TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION M. 735 
vear (1908) reached 41 bushels per acre against less than 28 in the fifties, barley 
36 against 33, and oats 39 against 32, while the potato yield of under four tons 
reached seven tons in 1908. 
Concurrently the cattle maintained in 1854-56 exceeded 1,000,000 head. They 
rose to 1,157,000 in 1884-86, exceeded 1,200,000 head for 1890 to 1906, stood at 
1,174,000 in 1908, and are again at 1,200,000 now. The sheep of 1854-56 only 
numbered 5,900,000. By 1884-86 they reached 6,848,000, reached a maximum of 
7,623,000 in 1891, and with only two drops below the seven-millions level were 
7,439,000 in 1898, and are still 7,164,000. Herein the Scottish flocks maintained a 
record over all those of Western Europe, where the loss of sheep was large and 
significant. The pig stock of Scotland has always been a very small factor, but 
the level of 1908 at 144,000 was well above the total of the fifties, and is to-day 
over 170,000. 
In the light of the new Census the saleable output of Scottish agriculture, 
however, only reaches 23,150,000/. per annum, the crops so far as sold account- 
ing for over a fourth, or 6,400,000/., the animals and animal products 16,250,000. , 
with 500,000/7. from ‘ fruit, flowers, and timber,’ of which the fruit is about two- 
thirds. What these figures teach is a problem worthy of this new Section’s 
attentive study. If the timber sales, calculated at 181,000/. on 875,000 acres, 
and reaching thus only 4s. 2d. per acre, be deducted, the remaining agricultural 
area of under 14,000,000 acres would appear to return less than 33s. per acre, 
while the Census report suggests that the rough grazings, of which Scotland 
shows 9,080,000 acres in its utilised area, can be reckoned to yield only 10s. to 12s. 
an acre of saleable output, if indeed this figure is not too high. 
These features have to be reckoned with in any survey of the remaining scope 
for agricultural development, and give point to the directions in which the pro- 
spects are most hopeful. The prominent share which the livestock of the farm 
contributes to the total is enforced, and the student will find in the details now 
available as to the relative production of differing areas, the prevailing distribu- 
tion of. the land in farm units of various magnitude, and the economic or non- 
economic expenditure of labour force, topics which bear very closely indeed on 
the scope for scientific discovery. 
3. A Consideration of the Profits realised from the usual Field Crops, 
more especially from Temporary Pasture. By Professor JAMEs 
Wiuson, M.A., B.Sc. 
Balance-sheets are seldom made up for individual crops, seldomest for the 
grass crop. Yet this is the only way in which we can find whether a crop pays 
or does not pay. The following table is drawn up to show, for a few crops, the 
cost of production, the value, and the profits realised per acre on land of average 
quality. The land is reckoned so far away from a large centre of population 
that ‘ proximity’ rent may be neglected. It is assumed to be worked upon the 
ordinary six-course rotation—viz., lea oats, turnips or potatoes, oats, hay, grass, 
grass. The farmyard manure is all applied to the roots and potatoes, the potatoes 
getting about a half more than the turnips. The turnips get, in addition, 1 cwt. 
of ammonium sulphate and 4 cwt. of superphosphate, while the potatoes get 
these two manures plus 1 cwt. of muriate of potash. Larger dressings to roots 
and potatoes and dressings of artificial manures to some other crops would in- 
crease both yields and profits; but our present purpose is not to depart from 
the average custom, so as to compare the profits realised from a few average crops 
under average conditions. 
The turnip crop is charged with half the farmyard manure, with half the 
superphosphate, and with all the ammonium sulphate. The potato crop is 
similarly charged, at a slightly higher rate. Of the residue, two-thirds is 
charged against the succeeding grain. crop, and one-third against the hay. The 
grass crop is credited with accumulating fertility at the rate of 5s. per annum, 
and this is charged against the lea oat crop. Each crop is charged with 1. an 
acre for rent, and with all the labour and other outlays incidental to its produc- 
tion, saving, storing, and delivery. An additional 1/. is charged against each 
crop for expenses common to all. This represents rates, taxes, and insurance, 
