ON THE AGRICULTURE OF THE STEWARTRY OF KIRKCUDBRIGHT AND WIGTOWNSHIRE. Part 1.
By THOMAS MACLELLAND, North Balfern, Kirkinner, Wigtownshire.
1. General and Statistical Account.
Kirkcudbright and Wigtown occupy the most southern part of Scotland, and, conjointly, have long been known under the provincial name of Galloway. They are bounded on the south by the Solway Frith and the Irish Sea; on the west by the North Channel, which separates Scotland from Ireland; and on the north by Ayrshire; they are divided from Dumfriesshire, on the east, by high mountainous ranges, and by the river Nith, which falls into the Solway.
They are separated by the river Cree and Wigtown Bay. Wigtownshire anciently was called West Galloway, and the Stewartry, East Galloway. The peninsula formed by Loch Ryan and Luce Bay, in the western district of Wigtownshire, is called the Rhinns, and the south-east district is called the Machars. The most important rivers are the Dee, the Cree, the Fleet, and the Urr in Kirkcudbright, and the Bladnoch and water of Luce in Wigtown. On these rivers are situated important and convenient ports for shipping produce, or importing manures and feeding stuffs, so that the greater part of the province is well placed as regards water carriage.
There are twenty-eight parishes in Kirkcudbright, the valuation of which was in 1872�73, �322,752, exclusive of railways or royal burghs. In 1846 the valuation was �193,751. In Wigtownshire there are sixteen parishes, the valuation of which was in 1872�73, �206,338; thirty years ago it was �131,277.
There are 610,313 statute acres in Kirkcudbright, and 327,906 in Wigtown, making a total of 938,219 in the two counties. A great part of these is entirely pastoral or mountain land. There are in Kirkcudbright 439,468 acres of heath or mountain land, and in Wigtown 186,572 acres, making in both counties 626,040 acres, or nearly two-thirds of the whole taken together.
There are in Kirkcudbright 417 distinct landed properties, several of which are held by the same owner. One proprietor has a rental of over �18,000; three proprietors have a rental of from �12,000 to �15,000; three from �5000 to �7000; thirty three from �1500 to �5000; seventy-two from �500 to �1500; fifty-five from �300 to �500; one hundred and seventeen from �100 to �300; and seventy under �100. In Wigtown there are seventy-two landed proprietors, one of whom has over �39,000 of rental; one has �24,400; one �15,000; one �11,300; eight from �5000 to �9000; nine from �1000 to �3000; and seven from �500 to �800.
Kirkcudbright is in form that of a well-defined parallelogram, and lies compactly together, without any very marked irregularity in its boundary lines; its greatest length is from north-east to south-west. Wigtown is deeply indented by Loch Ryan on the north, and Luce Bay on the south, which, meeting within a few miles of each other in the western portion of the county, give that part of the shire a very irregular appearance; while Wigtown Bay, reaching far up on the other side, forms a deep indentation on its eastern edge.
The north-west portion of the Stewartry is very wild and mountainous, and some of the hills rise to a considerable elevation; the highest being Merrick, which is 2764 feet above sea-level, and is the most elevated ground in the south of Scotland. In this part of the county there are numerous lochs, several being found in every parish; and many spots of wild and romantic beauty occur, which might compete with Highland scenery were they more accessible by rail, and better known to the tourist. The south-west, or arable portion of the county, is comparatively flat, and contains no very high land, but consists chiefly of gentle undulations, which afford a declivity for draining the superfluous moisture from the soil.
The general appearance of Wigtownshire, when viewed from a distance, is flat and uninteresting. There are, however, many spots remarkable for their quiet beauty, which can only be seen to advantage by an actual visit; the sea view entering largely into the composition of the landscape. The lower or arable part of the county is characterised chiefly by a succession of low rounded hills, none of them rising to a greater height than 300 feet above the sea-level. These, with the valleys between, being all under cultivation, which is every year reaching greater perfection, are seen to better advantage on close inspection; and although there is little in the landscape to attract attention from a distance, the close observer will meet with objects of instruction and interest in an agricultural point of view in this county which occupies a comparatively isolated position on the map of Scotland. The mountain or pasture division of the county does not possess any very remarkable features. Occupying the northern part, it gradually increases in elevation from where the arable land terminates until it reaches the boundary of Ayrshire. The highest land in the county is at its northern extremity, where various ranges are found from 800 to 1000 feet above the sea. Large tracts of flat moorland occur between the elevations, and in every parish there are extensive mosses, which furnish the scanty population of the upland district with a plentiful supply of fuel.
