When riding through Ayrfliirc iron 

 Paifley to Kilmarnock, to the towns of Ayr 

 and Irvine, and back to Kilmarnock and 

 Tarbolton, returning again to Paifley by Ir* 

 vine and Beith, I made a few obfervations. 



Firft, I never law a county or fhire in Scot- 

 land where there was fo little muir or wafte 

 ground ; the greater part being either inclo- 

 ied, had been in tillage, or was in grafs. 



Secondly, The roads for the moft part very 

 good, being chiefly turnpike, except from 

 Paifley to Stuarton, and from Irvine to Beith, 

 which are in fome parts very bad. 



Thirdly, Although the moft of the farms 

 are inclofed with ditch and hedge, yet very 

 few of them are fencible, the thorns being 

 planted in the face of the ditch, very much 

 Hinted in the growth; many of them fogged 

 or covered with mof's, which is a fure fign 

 that the hedge is going back in the growth. 

 There is no way of helping thefe hedges, but 

 by cutting them over clofe to the ground, 

 making up a fmall facing upon the outflde as 

 high as the thorns, and one foot broad at the 

 top ; and as the thorns grow, to throw in 

 more earth about the roots. This will give 

 a new growth, and help to keep in the moif- 



ture 



