64 



Agriculture of Scotland. 



of progress which Scotch agriculture has passed through " since 

 that time, — to endeavour to describe more minutely the general 

 system of agriculture pursued throughout Scotland immediately 

 previous to the institution of this influential society. 



Proceeding, then, with our history from the time to which our 

 brief introductory sketch has brought it down, we now find that im- 

 provements in agriculture were steadily exhibiting their effects over 

 a great part of the country ; and, so great had been the efforts of 

 an intelligent observation and the general spirit of enterprise 

 among agriculturists during the last few years, that even among 

 the tenantry the practice of some of those systems which have 

 found most favour in modern days was in very general exercise. 

 Many of these, no doubt, were far from being perfectly performed, 

 though in their results, from being new, they were in many in- 

 stances, as we shall afterwards see, fully as successful as in after- 

 times; others were conducted in a rude and primitive style, owing 

 in a great measure, perhaps, to the want of proper implements to 

 execute the work in a sufficiently compact and orderly manner. 



The practice of granting leases for a series of years was still 

 gaining ground in those districts where agriculture was in favour ; 

 but the feeling which induced some proprietors, — in their anxiety to 

 encourage enterprising tenants, — about the middle of the century, to 

 grant endurances of unnecessarily long and even unlimited terms, 

 had given place to a more judicious and prudent system. The 

 rule at this period, and subsequently, came to be to restrict the 

 endurance of leases to nineteen or twenty- one years ; and where 

 the principle of corn-rents prevailed to change these to money pay- 

 ments. 



But we proceed to notice in detail the progress in improvements 

 which had at this time taken place.* In all the best-cultivated 

 districts it would appear that summer fallowing was now in very 

 general acceptation, though, in the course of cropping, that 

 essential requisite of good husbandry came much less fre- 

 quently round than was necessary to effect all the good purposes 

 of this practice. Nor do we observe much discrimination in the 

 application of the system ; but, like all new practices which had 

 been found in the general attended by many advantages, it was 

 adopted, without regard to circumstances, into universal use by 

 ali those pretending to any knowledge in their profession. In East 

 Lothian, for instance, — for which district has been assumed the 

 proud distinction of having led the way in Scotland to improve- 



* The writer has been chiefly indebted for his information as to this period 

 to " The Present State of Husbandry in Scotland, extracted from Reports 

 made to the Commissioners of the Annexed Estates, &c. By R. Wight, 

 Edinburgh. 1778 and 1784." 