2. Soils.
The arable soils may be classed under four different heads � first, those resting on a rocky subsoil; second, those resting on a till subsoil; third, the alluvial soils; and fourth, the gravelly soils.
The first mentioned of these, the rock soils, are not so widely extended as the till soils, but are generally more fertile. Where these occur the surface is broken up by the tops of the rocks into large knolls, which in many parts of Galloway are the predominant feature in the landscape. So much is this the case, that on some fields not more than one-half of the surface can be cultivated; but the soil between these knolls, as if to make up for the deficiency, is exceedingly fertile, and produces large crops of wheat, barley, and oats in the best districts. Notable examples of the rock soils are to be met with in the Machars, or lower district of Wigtownshire, in the parishes of Sorby, Glasserton, and Whithorn, where they are much interspersed with the till soils, and, in the southern part of the Stewartry, in the parishes of Anworth, Borgue, Rerrick, and Kirkcudbright. These soils are in general naturally dry, but occasionally may be found wet; and when this is the case great difficulty is experienced in draining them, owing to the rock being so near the surface. The rock soils are generally difficult to cultivate, from the number of small peaks protruding, or boulders lying immediately beneath the surface. The operations of modern implements are greatly impeded by these obstacles; and, before any satisfactory progress can be made with them, these stones have all to be removed. This process on some farms is no easy task; but, from the heaps of quarried rocks we see accumulating in vacant corners, it is pleasing to draw the inference that the soil is gradually getting rid of these obstructions.
The till hills are likewise a characteristic feature in the Galloway landscape, and form about two-thirds of the whole arable land. They rise with a gentle slope in some places, though in others the ascent is steep to the height of from 100 to 200 feet, and always terminate in a rounded or oval top. These soils, from the hard and retentive nature of the subsoil, are naturally wet and springy, and require close and careful draining. When dry they produce fair crops of oats and sometimes wheat, but are not suited for barley. It is worthy of remark, that the south side of the till hills is always the best soil. The till lands contain a great many glacial boulders of granite and blue stone, and not infrequently some large specimens of a beautiful conglomerate are found. The latter are extremely hard, and defy the hardest steel to bore them, so that it is sometimes difficult to get them taken out of the soil. These boulders have evidently been transported from a great distance, as no rocks of a similar character are to be met with in Wigtownshire; and though Kirkcudbright has many granite quarries, none of the conglomerate has been discovered there. In the Rhinns, or upper district of Wigtownshire, there is a good deal of black top or moor top resting on a till bottom. This land at no very distant period was covered with heather and a small kind of furze, but is now in a fair way of being all improved. Though capable of much improvement, this black-topped land will not produce crops of equal quality with the thinner rocky soils.
The alluvial or clay soils form a small proportion of the whole arable land in the two counties. They are found on the west side of Wigtown Bay, and on both sides of the river Cree as far as Newton-Stewart; small patches also occur on the banks of the rivers Fleet, Dee, and Urr. An important tract of the same kind of soil lies on the sea-shore in the parishes of Colvend, Kirkbean, and Newabbey, reaching with a narrow stripe as far as Dumfries. These soils are composed for the most part of a strong deep clay, generally more fertile and friable nearest the sea-shore, and increasing in tenacity on approaching the hard land. They are capable of bearing wheat, barley, oats, and beans; but owing to the heavy rainfall, green crop can not be grown upon them with profit, except in some dry seasons, in which these soils are always most productive.
The gravel soils occupy a small proportion of the arable land. They are generally not far from the sea-coast, where they formed the ancient high-water mark. They are easy of cultivation, but from their open porous nature, manure is not retained for any length of time.
