•^. Agricuhural LiteUi^ence — Scuthwd. Fe^r 



vn. fiica a bleak, mountainous diftrift ; and an every body faw they hacf 

 too much grafs amongil their corn ah-eady, they thought that fowing' 

 it, inilead ci remedying, would but increale the evil ; hence, the croft- 

 land was fubjected to a never-ending fyilcm of white-cropping. 



The management of the outfield (which was land prepared for crop* 

 ping by folding iheep and cattle upon it), was no better condudled. 

 Not content with two, or perhaps three middling crops,. v»e uniformly 

 pcrfiftcd, in fpite of every obftacle, to take four or live crops,, and then 

 left it to run to weeds, grafa, or whatever an impoverifiicd foil coiJd 

 produce. 



But, thanks to a few liberal-minded ir.dividuals^ tliefe cuiloms, thougW 

 ancient, are now happily exploded* Turnips are every where culti- 

 vated, and generally confumed in rearing ilock, as noticed in our 

 report for Auguft ; after which> the land is laid out in grafs for hay' 

 or pallure. It is alfo drained where wet, and enclofed. Indeed, this? 

 part of the fanning economy feevns to be pretty well underflood ; for 

 there are few farms in the county where- the ai-able land is not enclofed^ 

 or enclofing ; and, in many inilanees, it is both eiiclofed and fubdi" 

 vided. In feveral places, fallowing feems to be but impcrfeclly un- 

 derflood ; though I am glad to fee that, within thefe two or three 

 years, more attention is paid to it tlran formerly. 



Good roads were, and fWl are^ very much wanted ; but, ia 

 the courfe of laft feafon^ much lias been done this way. Two 

 bridcT-cs have been built over the Ettrick, and one is intended over 

 Yarrow. A nev7 road is alfo cut, and cutting, where the old one was 

 ftecp, or otherwife infuflicicnt, from Selkirk to Moffat ; another,, 

 though of only local advantage, is forming up the Ettrick ; and a crofs- 

 road is alfo ilakcd out, to run tiirough the middle of the higher part 

 of tiie county, betwixt Tweeddale and Tiviotdale. Thefe, when com- 

 pleted,, bid fair to be of great utility to a confiderable part of our 

 farmers, for conveying more fafely, or, at leall, in a lefs circuitous, 

 manner, farm produce to market, and farm confumption home, fuch as 

 lime, marl, coal, &c. 



Liming and marling are every feafon coming more into ufe j and 

 moft of the farmers, even in the higheil parts of the county, have 

 done a little tliis v/ay, although both are procured at great expencc, on 

 account of the diilance, and badnefs of the roads. 



All Cn?. ploughing is performed by the Enghlh plough and two 

 borfes. Oyien are everywhere fallen into difufe ; and are nowhere em- 

 ployed,- fo far as I know, for performing farm labour. 



Inigation was lately introduced, as mentioned in our lafl ; and it i» 

 certainly a pity the pra6lice is not more generally diffufed, as it would 

 render a confiderable part of the county lefs dependent, for winter fod- 

 der, on bog hay, which, at beft. is but coarfe, and its growth pre- 

 carious. Rather lefs land is cultivated than formerly, as the farmer it 

 convinced there is more to be got from three acres in good heart, than 

 from four in an impoveriffied ftate. 



As capital has been r^idly increafmg withi^ thefe few years, fo the 



fftfllMilC 



