190 FIELD AND FERN. 



face, and top-dressed the moss with the clay. The 

 lighter draining was done on the Deanston prin- 

 ciple, thirty inches deep and eighteen feet apart, with 

 stones at the bottom, topped with such only as would 

 go through a three-inch ring; and when some of the 

 drains were opened a quarter of a century after, they 

 were running as clear as ever. The trenching he 

 let off at 10 to 14 per acre, and used the stones 

 for dyking. In carrying it out, he never adopted 

 any paring or burning, but always inverted the top 

 sod and put it in at the bottom, and then ploughed 

 up the field with four horses, fourteen inches deep. 

 The first crop was oats manured with Aberdeen dung, 

 which he bought for two shillings a load at the police 

 auctions, and carted the seven miles during the sum- 

 mer. 



Hay he thought quite as exhaustive as an oat 

 crop, and wheat did not suit the land. Wall-building 

 was one of his greatest delights, and he introduced 

 Fifeshire workmen for the purpose. The walls were 

 from four to four-and-a-half feet, with granite 

 copings from his own quarry below The Monument, 

 and joined by cement. They once overlapped about 

 two inches, but this gave the cattle too much lever- 

 age for displacing them, and latterly half that projec- 

 tion was all he allowed. This work was, in accord- 

 ance with his usual rule, paid for by the day, and 

 done by an overseer with picked men under him- 

 There was no premium on idleness, as after half-past 

 five in the morning, wet or fine, they were pretty 



