APPENDIX. 167 



and rigs, everywhere intersected with cairns of stones and 

 moorland. For twenty years he toiled most indefatigably ; 

 and during all that time he was never known to be in bed 

 after five o'clock in the morning, winter or summer. He 

 was the first man who sowed a turnip in a field, or artifi- 

 cial grasses, north of the Frith of Forth. During this 

 period he thoroughly improved 2000 acres, reclaimed 

 from moor 800, and planted from 1200 to 1500 acres 

 chiefly with forest trees. Gradually his operations be- 

 gan to attract attention, and be followed by the proprie- 

 tors and tenantry around, until at last that spirit of im- 

 provement burst,forth, which has placed the agriculture 

 of this part of the country, and Scotland generally, in the 

 high state of excellence in which we now find it. (Cheers.) 

 You thus see that my way was made comparatively easy, 

 and I had only to perfect and fill up a great outline which 

 had been drawn for me. My father proceeded on a dif- 

 ferent principle from most other improvers. He com- 

 menced at the far end, for he used to say that " a tired 

 man would struggle hard to reach home." The conse- 

 quence of this was, that on my accession I found the most 

 neglected part of the estate to be that near the Mansion 

 House. I said, " this shall never be ;" and I have now 

 the satisfaction of saying that the estate of Ury is one of 

 the most highly improved and beautified estates in the 

 country. (Cheers.) My next consideration was, how to 

 turn the means of improvement I possessed to most ad- 

 vantage. About the year 1822, I introduced the breed 



