Farming of East Lothian. 



319 



The manner of feeding is by folding. The folds are enlarged twice or 

 thrice a week, Mr. Hope having found that the oftener the sheep get a new 

 fold the better. The sheep are always allowed to fall back upon the ground 

 cleared. In spring the turnips are cut, and put into troughs for the hoggets. 

 Cake is allowed along with the turnip after the middle of December; the 

 quantity is 1 lb, per day. Two days in the week beans are substituted for the 

 cake. Hay is also given ; the quantity consumed last year by sheep was 3000 

 stones ; the wet and afterwards the continued frosts causing them to eat more 

 than the usual quantity. The amount of cake eaten by sheep last season was 

 35 tons, of beans 20 quarters. Owing to the high price of linseed cake and 

 corn, Mr. Hope intends this season to use much less of these feeding sub- 

 stances than he has been doing in former seasons. 



The number of pigs kept is about 100 ; part of these are sold when weaned, 

 and part after being fattened for the butcher. The sum annually realized for 

 pigs is about 160/. ; they are fed on the refuse of potatoes ; these being steamed 

 along with turnips and mixed with a little bean or barley-meal. In summer 

 they are fed on grass and tares. 



The potato follows the turnip on two-thirds of the farm. This' system was 

 originally adopted for the purpose of freeing the land of wild oats, the greatest 

 pest of the vegetable family in the county. It was found to answer so well, 

 both for this purpose and also ibr profit, that it has been continued. The 

 number of acres last year under potatoes was fully 90 acres ; the average pro- 

 duce of sound marketable potatoes is, of Regents 7 tons, of Reds 9 tons ; this 

 year's produce considerably exceeds this, the Regents averaging 8 tons, the 

 Reds 11 tons. The potatoes are usually sent to Glasgow, London, Man- 

 chester, Birmingham, and other English towns; of course by railway. For 

 the last few years the potatoes have in this district been comparatively free 

 from disease, consequently the profits obtained from their cultivation have 

 been very large. In 1836 no potatoes were grown for sale. 



As the half of the turnip-crop is consumed along with cake by sheep on the 

 land, farm-yard manure is not directly applied to the potato-crop ; 4 cv/t. of 

 Peruvian guano being the only manure given. The potatoes, when grown 

 after oats, are manured with 15 tons of farm-yard dung, applied to the stubble 

 previous to the land being ploughed. In spring, when planted, they also get 

 4 cwt. of Peruvian guano. The guano is applied in the drill before planting 

 the potato. 



The wheat-crop is sown usually in October and November : the variety 

 grown is Fenton. There is applied as a top-dressing in spring about 3 cwt. 

 of Peruvian guano. The wheat-crop is generally a full one, but, as the 

 Fenton variety is a stiff-strawed wheat, comparatively little of it is lodged. 

 The average produce of wheat over the whole farm is 40 bushels ; the average 

 weight per bushel is 63 lbs. The highest weight grown in any season was 

 65^ lbs., threshed during the summer months. As showing the great increase, 

 it may be mentioned that Mr. Hope's father, before the House of Commons 

 in 1836, gave as the average produce of 175 acres of wheat (excluding seed, 

 45 qrs,), 385 qrs. for the years 1828, 29, 30, and 31 ; and as the average on 

 the same extent, 607 qrs. for 1832, 33, 34, and 35. Mr. Hope last year 

 (1852) had from 133 acres nearly 750 qrs. The quantity of seed allowed 

 in October is 8 pecks ; in November the quantity is increased, but is regulated 

 according to weather and condition of the land at the period of sowing. The 

 grass-seeds which follow the potato-wheat have been found to succeed ad- 

 mirably. The quantity of clover-seed is 9 lbs. of red, 6 lbs. of white, li lb. 

 of yellow, with 4 lbs. of rye-grass. The seeds are put in at the time the 

 wheat is top-dressed, and are either harrowed in, or, when the wheat is 

 drilled, hoed in by either a horse or hand hoe. The grasses are depastured or 

 cut for hay or for soiling: about one-third being cut, the other two-thirds 



