776 



TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION M. 

 Table III. — Costs of Production of Home-grown Foods. 



Table IV. — Cost of Foods per Head per Tear, valuing Home-grown Foods at Cost 



of Production. 



Table V. — Estimated Average Cost of Food per Gallon of Milk. 



3. Types of Upland Grazings, their Economic Value and Improvement. 

 By Donald Macpherson, B.Sc, and William G. Smith, B.Sc, 

 Ph.D. 



The extent of upland grazings in Scotland comprises 48 per cent, of the 

 total land area of the country; it is mainly devoted to sheep-farming with the 

 Blackface and Cheviot Mountain breeds. Cattle-grazing is confined to the lower 

 marginal areas. 



The following types have been recognised, and include almost the whole of 

 the natural pastures : — 



(1) Peatlands. — The peat cap of the upland plateau areas. Heather 

 (Calluna) ; cottongrass (Eriophorum) ; and deer-hair grass (Scirpus ccesjxitosus) 

 are dominant plants and provide valuable spring grazing. Retrogression of 

 peat is widespread. 



(2) Nardus Grassland. — Nardus stricfa grassland occurs on wasting peat on 

 steep slopes marginal to the moorland. It invades and is successive to the 

 vegetation of the peatlands. It is of secondary grazing value. 



(3) Heatherlands. — On slopes where continuous leaching has impoverished 

 the upper layers of the lighter soils, and where slow accumulation of humus 

 oi'ciirs. These form valuable grazing ground at all seasons. 



(4) MoVmia Grassland. — Molinia carulea grassland, on gentle wet slopes with 

 peat. When pure it i.i of secondary grazing value. 



