354 THE BEE, OR March 1/ 



About tlie year 1771, a fpirit of impiovemcnt appeared in 

 the parilh, when the farms became larger than they had for- 

 merly been ; but for fpme years pall they have continued 

 nearly of the fame fize. The beft arable land is let frora 

 il. I s. toil. 10 s. ; and the inferior from 20 s. to 7 s. an 

 acre. The hill pailure is not let by the acre, but by the 

 lump. 7'he whole rent of the parilli amounts to fomething 

 more than 3000 1. Sterling />er annum, including hrtufes, 

 and the fmal! Sfheries in the Nith and Cluden. The heri- 

 tors are thirty-one in number, of whom ten of the fmall ones 

 and three of the largell, refide in the pariih. There is no 

 map of the parifli, the number of acres in it have Hot con- 

 fequently been precifely afcertained ; they are eftimated ?.t 

 about 7500. Of thefe, about 60 are employed for raifing 

 wheat, 250 for barley, 20 for peafe and beans, i o for rye, 

 13 10 for cats, 100 for potatoes, 30 for turnip and cabbage, 

 20 for flax aud hemp, 500 for fown grafs, tl:e reft is paftu- 

 rage, except about 150 acres for roads and plantations. None 

 of the ground iS common j and every proprietor knows the 

 exacl marches of his eftute ; but a confiderable quantity of 

 the hilly part niufl. always lie in a Hate of pallurage, not be- 

 ing arable on account of the fteepnefs of the hills. Several 

 hundred acres, however, of tlie lower parts of thefe unbrok- 

 en grounds, are capable of cultivation ', and, if properly 

 improved, v/ould pay well for the labour IjcftoWed on them. 

 The greateft part of the parifli is thirled * to the mill of 

 Cluden, and pays a very high multure f , which greatly 

 tends to retard the cultivation and iiiiprovemcnt of the 

 diftria. 



Mode of Cultivation^ — There are 70 ploughs in the parifli. 

 Thole ufed in the firfl divifion, fee page 516, and the great- 



\ When the laird, I. e. lord of the manor, builds a mill, he ohligcs 

 his tenants to luive all fheir corn ground at th;tt mill only. The fajms 

 are tlien faid tr> he thiiled, or up 'rr thirlagc to the mill. But fumetinics, 

 as is the cafe here, the tenants ot one cftate are thirled to the mill of 

 another, which, when tht dues are higii, is a great bar to improvement. 



* Multure is a cert:iin ftipulatcd quantity of meal, given as payment to 

 the miller forgrn)ding the corn : And all corn gro-.vn on farms thirled 

 to the mill is obliged to pay multuri', whether the corn be ground at 

 that mill or clfwherc. 



