142 HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



John Murra}', junior of Tundcrgarth, and Wm. Grierson), 

 the judges, and some of the gentlemen and ladies who had 

 been present at the competition, dined afterwards at Mount 

 Annan, where the King's health, the prosperity of the 

 Socict}', the plough, and other appropriate toasts were 

 drank with great pleasure. 



TJiird PlongJiiiig MatcJi. 



This competition took place at Blackpark, near Castle 

 Douglas, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, on the 8th of 

 November 1802. There were present — James Gordon, yr. 

 of Culvennan, convener ; Lieutenant-Colonel Wight of 

 Chapplerne ; and Adam Maitland of Dundrennan, mem- 

 bers of committee ; and a considerable number of gentle- 

 men of the Stewartry and influential farmers, with a vast 

 crowd of spectators. The committee appointed the follow- 

 ing gentlemen, practical farmers, to be judges of the work : 

 Mr Pvlure, factor to the Earl of Selkirk ; Mr French, Girth- 

 head, Moffat ; Mr Beck, Balmangan, Kirkcudbright ; Mr 

 Breconridge, Custom Mains, Kirkcudbright; and Mr Brown, 

 Campbeltown, Gatehouse. Twenty-one ploughmen ap- 

 peared as competitors. The field fixed upon, as being 

 similar to the general nature of the soil of Galloway, was 

 old lea, and both stiff to work and stony. A part of it had 

 been previously measured off in lots of half an English 

 acre, having each three ridges, and, as the old ridges did 

 not answer for the new ridges, they were marked at each 

 end twelve feet broad, and one pole was allowed to each 

 competitor. Printed regulations were stuck up and read to 

 the ploughmen, and they drew for their lots and took their 

 places in the field accordingly. They were allowed four 

 hours to complete the quantity allotted to each, and they 

 began at three quarters past twelve o'clock. Two of the 

 ploughs were drawn by cattle, to wit : one by two Gallo- 

 way heifers, and the other by a Galloway bull and ox, 

 yoked in the same manner as horses. The other nineteen 

 ploughs were drawn by two horses each. The heifers 

 finished the quantity allotted to them in three minutes less 

 time than any of the ploughs with horses finished the like 



