86 HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



county were principally blackfaced, got from the Lammer- 

 moors. Horses were of small size, but, by the introduction 

 of stallions of a better sort, and by better feeding, the race 

 was improving a little in size. The state of labour in the 

 county will be understood when it is known that the usual 

 hire of a labourer at the date of the report was is. a day. 

 The wages of a man to thrash and hold the plough were 

 from £6 to £"] a year. Women's wages were from 40s. to 

 ;^3 a year. As regards Agricultural Societies, it may be 

 well to note that Mr Souter, in his Report on Banffshire, 

 published in 18 12, gives in an Appendix copy of certain 

 rules for farming, printed in 1735 by a ' Small Society of 

 Farmers in Buchan.' These rules, Mr Souter says, were 

 found in the repositories of a gentleman who lately died in 

 Banffshire, at the age of ninety, and at the time of their dis- 

 covery were so completely forgotten that he (Mr S.) ' had 

 not fallen in with an individual that had so much as heard 

 of the existence of this Society.' The copy from which 

 Mr Souter reprinted the rules was printed by W. Cheyne, 

 for Gavin Hamilton, Edinburgh, and it contains a list of 

 those who have subscribed for ten copies.* In April 1769, 

 a Society was formed in Buchan ' for the improvement of 

 agriculture,' which took the name of the ' Buchan Farmers' 

 Society.' It had its head quarters in Peterhead, and there 

 is a record of its operations from the date of its formation 

 till 1777 in its minute-book, for access to which we are in- 

 debted to the courtesy of Mr Wm. Boyd, solicitor, Peterhead. 



was another market, Kepple Market, in New Alachar. At Aikey Fair about 

 one-half of the cattle were Polled, and one-half homed, but they were all of 

 the Aberdeenshire breed.' Mr Stodart's father was brought to Aberdeenshire 

 by Dr Anderson to be overseer on his farms in Foveran, and on the doctor 

 leaving he got the farm of Davieshill. 



* The following is the list, in which all save three belong to the North of 

 Scotland : — Charles Lord Cathcart, Alexander Lord Pitsligo, Alexander Lord 

 Elibank, The Honourable Alexander Fraser of Strichen, one of the Senators 

 of the College of Justice ; Sir Alexander Cockburn of Langtoun, William Duff 

 of Braco, Patrick Duff of Premnay, Sir James Elphinstone of Logic, Sir James 

 Fergusson of Kilkerran, James Fergusson of Pitfour, Alexander Garden of 

 Troup, James Gordon of Ellon, Ernest Lesley of Balquhain, Archibald Ogilvy 

 of Rothiemay, George Skene of Skene, "William Urquhart of Meldrum. 



