Volume 3 - Electric Scotland

218 AGRICULTURE.
carried with it its own rules; so that no other breach of
ancient habits was required.
The cultivation of flax is almost universal ; but
the quantity raised is nevertheless inconsiderable, and
scarcely ever exceeds what is required for domestic con-
sumption. Though the crops are far cleaner than any other,
they are thin and short, from insufficient manure and
bad seed, the repeated produce in succession of the same
soil. The small tenants cannot purchase foreign seed,
because they have nothing to offer in return ; and if we
will recollect how little can be done in agriculture with-
out capital, the poor Highlanders will be found to de-
serve far less censure than agricultural critics are apt to
pass on them. Those who advocate small farms might
take useful lessons on that subject in this country, no
less than in the wine districts of France. The cultiva-
tion of hemp is so rare, that I have scarcely seen it five
times in all my peregrinations ; which, I need now
scarcely say, comprise the whole country. Such crops
as I have seen were very limited in extent, and far from
strong. The produce is applied to making twine for nets
and fishing" lines.
The laying down of fields for grass after being ex-
hausted by corn, is as unknown as enclosing, draining-,
irrigation, and top dressing. Such neglect is the more
unpardonable, because, with respect to most of these
operations, the very nature of the country offers facilities
rarely found in the Lowland districts. The blowing of
calcareous sand upon the pastures, as mentioned in North
Uist, is a natural process of top dressing which ought to
have opened the eyes of these maritime farmers on this
subject. Yet, easy as it would be to imitate this process
by liming, or by carrying- this very sand where it is in
so many places of easy access, I never saw the practice
but once, and that was in Colonsa; which is, however,