AGRICULTURE IN SCOTLAND — 179I-I796. 79 



two-horse plough was also used. The Duke of Argyll had 

 introduced a considerable number of improved implements 

 on his estate at Roseneath, and Mr Ure notes that a drill 

 plough for the turnip husbandry had lately been brought 

 to the farm of Barrs by Mr Grey, Sheriff-Substitute of the 

 county, who ' proposed to cultivate turnips to a consider- 

 able extent.' As to live stock, by far the greatest number 

 of horses in the county were of the Lanarkshire breed. 

 The Duke of Argyll kept on his farm in the county 

 about sixteen brood mares, all different breeds, but chiefly 

 English. The milk cows in the northern districts of the 

 county were of the Highland breed. Mr Ure says that 

 ' there is not, perhaps, in the land of Britain a more 

 improper breed of milk cows ;' and, he adds, that no care 

 is taken to improve the breed. This inferior class of stock 

 were, however, in the southern parts of the county, giving 

 place to the Ayrshire kind. From the Duke of Argyll's 

 dairies at Inverary about fifty fine Highland bullocks 

 were annually sent to Roseneath, where they were kept 

 one year, and sold fat at five or six years old to the 

 butchers, the price being £11 to £i^ each. The breeding 

 of sheep as a business had been introduced into the county 

 about 1747 by Mr John Campbell of Lagwyne, who then 

 lived at Glen Mollock, Luss. Before the date mentioned, 

 the county was mainly stocked with black cattle. The 

 sheep introduced were of the small blackfaced breed, and 

 were originally purchased at the fairs of East Kilbride, 

 in the county of Lanark. Mr Campbell's experiments 

 proving successful, many followed his example, and at the 

 date of the report there were in the county about 26,000 

 sheep. 



There are two reports on PERTHSHIRE to the Board 

 of Agriculture, one by Dr Robertson, minister of Callander, 

 on the southern districts of the county, and the other by 

 Mr James Donaldson, factor for Maule of Panmure, on the 

 Carse of Gowrie. Both are dated 1794. Mr Donaldson's 

 report is meagre, and does not contain facts of great 

 importance. It is chiefly occupied with a description of 



