382 AGRICULTURAL SURVEY OF chap, 



performance : And thus the cottages will be- 

 come excellent nurseries for breeding farm-.ser- 

 vants of both sexes, and of every description. 



6tbly, The establishing of three Annual ''Trysts, 

 to succeed *each other, early in the month of 

 March, one in the east, one in the middle, and 

 one in the west of the county, for the sale cf 

 wintering stock, might be very beneficial to the 

 tenantry, as well as to others concerned. For- 

 merly the English dealers purchased and drove 

 up our cattle in summer, in good condition, kept 

 them on their worst pasture during autumn, win- 

 tered them, and fed them off the ensuing sum- 

 mer ; retaining a part of them for feeding next 

 winter. From the advanced state of husbandry 

 in Scotland, it is found that we can now winter 

 our cattle 1 as well as they generally do in Eng- 

 land. And, therefore, the English drovers come 

 down, at the end of February or the beginning 

 of March, a practice which they have followed 

 for* some years past ; go along from farm to 

 faim, often in vain ; and with much fatigue, 

 trouble, and expence, purchase what wintering 

 stock they can find. These they drive up, and 

 make fit for slaughter in summer ; and after- 

 wards make purchases for feeding off in winter. 

 It may, therefore, be easily conceived, that, by 

 the proposed arrangement, much time, expence 

 of feed, and interest of money, must be saved to 

 the English feeder, and consequently that he can 

 afford a much higher price to the Scots farmer. 

 Such an intercourse, therefore, so beneficial to 

 the landlords, as well as to their tenants, and to 

 the county at large, ought to be encouraged, and 

 made as easy and permanent as possible, lest it 



