PERTH TO DUNKELD. 265 



down, from perfectly opposite causes, as low as 2Jd., 

 whereas in 1864 they were never below 9d. 



A stroll of a couple of miles over the bridge, and 

 up the opposite side of the river, brought us to the 

 beautiful new steading of Scone. The Star, the 

 Crescent, and the Thistle are on its gable ends, and 

 above one of them stands a small image of St. Andrew, 

 with his cross on his breast, and his "haughty motto" 

 encircling him. The system of half-open yards is 

 not pushed to nearly the same extent that it is at 

 Lord Southesk's ; and the details of the whole stead- 

 ing, differ very widely from its Perthshire rival at 

 Keir. The open yards are in the centre, and com- 

 municate by a portcullis gate; and the pigsties, 

 stables, byres, and bullock house, all form part and 

 parcel of the sides. The harness is never seen about 

 the stable, but is hung on stands in the harness-room, 

 and the corn is kept in iron chests. All the houses 

 have large skylights, and are ventilated by an open 

 ridge ventilator running along the whole length of 

 the roofs, which is further assisted by the introduc- 

 tion of cold air from pipes laid underneath the floors, 

 and communicating with the outside of the build- 

 ings. The water service in the cowhouse is furnished 

 with a cock and waste-pipe for each double stall ; 

 and each stall in the calf-house, which is quite on a 

 miniature scale, is so managed that the calf cannot 

 turn round, and soil it at both ends. A detached 

 building, lighted at one end by an iron oriel window, 

 is fitted up with iron railed boxes 13 feet by 12, for 



