The Sun.
London, England, 1814-01-05 00:00:00

HUSBANDRY OE SCOTLAND.

The Second Edition of An 4ccount of 'the Hus-
bandry of Scotland, by the President of the Board
'cif Agriculture, ha': just been Pithfished. The fol-
lowing short view of this celebrated system, ex-
tracted from Sir John Sinclair's work, we trust
will'not be unacceptable to our readers :
i"rhe foundation of iniiiroved agriculture is
certainly laid, in the best .cultivated. districts of
Scotland, in as. great perfection as iL possibly can
be in any country. The farms afe usually Of a
,proper size ; the farmers, in general, have capitals
adequate to their cultivation; they are bound to
Ray the landlord such a, proportion -of the value of
the produce as renders*it necessary for them to be
industrious and economical, and to 'acquireall the
skill in the art of htisbandry, to . which they-can
'have access k their leases are commonly of such a
duration as to encourage judicious expinuliture in
the improvement of their lands, with rhe prospect
of an adequate return the covenants contained in
their leases are.' sufficiently fair, being almost in
every case
,well calculated to promote, and not to
o
retard improvement ; a liberal' system"f con-
nexion is established bet Ween the landlord and'
the tenant ;- and the characters of those, by tYlioni
the labours of agriculture arc carried on,
.whether
farmers, apprentices, farm-servants, or c6MmOn
labourers, 'cannot he surpassed by those of the
same description of life in any other nation. Tie
experience of Scotland has likewise proved.,Ae
superior advantages Of having niarriectservant4 On
large farms, by -Means of which the population of
a country is increased, and thekingdomfilled, with
ate;Ativstianst
vai•iosts points which reqnireto be Went:,-d'
to, previous to the actual cultivation of an arable
farm are, in general, ascertained by the practice
in Scotland with a degree Ot preclSibu hittetto
•
unexampled. - •
The farmers of that country have established it
as a principle, that the position of a farin-house
and offices ought to make a material difference in
the rent'oflt farm ; they.baVe ascertained the best
constrcuction -of farm-houses and offices, uniting
economy with convenience ; they have pointed
out the best size and shape of fields, by means of
which much land is rendered pi oductive, that
would otherwise be wasted in useless fences, Ilnd
much labour in their cultivation saved, insomuch
that where the fields are large, five ploughs will
do as much -work hs six can in, small fields, 'and
every other part of The cultivation of *a tarns will
be executed with less power, in nearly the same
proportion they have likewise pointed out the in-
convenientes attending expensive fences,,lvhicli
are more ornamental than useful to a country; they
arc fully aware of the. importance ' of draining,
and have practised it with success ; they -have as-
certained, that by the introduction of good roadS,
the value of a country will be greatly increas-
od ; their instruments of husbandry are. cheap,
and well constructed ; their ploughs excellent,
worked by two horses, and peculiarly welt cal-
culated for general use.; and the carts superior
to any other for agricultural purposes; their live
stock are valuable, well calculated -for their soil
and climate ; and their horses, not only. -well
adapted for the, labours of husbandry, but main-
tained in such a manner, as to render them ca-
pable of perforating a great deal of labour. In
some ca4es they have tried a partial use
,of oxen
with success, more especially in thrashing-mills ;
nor do they neglect to pay a•proper degree of 'at-
tention to the articles_ that ought to be raised up-
on a farm, according to its soil, its climate, its
elevation and exposure, and situation in respect
of markets.

In regard to the actual cultivation of an arable
farm, many points of. infinite.' importance have
been .ascertained by, the experience of Scots farm,
cis, in a manner the most satisfactory. They
have ascertained the proper length, breadth, and
shape of ridges ; in the use of putrescent, and still
more of calcareous manures, they have 'made
great improvements ; they have proved, beyond
the possibility of doulst;- the advantages of deep
ploughing; they
.have completely' ascertained the
advantages of summer-fallowing, where soils are
either of a clayey nature, or are incumbent on wet
subsoils ; they have carried' on xvith success some
essential improvements in the cultivation of various
crops, in particular, in regard to those important ar-
ticles turnips and potatoes ; they have also brought
tO a high degree of perfection the course of crops
calculated for different soils ; and have ascertained
the rotations for which each description of soil
is respectively best adapted; they cultivate in drills
beans, turnips, and potatoes, in• a manner not
to be surpassed for .its excellence, and they have
laid down as a maxim, that-crops of grain should