20 EARLY SOCIETIES. 



Strathmore, Seaforth, Stair, Traquair, Wigton, and Wemyss, 

 The baronetage, knightage, and gentiy of the country were 

 largely represented. 



The Society of Improvers did not offer premiums 

 for improvements. Indeed their revenue must have been 

 inconsiderable. The gentlemen members paid a crown at 

 entry, and thereafter a crown yearly ; while farmers and 

 gardeners who desired to be members were received gratis. 

 The Society sought to stimulate investigation in agriculture, 

 and it appointed a Committee of twenty-five, one-half to be 

 resident in or near Edinburgh, whose duty it was to divide 

 into sections. The sections, choosing different subjects in 

 agriculture, were to ' mark down their thoughts thereupon 

 in writing, to be revised by the Committee.' Further, the 

 Committee were instructed to ' correspond with the most 

 intelligent in all the different customs in the nation, con- 

 cerning their different ways of managing their grounds, that 

 what may be amiss may be corrected, and what is profitable 

 imitated.' A third instruction was of a very practical cha- 

 racter, and it is probable had some important result. The 

 different members of the Society were asked to ' send up 

 the different ways of the management of their farms, and to 

 form small societies of gentlemen and farmers in their 

 several counties.' 



The chief service rendered b}' the Society of Improvers 

 was in the shape of advice to its members as to the best 

 mode of improving their lands. Mr Maxwell prints in his 

 book several series of queries, addressed to the Council of 

 the Society by landowners, with the advice which the Council 

 furnished. One of the first to apply for advice was Sir 

 James Fergusson of Kilkerran, who asked the Society to re- 

 commend the best means of improving a piece of land ex- 

 tending to forty acres. One-third was croft-land, which Sir 

 James said was cropped one year with bere, then two years 

 in oats, then in peas, and then in bere again — ' at which 

 time only it gets dung.' The ground manured only once 

 in four years, he complained, yielded poor crops ; ' the in- 

 crease is about five in the first year of the oats, and the 

 second not so much.' Sir James wished to know how he 



