferior ; 

 weight, the best from 2 to 4 lbs. under standard, and on late farms that 

 deficiency much exceeded, cause want of sunshine. Oats — Morayshire : 

 Straw and grain fair average bulk, colour and ripeness both satisfactory ; 

 weight defective, average from 2 to 3 lbs. under ordinary years. Banff- 

 shire : Straw fair bulk, quantity of grain deficient and not ripe, but weight 

 3 lbs. under average, down to shells in the late glens, in which the straw 

 also was deficient. In both counties the harvest was fully a month later 

 than usual, and in the late districts the crop never ripened. In both 

 counties hay was a fair crop, not less than last season; but owing to the 

 rains in July and August, there was greater difficulty in saving the crop, 

 which on that account is defective in quality. No meadow hay grown. 

 Potatoes — Morayshire : A full crop, without disease ; quality good. Banff- 

 shire : Crop barely an average ; quality fair ; no disease. Turnips — 

 Morayshire : Crop about two-thirds of an average weight ; brairded fairly ; 

 disease, canker, and finger-and-toe prevalent. Banffshire : Under half an 

 average crop, and on clay bottomed fields more or less a perfect failure. 

 No damage from insects, nor any special damage from weeds. Pastures 

 under average growth. Stock throve indifferently, owing to the cold wet 

 weather, but were free from disease. On low ground farms whitefaced wool 

 was an average clip ; on the higher pastures and among hill flocks, owing 

 to the storms in March, the clip was under an average ; 1883 was the most 

 defective for the last twenty-seven years. The loss from the turnip crop 

 .ilone would be equal to a third of the rental in Morayshire, and a full half 

 in the upper districts. Prices are good for stock, bad for wheat and barley, 

 but fair for oats. 



Morayshire (Lower District). — The wheat crop as to quantity, both 

 straw and grain, is considerably under last year's crop ; in general it was 



