An Agricultural Tour. 123 



altogether a very long list. Dr. Anderson died at West- 

 ham, near London, in 1808. 



Passing on from Monkshill where, as we know from 

 other sources, the farming was of the most advanced 

 sort, our tourist went by Ellon, where, though the soil 

 was good, he could not admire the husbandry. At 

 Auchmacoy the improving proprietor had taken to fenc- 

 ing by means of hedges and ditches, in lieu of earth 

 dykes, which were destroyed by the horned cattle 

 thrusting- their horns into them and tossing the mate- 

 rial about ; and it is a rather curious circumstance that, 

 though horned cattle are mentioned repeatedly after- 

 wards, not a single allusion is made to the black polled 

 breed, of which Buchan is said to be the native region. 



But, by universal consent, the person who took the 

 first place for knowledge of farming in Buchan was a 

 lady Miss Fraser of Inverallochy who had the entire 

 management of the farm of Knockhall, leased from 

 Mr. Udny, by her brother resident in London. This 

 farm was all fenced with stone dykes and thorn 

 hedges, with intervening strips of plantation. The 

 stone fences are declared to be " incomparably good," 

 while the highly-cultivated state of every field dis- 

 covered " not only industry, but a superior genius. 

 Drilled turnip, bear with grass seeds, thriving exceed- 

 ingly, fine pasturage, the best sort of cows and young 

 steers, in short, everything in perfection. I met a 

 wain, deeply loaded with sea-shells, drawn by four 

 fine bullocks. They were trained to draw in harness, 

 and I was charmed to see them take all the turns of 

 the road like the best-trained horses. In short, this 

 lady is a miracle for farming. Her genius must be 

 uncommon to excel so eminently in a vocation that 

 Nature seems to have confined to the male sex." This 

 opinion is fairly borne out by a written statement 

 obtained from Miss Fraser, in which she discusses 

 various practical points with much shrewdness and in- 

 telligence, urging in particular the economy effected 



