Agriculture of Scotland. 



85 



abused. The state of the Lmcl to receive this valuable stimulant^ 

 and the proper effete condition of the lime at the time of applica- 

 tion^ was now, however, better understood, and thus that import- 

 ant manure came to be more economically and advantageously 

 employed. Stilly beyond this^ a very limited quantity of foreign 

 or extra manure, compared with the present time^ was used by 

 farmers in Scotland. Bones^ although in use at this time in many 

 parts of England as a manure, it would appear were scarcely 

 known on the north of the Tweed, even so late as 1812, to possess 

 any virtue of this kind, as we find a correspondent of the Farmers 

 Magazine of that year stating the practice of our southern neigh 

 hours in this respect as an important discovery. Neither does the 

 application of rape-cake to the soil seem to have obtained in 

 Scotland, until some time subsequently to the period now under 

 review. 



Draining. — As it may well be supposed, no great extent of im- 

 provement could be effected in Scotland without the essential 

 work of draining forming a material part of the amelioration, so 

 this operation was now much more extensively carried on. Under- 

 draining was, however, still very imperfectly practised, and, in 

 most cases, upon no particular understood principle. It was, ge- 

 nerally, only where spouts or springs made their appearance on the 

 surface that any attempt was made to remove the evils of super- 

 abundant moisture. In part, Elkington's method formed the basis 

 of the practice, but it was generally very much subject to be varied 

 by the caprice of different operators. The Highland Society early 

 directed its attention to the efficient introduction of this system 

 into Scotland ; and when the Board of Agriculture — besides having 

 procured a reward of 1000/. to be given to Mr. Elkington — sent 

 Mr. James Johnston to England to get instructions in his system, 

 the Highland Society patronized the publication by Johnston 

 of a treatise on this method of draining, and recommended it 

 strenuously to the public. It was generally considered, as thus 

 recommended, too expensive an operation for general adoption 

 by tenants, and met with no great favour from them, excepting in 

 a modified extent ; nor has the system, when more carefully fol- 

 lowed out, been in many instances attended by anything like com- 

 plete success. In short, great deficiency and imperfection still 

 characterized this department of rural economy. 



Implements. — It was not so in the branch next to be noticed. 

 Here a marked improvement had taken place, and we find, though 

 not perhaps in equal perfection, almost every approved implement 

 of the present day. The use of these w as now also greatly ex- 

 tended • and, wherever arable culture w as practised, not only does 



