632 



SCOTLAND. 



Statistic*, from nine-tenths of the maritime crofts, and from their 

 T'""""" own surplus produce; since, in fact, they possess none, 

 Agricul. an j are se |f}om indeed sufficient to maintain the culti- 

 vation. Thus it is by fishing, that either a rent is 

 produced, or that the farmer and fisherman is enabled 

 to save from his farm a sufficient surplus to pay that 

 rent. Hence the high scale of these rents. In any 

 other situation the land would be worthless ; and pro- 

 bably in none else would it piy twopence an acre, 

 where it is now paying ten shillings or more. These 

 lands are in fact accommodations for the fishery, and 

 are more in the nature of town holdings than mere 

 farms ; and hence their high rents are really derived 

 from the fisheries, however they may appear to be the 

 rent of the land. We have already shown how the 

 progress of this system is, by perpetual subdivisions, 

 to reduce the system to one of mere fisheries, and thus 

 to produce that effect so long and vainly expected from 

 the erection of fishing villages. 



These remarks on the peculiarities which still dis- 

 tinguish the agricultural system of Scotland, will be 

 sufficient. The details that belong to its improved agri- 

 culture, will be found at great length under our article 

 AGRICULTURE. 



Gardens and Orchards* 



Gardens -j- ne celebrity o f Scottish gardeners, and the perfec- 



chards" *' on * wn ^ c h tne higher class of horticulture has been 

 brought in this country, are too well known to require 

 detail or praise. We must limit our very few remarks to 

 what is more purely of an agricultural or rural character. 

 The great increase of kail-yards or cottage gardens 

 is of modern date, as is almost the introduction of 

 these. Accordingly they are most numerous in the low- 

 land and improved districts, being comparatively rare in 

 the Highlands. They may be divided into four classes; 

 namely, gardens held in fee, the gardens of farm servants 

 in general, those held by artisans and labourers, and vil- 

 lage gardens. The first are generally the largest and 

 the best cultivated ; and the rotation of crops is so ma- 

 naged as to ensure a perpetual produce. Cottage gar- 

 dens being much smaller, have less variety of produce ; 

 and those of mechanics, with those found in villages, are 

 generally tended with much assiduity. It is unneces- 

 sary to enumerate the common articles of produce ; and 

 it is only to be wished that a system so useful and 

 profitable may be extended to those districts where it 

 has hitherto been in a great degree neglected. 



The principal market gardens are necessarily situated 

 in the neighbourhood of the great towns. About 1771, 

 the quantity of land so cultivated about Edinburgh was 

 126 acres ; in 1812 it was 400, in the hands of seventy- 

 six gardeners ; the average size being between five and 

 six acres, but the lots ranging from half an acre to six- 

 teen. About a sixth of this ground is planted with 

 gooseberry, currant, and raspberry ; and from 50.000 

 to 60,000 Scotch pints of gooseberries are sold yearly. 

 But besides this, there is a supply for Edinburgh, rang- 

 ing to five or six miles, including Dalkeith, Mussel- 

 burgh, &c. the space being estimated at sixty acres. 

 The annual value of vegetables sold there, is estimated 

 at from 16,OOO to 18,000, which is at the rate of 

 45 an acre for every acre so occupied. The rent of 

 this land at Edinburgh is from 8 to 16 an acre, lit- 

 tle of it being below lO. We may here add, that 

 the annual value of strawberries alone sold is under 

 4000.* This is a natural object of curiosity, from the 



great apparent profusion in which that fruit is sup- Statistic.*. 

 plied. We cannot here afford space to repeat these ^-y-""' 

 details as they relate to the gardens in the neighbour- Agrkul- 

 hood of the other great towns ; while we are equally ture. 

 compelled by our limits to pass over what relates to the 

 gardens of the opulent. Similarly, we have not room 

 to do more than mention the botanic gardens of Edin- 

 burght and Glasgow ; yet we cannot terminate this 

 part of our subject, without noticing for praise the ef- 

 forts of the Caledonian Horticultural Society, always 

 engaged in works of usefulness, and as having added 

 much to our valuable practical knowledge. An ao 

 count of the various objects and modes of cultivation 

 will be found in our article HORTICULTURE. 



Nurseries were almost unknown in Scotland till th 

 middle of the eighteenth century ; but they are now 

 become numerous, and are generally of course situated 

 near the great towns. At present, they are computed 

 to dispose annually often or twelve millions of forest 

 trees, besides fruit trees; so much has the taste for 

 planting and gardening increased with the increase of 

 wealth. These public nurseries are now estimated to 

 amount to 700 acres; and about Edinburgh nearly 130 

 are thus occupied. The Scotch nurseries also export 

 considerably to England, one house alone having sent 

 to London 2,000,000 of seedlings within the year. The 

 rent varies from 8 to l4 the acre, and in some places 

 it is as low as 5. Besides the public nurseries, it is 

 estimated that there are about 150 acres employed in 

 this manner by private individuals. 



The public, or market orchards of Scotland, are not 

 very numerous; nor indeed are the private ones so 

 when compared to the customs of England in this rt> 

 spect. This must be attributed to fashion or neglect, 

 as there is nothing in the climate to prevent the exten. 

 sive raising of apples at least, and there is no doubt 

 that cyder might be made to advantage, particularly if, 

 as in England in many places, the practice of garden- 

 ing were combined with it, or the orchard made a por- 

 tion of the garden. As we cannot here pretend to no. 

 tice private orchards, we must slightly enumerate those 

 which are intended for profit and sale, or are particu- 

 larly remarkable for their extent or produce. 



The greatest number of orchards are situated in the 

 manufacturing districts, and chiefly in Clydesdale. 

 Above 200 acres on the banks of the Clyde are thus 

 occupied; and the fruit averages in annual value from 

 1500 to 3000. In the whole of Lanarkshire the 

 number of acres is reckoned at 360, and the extreme 

 annual value 5000. The average value per acre is 

 8 to 16, and on land which, without the trees, 

 would produce only from 5s. to 30s. the acre. The 

 sizes of the orchards are from four acres to thirty. 



In the Carse of Gowrie there are about twenty or. 

 chards, and they are generally let, and kept also under 

 a rotation of corn crops. The average rent of the fruit 

 alone is from 8 to 10 an acre. There are a few also 

 about Falkirk, and in the Carse of Stirling, as well as 

 Aberdeenshire ; and it is thought by able gardeners, 

 that they might be established to great advantage in 

 all the western Highlands, particularly in Argyllshire. 

 We need not detail the modes of management, as they 

 are not peculiar to Scotland, and as we must indeed 

 consider this branch of rural economy as in a backward 

 state in this country compared to England, or to its 

 own rank in the more general departments of agricul- 

 ture and horticulture. 



* See our article HORTICCI.T URE, Vol. XI. p^ 226., 



f See HOBTICULTUEE, Vol. XI. p. 184. 