3. Climate
In describing the climate of two such counties as Kirkcudbright and Wigtown, where the difference of altitude of the land is so great, it will be necessary for the sake of perspicuity to divide them into two districts, and treat of the climate of each separately; as, indeed, they are possessed of almost distinctly different climates. These may be denominated the low-lying or sea-bound district of both counties, and the inland and mountain district. The climate of the former, or low-lying district, is very much influenced by its being in a great measure surrounded by the sea. Wigtown, though a small county of only 512 square miles, has 140 miles of sea-board, or more than one mile of sea shore for every four square miles of land. The tides which visit these shores twice a day, come through the North Channel, and are in immediate connection with the north-west branch of the Gulf-stream. The effect of this upon the climate of the western part of Wigtownshire particularly, is very marked. Along the coast, by Burrow Head and Mull of Galloway, which are the most southern points of Scotland, it is calculated that the tide in spring flows at the rate of six miles an hour; and such is the influence of these currents, that, while the soil four or five miles inland is bound with frost, the plough is rarely stopped in the vicinity of the sea-coast. The same remarks apply to the land stretching from the Mull of Galloway to Corsewell Point, where severe frosts are almost unknown. Farmers in these districts do not require to have a great store of turnips in winter as they are seldom prevented by frost from lifting them, even when it is severe in the inland districts. Snow, when it falls, which is not often, seldom remains more than two or three days, and in some severe winters, when the high lands in the Stewartry and part of Wigtownshire, as well as most of Scotland, are covered, all the low-lying lands in the latter county are entirely clear of it.
Though the climate of the lands along the sea-coast is so mild, it is at the same time very moist. A table of the rainfall is sub-joined, from which it will be seen that, on the average of the past eight years, the rainfall is greater, and the number of wet days very considerably more, than in the east of Scotland. The prevailing winds are from the south and south-west, which show their effect along the whole line of the western coast, the tops of the trees and bushes growing near the sea being cut away, as with the pruning-knife, by the salt spray. The south and south-west winds are exceedingly mild in winter, and frequently in moist weather the fields assume the green hues of summer. When these winds prevail about the beginning of November, the anomaly is presented of the night temperature, at that time, being similar to that of the 1st of June. During the course of many years� observation the writer has noticed this to be of frequent occurrence. Heavy dews are another characteristic of the climate, which, though of immense advantage to young plants in dry weather, prove very troublesome in harvest, at which time, particularly when the weather is dry and calm, the moisture is so heavy as to weigh down the heads of the grain.
These heavy dews frequently cause harvest operations to be suspended for some hours in the morning�a singular contrast to the climate of East Lothian, where dew is of rare occurrence at that season.
The inland and mountain division, which includes the high and northern part of Wigtown and the greater part of Kirkcudbright, with the exception of the land along the sea-board, has a climate a good deal more rigorous than that of the lower district. Snow generally begins to appear on the high lands in Minnigaff in November, which, however, does not often remain over winter. The same hills get a fresh covering now and then during winter, and occasionally they are "stormed" for six weeks or two months. Frost, when it does occur, is very severe among the hills, one or two nights of it being sufficient to freeze the lochs for curling.
Lower down in the arable districts, free from sea influences in the inland parishes, frost occasionally occurs with severity, and turnips require to be early secured in pits, or otherwise covered with earth, to withstand it. The two counties are comparatively sheltered by the high lands in the midland counties of Scotland, from the easterly and north-easterly gales, the force of which is partially expended before reaching them.
A great drawback to the success of agriculture is the broken weather which prevails during the harvest months; indeed, it not infrequently happens that August and September are the wettest months in the year. The following table shows the rainfall in these two months for the last eight years, with the number of days on which rain fell, which, compared with the table of the rainfall during the same months in East Lothian, will show the disadvantage at which the south-western counties are placed in that respect.
4. Reclamation.
As already noticed, a considerable portion of the soil of the two counties consists of the rounded till hills, or the sloping fields of the rock soils. Many of the hollows between these eminencies were, five and twenty years ago, mere marshes lying in a state of nature, undrained, and quite unproductive. They were composed chiefly of mossy loam, resting on a bed of clay and shingle, while upon the surface grew the bog myrtle, provincially termed gall, the marsh mallow plant, wild geranium, shaking grass, and other plants indicative of wet uncultivated land. Hundreds of acres of these marshes were drained and reclaimed by the private enterprise of the tenants, who, by doing so, converted many a swamp into good arable land. Extensive tracts of these unproductive hollows were also drained by Government drainage-money, a large share of which was expended in the two counties. The soil of these hollows, after being reclaimed and cultivated, proved very productive, and required little manure to produce heavy crops of oats�their mossy tendency rendering them unsuitable for the growth of the wheat plant.
We shall now, under this branch of the subject, proceed to give an account of the more extensive reclamations which have been effected.
