1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



405 



all its parts, requested me to survey such of his 

 lands as were suitable for the operation. After 

 taking the necessary levels of a field, lying on 

 both sales of the river Biggar, it was found that 

 by the straightening of the water-course where it 

 enters the meadow, the water would have a great- 

 er rapidity; and by erecting a dam twenty-one 

 inches high across the new cut, that not only this 

 field of eight acres, but other lands of greater ex- 

 tent might be properly irrigated, without injuring 

 the neighboring land. Having communicated 

 this to the proprietor, he desired me to commence 

 operations. The first operation was to straighten 

 the water-course, (plan 1.) make the dam, and 

 build the sluices, to admit the water into the mea- 

 dow at pleasure; and, as the greater part was ge- 

 nerally overflowed at every flood, to make an em- 

 bankment on the west side above the dam, and 

 another on the east side* below, to protect the 

 works and other fields of the proprietor. The 

 land is partly composed of clay, with a gravelly 

 sub-soil, and, in some places, mostly gravel both 

 in soil and sub-soil. The surface was very un- 

 level, so much so, that in several places it was ne- 

 cessary to reduce it from ten to fifteen inches, to 

 bring it to a level. The beds are formed for thirty 

 to forty feet wide, with a rise in the centre of 

 nearly twelve inches, so that every drop of water 

 is kept in motion. The expense of cutting the ri- 

 ver, making the embankment, building sluices, 

 and forming the beds, was £9 per acre. The 

 supply of water is quite adequate for the whole at 

 all seasons, which very much facilitates the man- 

 agement; and the quality of the water is superior 

 to any in the district. The superior quality of the 

 water of the river Biggar for irrigating grass land, 

 gives the proprietor a very considerable advantage 

 over many who have not tried the experiment, 

 both by producing a larger crop and finer hay; 

 and although this meadow was made late in the 

 spring of 1823, the crop of hay in 1825 was 

 judged by the neighbors to be upwards of four 

 hundred stone per acre, worth 6d. per stone; and 

 the aftermath £1 per acre; making the gross pro- 

 duce worth £11 per acre, instead of £2 per acre, 

 at which the land was valued before being irri- 

 gated. No expense was spared in the formation; 

 indeed I flatter myself that this meadow is as 

 complete a specimen as any in the kingdom, and 

 have not the least doubt, if a regular management 

 be carried on, that the product will be still larger, 

 although situated in a high country. 



Many large tracts of natural meadow land, ly- 

 ing on both sides of the river Biggar, in its pre- 

 sent state of very little value, might be irrigated 

 with equal advantage, if the proprietors would 

 only enter into the spirit of it, which would not 

 only be of the greatest benefit to themselves, but 

 for the whole community, by not only taking 

 away so much stagnated water, which is so inju- 

 rious to the neighboring land, but by collecting 

 many thousand cart loads of the richest manure, 

 which is yearly precipitated into the sea. 



There are upwards of fifty acres of irrigated 

 meadow land on the Dolphington property, be- 

 longing to Richard Mackenzie, Esq. W. S. Seve- 

 ral years ago the tenants on the said property 

 commenced irrigating their grass land, the greater 

 part of which was bog; and although the system 

 practised has been very imperfect, it has given a 

 considerable quantity of coarse hay. But the 



proprietor, suspecting the water might be used to 

 much greater advantage by a proper drainage and 

 formation, has been at a Considerable expense, in 

 conjunction wilh the neighboring proprietors, in 

 straightening the river Tarth, to give aproperout- 

 let to the surrounding boggy lands. By this 

 means lie has been able to irrigate eighteen acres 

 in a regular manner, at an expense (including en- 

 closing) of £8 per acre. The land in its original 

 state was not worth more than 2s. 6d. per acre of 

 yearly rent, the whole, excepting three acres 

 which were covered with heath, being composed 

 of moss horn two to five feet deep, upon a bot- 

 tom of fine sand. Although the, heathy part was 

 only made into meadow in 1824, the greater part 

 of the heath is already gone, and the finer grasses 

 now nearly cover the ground; indeed the whole 

 meadow is so much improved, that a considerable 

 portion of it gives upwards of two hundred stone 

 of hay per acre per annum. 



Townlbot meadow, containing about five acres, 

 and belonging to the same property, has been par- 

 tially watered by the tenant for several years, and 

 in such places where the water ran freely oil' with- 

 out stagnating, gave a considerable quantity of 

 coarse hay; but since being properly drained, and 

 regularly formed into beds, the hay has become 

 infinitely finer. 



These operations have diffused a spirit of im- 

 provement among the tenants, and instead of 

 their carrying on the irrigation in the old slovenly 

 manner, they have considerably improved the for- 

 mation of their meadows, and are more attentive 

 to the management of them. 



In the spring of 1S28, a small meadow was 

 made by means of lifting the turf, levelling the 

 ground with the spade and barrow, and laying 

 down the turf again, at an expense of upwards of 

 £20 per acre, which, in the same year, gave 

 three hundred stone of hay per acre. Another 

 meadow, containing four acres, was levelled at 

 the same time, formed into beds, and sown with 

 grass seeds, which would be ready for receiving 

 the water in the autumn of 1829. And, lastly, 

 Mr. Mackenzie was then (February 1829) busy 

 in remodelling an old meadow, containing four 

 acres, which, through bad management, had be- 

 come a perlect bog. Some small patches of wa- 

 ter meadow on the same property are cut several 

 times a year, the produce of which gives a large 

 quantity of manure to the other lands. 



General Dunlop commenced irrigation at. South- 

 wick in Galloway in 1824, by forming ten acres 

 with the plough and spade into bed-work mea- 

 dow, and laying it down again with grass seeds 

 best adapted for the soil. 



Since that period the General has formed forty 

 acres more into bed-work meadow, by means of 

 lifting the turf, and levelling the surface of the 

 ground with the spade and wheelbarrow, and lay- 

 ing down the turf again. 



These operations, including making the large 

 conductor, (which is eight feet wide in the bot- 

 tom, and nearly a mile in length before it enters 

 the meadows,) building sluices and bridges over 

 the large conductor, making the small feeders and 

 drains, with the expense of wheelbarrows, &c. 

 cost £9 per acre. 



The sub-soil is composed of very fine sand 

 mixed with some very fine particles of clay, and 

 the fine pores of the sand are filled with water, 



