Agriculture of Scotland. 



87 



plisbed^ that this large increase was effected. To this result the 

 Highland Society mainly contributed. From its earliest institu- 

 tion this munificent body established and encouraged^ by liberal 

 premiums bestowed at district shows of live-stock, the purity and 

 improvement of the best native breeds — the West Highland, 

 Aberdeen, Angus, Fife, Ayrshire, and Galloway cattle, and 

 Cheviot and black-faced sheep. And though its attention was 

 subsequently directed to promote the introduction and use of the 

 finer and larger breeds, where that seemed to be practicable or 

 desirable, little had been done at this time in that way. Nume- 

 rous local societies, however, sprung up, which devoted themselves 

 chiefly to this end, and proved of infinite service in spreading the 

 knowledge of the superiority of the pure breeds; and were, 

 abote all, eminently instrumental in introducing the more exten- 

 sive application of these finer and larger species. Before the 

 close of the epoch now under consideration, accordingly, the pre- 

 valent use of the short-horned bull, in many parts of Scotland^ 

 became very conspicuous in the improved character of the low- 

 land breeds of cattle ; while, in the pure Teeswater, a few agri- 

 culturists on the south-eastern border began to vie with their 

 southern neighbours. But it was in the improvement of sheep 

 that at this time most progress had been made, especially in the dis- 

 trict just alluded to. The new Leicester sheep had now possession 

 of a great part of the arable land of those counties. These were 

 not indeed in all cases the pure Dishley stock, but were more 

 commonly the result of repeated applications of the male to the 

 Cheviot or native Berwickshire breeds ; and while, in their ap- 

 pearance and chief excellencies, they came to resemble the 

 pure breed, they were perhaps, from their maternal origin, 

 better fitted for the less favoured climate into which they were 

 introduced. The pure Cheviot, displaced in some degree on the 

 lower, still continued to gain ground on the higher districts ; and 

 this period is particularly remarkable, as that of their extensive 

 introduction into the Northern Highlands, where they have 

 proved so eminently successful. An attempt was also made to 

 introduce there and in some other parts of Scotland, as a cross, 

 the Southdown and Merino breeds, about this time, which how- 

 ever has not proved successful. 



Rent. — But what, above all others, is indicative of the astonishing 

 degree of improvement which accrued during this period, is the 

 unprecedented rapidity with which the rent of land got up. There 

 is every reason to believe that the estimate which states the rise 

 of the arable portion of the land in Scotland to have amounted to 

 considerably upwards of 100 per cent, is nearly correct. We 

 have seen that, in 1795^ the rental has been given as amounting 