At the head of Wigtown Bay, and to the north of the river Bladnoch, where it falls into the sea, there is a large tract of sleetchy sands, marked on the Ordnance maps "Wigtown Sands." The proprietor of the adjoining land, the late Randolph, Earl of Galloway, obtained an Act of Parliament in 1839 for the reclamation of a large portion of these sands, shortly after which date operations for this purpose were commenced. A substantial stone embankment was first built along the north side of the channel of the river Bladnoch, extending seaward to a distance of about 1500 yards. This was to act as a barrier in that direction against the sea, which, with a south or a south-east wind, rolled over the sand to be reclaimed with a considerable surf preventing the deposition of the silt, which, it was intended, should be retained for the elevation of the enclosed sand. A line of thorns) securely tied up in small bundles, was next run from the sea end of the embankment towards the nearest point of the land, distant about 1600 yards. At first occasional breaks or openings were left in this line, which were covered by an inner row of thorns placed at a distance of 20 yards from the openings; but it was found that the ebb tide formed gullies or "runners" in the sand through these openings, thus carrying off the deposit of silt, and otherwise injuring the outside row. This plan was abandoned for the continuous row, which was found to answer the end much better, though these gullies are still apt to appear where the bank of thorns becomes injured by the surf. At present the sand in the inner side of the thorns is from 3 to 3 1/2 feet higher than the level of the unenclosed sand, so that considerable progress has been made with the reclamation. About 500 acres have been thus enclosed, the most of which is now green, and is covered with the sea pink (Cerastium repens) and other marine plants. Spring tides still flow over all the enclosed sand, adding every year their deposit of silt, which, with a south-east gale and a high tide, has been known to accumulate to a depth of 6 inches in a single tide in sheltered places. Substantial embankments also enclose a considerable tract of alluvial land on the right bank of the Cree, over which the tide formerly flowed, but which is now under regular cultivation. The sum expended since the commencement of these operations does not fall far short of �40,000.
Auchrocher Moss is situated in the parish of Inch, Wigtownshire; it contains about 90 acres, and is the property of the Earl of Stair. Before being drained it was a worthless swamp, filling the surrounding air with unhealthy fogs, now it is a cultivated field let to an enterprising tenant at a rent of 30s. an acre. The project of draining this swamp was first started in 1847, and under the able and energetic direction of the late G. Guthrie, Esq., Rephad, factor on the estate, the operation was pushed forward as rapidly as circumstances would admit. Though more than two miles from the sea, the levelling instruments showed that the moss was very little above high-water mark. As in that case no fall could be lost, it was decided that a culvert should be driven up from the sea almost on a dead level. This culvert, which was built entirely of bricks, was of an oval form, 4 feet high and about 2 feet wide. As the work progressed, the builders came upon a subsoil of running sand, which rendered the construction of the culvert a very difficult operation. Many parts of it had to be built on boards upon which men had to throw their weight, to prevent the fine sand from boiling up until the masons got their bricks laid on this foundation. After encountering many difficulties, and at an expense of �1000, the moss was reached. And here it was found that in some places it was of great depth and very soft, and required to be bridged over with beech boards, upon which the draining tiles were placed. This moss has been carrying crops of oats and potatoes alternately ever since, but has this year (1873) been put under the same rotation as the rest of the farm, owing to the dearness of labour.
The next piece of reclamation on a large scale to be noticed the drainage of the Loch of Dowalton. This was a sheet of water occupying the lower end of a valley of extensive mosses, and lying between the parishes of Sorby, Kirkinner, and Glasserton. It was about a mile and a quarter in extreme length, and nearly three-quarters of a mile in extreme breadth. The proprietors of the adjoining lands, whose estates were to be benefited by the draining of the loch, were Sir W. Maxwell of Monreith, Lord Stair, and R. Vans Agnew, Esq., M.P., of Barnbarroch. It was at first contemplated in 1849, by Sir W. Maxwell, to lower the waters of the loch 3 or 4 feet, but on comparing the different surveys, and after mature deliberation and consultation with J. M�Lean, Esq., the factor on the estate, it was decided to drain the loch altogether. To effect this, it was found by careful measurements that it would require a cut of 24 feet in depth, and this would be for a considerable distance through rock. The draining of the loch was commenced in 1862, and was effected wholly at the expense of Sir W. Maxwell. The loch covered about 212 acres, one-half of which was in Sir W. Maxwell�s estate, the other half partly in Mr Vans Agnew�s and partly iii Lord Stair�s. Besides the bed of the loch reclaimed, there would be about 400 acres of Sir W. Maxwell�s adjacent lands which had been so little above high-water mark as to be incapable of being drained, so that there have been above 500 acres of workable land added to the Monreith estate. Beside the material value of the land reclaimed, the benefits arising from the improved climate were striking. In still damp weather, raw heavy fogs hung over the swampy bogs at the head of the loch before it was drained, diffusing their deleterious influences far over the adjacent lands; now that the stagnant marshes are dry, the surrounding air is purer and warmer, and consequently more healthy.
