An Agricultural Tour. 117 



under which he visited different parts of Scotland, 

 from the Border counties to the extreme north, and 

 including parts of the counties of Aberdeen, Kin- 

 cardine, Banff, Moray, and on to Sutherland and 

 Caithness ; his labours extending at intervals over ten 

 or eleven years. 



The Commissioners felt the time to be fortunately 

 critical for such a survey " While the bulk of our 

 farmers are creeping in the beaten path of miserable 

 husbandry, without knowing better, or even wishing 

 to know better, several men of genius, shaking off the 

 fetters of custom, have traced out new paths for them- 

 selves, and have been successful, even beyond expecta- 

 tion. But their success has hitherto produced few 

 imitators : so far from it, that among their slovenly 

 neighbours they are reckoned giddy-headed projec- 

 tors." A comparison of the new mode of agriculture 

 with the old could not fail, it was thought, to incite the 

 old school farmers to follow the example of the im- 

 provers; especially in view of the great profits made 

 by them ; for, " if this motive prevail not, it is not 

 easy to say what can prevail." " Fifty years ago a 

 survey of this kind would have been of no avail ; 

 because our practice, cramped by custom, was the same 

 everywhere ; and there was nothing to be learned. 

 Fifty years hence the knowledge and practice of 

 husbandry will probably be spread everywhere, and 

 nothing will remain to be learned." The Commis- 

 sioners reasoned soundly concerning the expediency 

 of their course ; and as we have already seen, they 

 were not altogether singular in their mistaken anti- 

 cipation of the time when " nothing will remain to be 

 learned" in agriculture. 



We shall not follow Mr. Wight in his agricultural 

 details ; nor indeed follow him closely at all ; but 

 simply endeavour to obtain from him a few glimpses 

 of the rural life of the time as it presented itself to 

 the eye of an intelligent stranger. On his third survey, 



