200 Report on some features of Scottish Agriculture. 
the valley of the Don and its tributaries, at a heiglit of 750 to 
800 feet above the sea-level. The climate is therefore too rough 
for the profitable cultivation of wheat, and barley not unfrequently 
gives place to the more hardy bere on the stronger land. The 
subsoil consists of the well-known Aberdeenshire ffranite, the 
decomposition of which results in the formation of a fertile, but 
somewhat heavy soil. 
The farms are worked on an alternate five- and six-course 
system, the former being oats, turnips, barley, and seeds for tw o 
years ; the six-course is an extension of the same, by keeping the 
seeds down another year. A small breadth of tares is sown every 
year, either in the oat-course, or instead of turnips ; these are cut 
when three-fourths ripe, and given with clover to the forward 
beasts until the early turnips are ready. A portion of the new 
grass is pastured in the early part of the season for a few weeks, 
after which it is relieved so as to be ready for cutting by the end 
of July, and thus produce the valuable fodder given with the 
tares. 
Chops. 
1. Oats. — After harvest, the first operation is to plough the 
oat-stubble, and, when that is finished, the clover ley is broken 
up by a strong furrow of from 7 to 10 inches in depth, the whole 
being finished by Martinmas, if possible. The climate being 
very backward in spring, a large quantity of seed is required ; 
and, in a bad season, as much as 5 or even 6 bushels per im- 
perial acre may be deemed necessary. As a rule, the seed is 
sown broadcast on the furrows ; but in some seasons it is pos- 
sible to go over the land with harrows, and afterwards to drill 
the seed. After the seed is in, a plain roller is drawn over the 
land to prepare it for the scythe or the reaping-machine, thus 
completing the operations of seed-time. Harvesting oats generally 
commences about the beginning of September, and finishes from 
the middle to the end of the month. Cutting is now sometimes 
done with the reaping-machine, although that implement is not 
held in such high estimation for oats as for barley. It is said that 
the Aberdeen labourers are such good hands with the scythe, that 
the machine possesses but little advantage over them. With 
a good bottom, they can cut from 2 to 2^ acres per day of 11 
hours ; and, as they leave a shorter stubble than the machine, 
they get more straw, which is an important consideration to the 
cattle-feeder. Piecework is not much in vogue, but sometimes 
the field operations of harvesting have been done by contract, 
at from 75. to 9s. per acre. The most general system is to get 
hands at the hiring fairs, which are held in anticipation of the 
harvest throughout the county. These are men engaged at a 