An interesting piece of reclamation was effected by the writer in 1857, on the farm of South Balfern, which, though of limited extent, shows the advantages to be gained by the drying of waste hollows. This was a bog of deep moss, with a top of light flow, called Cranberry Bog, containing about an acre and a half. It was surrounded on all sides by gravelly ridges, the lowest part of which was 14 feet above the surface of the bog. Having resolved on the course of the outlet, the first operation was to remove from along this the soil and gravel to a depth of 6 feet, which was carted on to the bog. Three hundred and fifty cubic yards of this were thus laid on the top of the moss, giving solidity to the light soil underneath. No burning was resorted to, as it was deemed of importance to keep the surface as high as possible. When the drains were opened, the bottoms in several places were found so soft and full of water that boards had to be used to support the tiles. A pole 12 feet long pushed down in these places could find no bottom. The success of this operation was complete, and in the following winter the bog was quite solid enough to bear the horses and plough. The expense of draining this waste, including the cutting of the outfall, with tiles and other charges, except carriages, was �15, of which the succeeding crop, oats, repaid �10. The bog is now under cultivation, along with the field of which it occupies the centre.
Many thousand acres of profitless moss occupy the hollows formed by the surrounding arable land. The tenants of the adjoining farms generally receive permission from the landlord to reclaim as much of the moss as they choose, on the understanding that no rent is to be charged for the reclaimed land during the currency of existing leases. Large portions round the edge of the mosses have in this manner been made productive by the tenants. In reclaiming moss, the general plan of operations is�first, to cut an outfall 6 or 7 feet deep. which is commonly left open. Leading into this, the small drains are cut, 4 feet deep and 24 feet apart. When the moss is very soft, the drains are cut 2 feet deep at first, and allowed to stand for a time. After being finished, and when dry, the moss will have sunk nearly 2 feet. Oats, sown with guano, is the first crop; the second crop is oats not top-dressed. Twenty bushels, or two tons of lime per acre, are generally applied, and also a covering of till or gravel; after that the moss will be in a proper state for the cultivation of the potato. An extensive moss in Galdenoch, on the Lochnaw estate, the property of Sir Andrew Agnew, was lately reclaimed under the able direction of D. Guthrie, Esq., the factor on the estate. The extent of it is over 100 acres, and the cost for draining was �640. The tenant is to pay 10s. the acre for the reclaimed moss, besides interest on the outlaid capital.
Draining, which is the foundation of all improvement on the soil, was carried on vigorously as long as the Government money lasted, and between 1848 and 1853 great changes were made in various localities. Numerous instances might be given of enterprise and energy in carrying out improvements at that time, but we shall only allude to the lands of Craiglemine and Appleby. This is a property in the parish of Glasserton, Wigtownshire, which, previous to being purchased by George Guthrie, Esq., Rephad, in 1847, was in a very wild and unproductive state. A great part of it was of heavy till, full of water, but capable of much improvement. Moss entered largely into the composition of the hollows, while a large moor in a state of nature occupied the heights of Appleby. The extent of this property was 677 Scots acres, upon which Mr Guthrie expended �4250. He found it a wilderness, and made it a garden. The rental of it when it came into his hands was �422, 13s. 4d.; it was let after being improved to the present tenant at �1150.
Many farmers, seeing the benefits arising from capital thus expended, were induced to prosecute further improvements at their own cost; while considerate landlords, desirous of encouraging this spirit, entered into an agreement to meet their tenants half-way in draining, the proprietor furnishing the tiles and the tenant making the drains. This excellent rule still holds good on some well-managed estates, and there can be no doubt but it affords great encouragement to an enterprising tenant, without causing the ill-feeling that is apt to spring up at the end of a lease, when the tenant may have to leave behind him all substantial improvements executed solely at his own cost.
