80 HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the crops cultivated in the Carse lands, which consisted of 

 wheat, pease, beans, oats, barley, turnips, potatoes, and 

 artificial grasses. Dr Robertson says that in some districts 

 of the southern parts of the county the old system of out- 

 field and in-field prevailed. Rotation of cropping was 

 practised among the best farmers, but in several places there 

 was no rotation, the land being sown with cereals as long 

 as it would carry any crop. The culture of turnips in the 

 open fields had been introduced about half a century before 

 the date of the report in the west end of Strathearn, by 

 Sir Patrick Murray, 4th Bart, of Ochtertyre ; in the east 

 end, by Mr Oliphant of Rossie ; and in Monteith, by Mr 

 Drummond of Blair. The more advanced farmers used 

 two-horse ploughs ; but, in the majority of cases, there was 

 still in use the old Scotch plough, drawn by four horses 

 abreast, and driv^en by a man walking backwards. Thrash- 

 ing machines were fast coming into favour, and fanners 

 had been used for some time. The rent of the best soils 

 averaged 30s. an acre. Three-fifths of the lands were 

 unenclosed. Of live stock, the old whitefaced breed of 

 sheep, which required housing in winter, had disappeared, 

 having given way before the hardier blackfaces, which had 

 been introduced about twenty years before the date of the 

 report. The cows ' were in general of a bad breed, not so 

 well haired or shaped as the North Argyll breed, nor giving 

 so much milk as the southern breeds.' In the vicinity of 

 Perth and Bridge of Earn, the farmers were introducing 

 the Angus and Fife breeds.* In the west they preferred 

 the Argyllshire breed, and in some places of that district, 

 the breed from Ayrshire. The farmers in Monteith had 

 introduced some cows from the vicinity of Glasgow, while 

 Mr Graham of Balgowan had lately brought some cows 

 and bulls of different ages from the county of Devon. 

 These latter were ' handsome-shaped, only that their legs 



* In the old Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. xix., page 353, in the 

 notice of parish of Bendochy, written in 1797, the Rev. James Playfair says — 

 ' There are 1229 horned cattle of all ages and sexes in the parish. I have no other 

 general name to them, but many of them are dodded, wanting horns : we call 

 them cattle, to distinguish them from horses.' 



