l8o4» Agricidtural IntcUigense — Scotland:; IJJ^ 



Fife ^mrterly Report. 



After luinrcft the weathe^ was highly favourable for preparing and 

 fovvii^g- wheat ; and tlirough winter has been, on the whole, o]Ka and 

 Vcinperate, A greater quautity of wheat was fown than cullomar)-, 

 whicli makes at prcfent a beautiful appearance. 



The grain of crop 1803 is much Tuperior to tliat of the former year. 

 Oats, however, were generJiy a thin crop, and do not turn out raan-y 

 bolls per acre. The deciand ifor barley is very limited, and prices ai^, 

 daily falling. A conliderable part of crop 1802 reinaming on hand, 

 occafions this fpecies of grain to prove a heavy article to the farmer, 

 M:iny people do not know v/hat to nmke of it, the intereft of the dif- 

 filler inducing him to import Engliiln barley ; and fome of them have 

 declared they would not pay the ui-ilt-duty, even if the farmer would 

 .give them the barley of crop 1802 for nothing. 



How rents are to be pxud under thefe circumrtances, is a problem net 

 eafdy folvod. Tliofe who ai-e about to reuew ietd'es, ought, in making 

 offers, fenoufly to relied upon thefe things, if they w^ifli to avoid ruin ; 

 and it is no lofs the buiin'^-io of the landholder aad legiilator to invelli- 

 gate the caufes of, and endeavour to remov* an evil, which threaten^ 

 1 1 alfcft the value of landed property materially. Inferior grain can- 

 not be ufed in a profitable way, except in dilliilation ; but high duties 

 rifeCtually prevent diPiiiilers from purchaiing it, and give a decided pre- 

 ference to grain of fuperior quality. 



Oat jneal continues reafonable in price, never above 20s., nor under 

 1 6s. per boil of eight Hone, and the markets arc well fupplied. Po- 

 tatoes were an unproductive crop, and are now felling at 9a. to los. 

 per boll. Tae demand for wheat is dull, and prices about 23s. per 

 'boU. 



Owing to the f^/ilure of turnips, the number of fat cattle is not great, 

 which has kept up the price of beef. For lean cattle there is httle 

 demand, and prices continue falling. Grazing in this county turned 

 out a bad concern lafl year ; many of the graziers having loft one third, 

 others one half, and iome even the whole of their rent, thofe of tlie 

 laii clafs having fold as cheap as they bouglit : therefore il is fi'ppofed 

 that grafs rents mull fall this year confiderably. 



The wages of workmen and tradcfmen, and the price of v/ood, iron, 

 and every otlier article ufed UDon a farm, are advanced beyond pre- 

 cedent. Thefe, with the want of a market for farm produce, are cer- 

 tainly not calculated to advance improvement ; but mull in the end de> 

 prefs the tenantry, and lellen the rent-rolls of proprietors.— -J^u'n. 23. 



EaJI'Lothian ^iartcrly Report, 



The months of December and January furniflied variable weather, 

 which of courfe impeded iield-work confiderably, and even lelfencd the 

 value ot fuch operations as were executed. It is a comfortable circum- 

 iknce that an increafed quantity of v/heat was put into the g^'ound in 



tke 



