i8o4»- Agnciiltiiral ItiinHigejicc — ScotLuid, j^Shr- 



Extrad of a Letter from Axrpire^ On. i\. 



' From the long continued rain throu;Th fpring^, to tlie i6th of 

 June, and the fubfeq'Jent dry weather for ii.v or feven weeks, the crops, 

 in general througii this county are but thin, and thought to be below 

 a»i average. The v.'hejts, upon the whole, are tiie bt-ll, though thefe 

 alk) fiiUVred in part, from the rainy weather which came on at the be- 

 ginning of Aui^^uil. The hay crops were good, and, at the beginning 

 of the feafon, before the fcvere drought fet in, were fclh'ng out of the 

 rick as low as from 3^d. to 4d. a ftone. From the middle of Augull 

 to the end of September, the weather continued variable, though up- 

 on the whole good ; but fince the beginnirjg of the prefent month it 

 has rained inccfTantly, with the exception of only two complete dry- 

 days ; that is, there has not been a fniglc day dunng that time without: 

 rain, and that a great deal of it, ex<:ept two ; and the misfoitUTie is, 

 that in many places the crop is not yet cut down, and much of it is 

 iiandiug in the fields that was cut tliree weeks ago ; and it may, for 

 that reafon, be readily fuppofed what condition it mult be in. 1 he 

 ground being io completely drenched with rain, has alfo greatly retard- 

 ed the fowing of the wheat, and what is put in the ground is by no 

 7Tieans done in the bed manner. It is thought, too, that the potato 

 crop will be deficient ; any experiments that have hitherto been made 

 indicate this, and in an efpecial manner upon dry fnore land. The tur- 

 ivip crop, which is now beginning to extend through the county, fuf- 

 fered in the fame manner as in other places by the cater|>illar. But this 

 dcilrufiiive infetl, not h.aving generally deftroyed the heart leave?, as 

 foon as the rain came on in the beginning of Auguft, thefe puilied for- 

 v.ard in an unexpe£led maimer ; fnfomuch, that many fields that were 

 looked upon as ufelefs, recovered In a furprifmg degree, and the crops 

 will be very tolerable. From thefe combinations of circumdances, it 

 may be expc<£lcd that the grain markets will look upwards. They 

 have for fome weeks been rather on the advance. Meal in Ayr market: 

 kas for fome time pa'l been at ijd. and i6d. the peck; Wheat about 

 2I. 14s. and 2I. 1 6s. the quarter; Oats, with fodder, from a guinea ta 

 il. 5s. ditto ; Potato oats about 3s. or 4s. more. Bear and barley is 

 in fmall requeft. Cattle and fheep have declined 30 and 40 per cent., 

 from what they weie about two years ago, though meat In the fhambles 

 lias fullered little variation. Tlie property-tax has not yet been exaft- 

 «<] in this county, thonajh every body is in daily expeiiilation of the 

 tltmand being made. The only new aHeirment that has taken place is 

 t-^at for the wives and families of the militia, at the rate of 8s. 4d,. 

 per icol. of valuation, to be paid jointly betwixt mailers and tenants, 

 and probably by the tenants alone, where they have bound themfelves 

 to pay all public or parliamentary burdens. — llie price of farm la- 

 bour, both of hired fervants and day-labourers, as alfo of mechanics, 

 continues as high as ever. Hired fervants are from 5I. to 9I., or gui-'" 

 neas, the half year ; day-labourers from is. 6d. to 2s. a-day, without 

 ^itliials J' mechanic* in proportion. When the high advanced rents, 



fome 



