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to attain the acquifition of having the foil in each 

 field of one nature, or as nearly fo as it is polTiblc 

 to attain that point: many farms labour under in- 

 conveniencies in this refpeft; for where a field of 20 

 acres confifts of foil fit to graze, and foil only capa- 

 ble of rearing youn'g flock, the difadvantage mufl be 

 apparent to every one; and in arable fields the dif- 

 advantage is fhill greater, for the culture and crop- 

 ping that fucceeds befl; on clay is not by any means 

 the befl that can be adopted on a gravel. 



Survey or the County of Dumfries, p. ^^, 



BY MR. BRYCE JOHNSTON. 



Formerly there were feveral commons (or com- 

 moniies as they are called) in this county. But, 

 fome years ago, the greater part of them were di- 

 vided among the furrounding heritors, (proprietors 

 of land) in proportion to the fervitudes, which the 

 dominant tenements had upon the common, for the 

 years of the long prefcription, according to the law 

 of Scotland. Though this law is much more favour- 

 able for the divifion of commons, than that of Eng- 

 land, yet the length of time and expence of a procefs 

 for divifion of commons are fo great, efpecially 

 when the parties in the procefs are numerous, that 

 in fome inflances heritors might purchafe as much 

 land of equal quality, for little more money than the 



expencq 



