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lately introduced, has obtained a decided preference, and is how almoft univerfally in ufe *.

Upon the wet grounds, the feed time is often retarded by rains. In the year 1795, many of the farmers had it not in their power to begin the fowing of oats till the month of May; but this year, viz. 1796, fome oats have been fown in the first week of March-the one the latest, and the other perhaps the earlieft feed time that is remembered. In ordinary seasons, the fowing of oats is begun in the first week of April, barley in the first week of May, and wheat about the middle of September. The improvement of the foil, and the practice of a more regular husbandry, have rendered our harvest season fomewhat earlier than formerly. It is common to begin cutting wheat about the end of August; barley in the beginning of September; and the other corn incourse, without intermitting the harvest work, The average: crop of oats upon a Scotch acre is 5 bolls; of barley 7; of wheat 9, all Linlithgow measure. About 1 boll and 2 pecks, of oats produce a boll of meal. The average price of oat. meal, barley, and peafe, is 15 s. for the boll; of wheat, one guinea +.

Nearly all the farms are inclofed and fubdivided with ditches and hawthorn hedges, but all the inclofures of this kind are hitherto infufficient; and this, it is believed, must continue to be the cafe, till much more effectual means be employed for protecting and rearing the young hedges, and especially for faving their shoots from being croped by the

farmer's

The plough alluded to does not appear to have any diftin. guishing name that is generally known. It is not Small's plough.

†Thefe may perhaps be accounted the average prices, without making allowance for the extraordinary prices of crops 1794 and 1795.

farmer's cattle. At prefent, the infufficiency of the inclofures appears to be attended with lefs inconvenience, because there is very little of the land in the state of pasturage; but perhaps the want of fufficient inclofures is one great reafon why the pasture fields are fo few; for wherever there is inclofed ground in the neighbourhood, the proprietor finds it in his power, by keeping it in pasture, and letting it annually for the feafon, to draw fuch a high rent as is out of all due proportion to the rent of corn land.

The valued rent of the parish is 4921 1. Scotch money *; the real rent, about 3200 l. Sterling. The average rent of the Scotch acre is about 15 s. Sterling.

Manufactures.-To the enterprise and industry of very early times t, we are indebted for a large canal or waterlead, drawn from the river Almond, which intersects an extenfive meadow, called Ruthven or Huntingtower-haugh, in the east end of the parish; and the peculiar advantage which this affords for manufacturing establishments, has been very. induftriously improved within these late years. One of the firft manufactures attempted here was that of paper; and at the mill erected for this purpofe, Morifon and Lindsay of Perth at present keep two vats employed in the manufacture chiefly of the coarfer articles, fuch as cartridge, blue, and other packing papers; the quantity manufactured in one year is from 5000 to 6000 reams, and the number of perfons employed in the work from 25 to 30. The canal, however, and the adjacent grounds, offered more diftinguished advan

tages

*In the cefs-books of the county, the valued rent of this parish is stated fomewhat higher, because fome lands, which are now confidered as belonging to another parish, are there included in the calculation.

† See the article Antiquities.

tages to the manufacturer in other departments; and accor dingly a bleachfield, under the firm of Richardfon and Co. whole buildings and machinery were erected here in the year 1775, has become a very large and important concern. The brown cloth to be bleached is brought chiefly from Perth, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, and Glafgow; but fuch is the increafing character of the field, and the high reputation of the acting partner of the company, that, for fome years paft, a confiderable quantity of diapers in particular, have been regularly fent to him from Darlington in England. About 70 Scotch acres are commonly covered with cloth and the work employs or maintains about 100 men, women, and children. There are also fome other fields in this parifh, employed as bleaching ground, in connection with a work, whofe buildings and machinery are in the parish of Perth. And it ought not, perhaps, here, to remain unob ferved, that at present the quantity of cloth bleached in the neighbourhood of Perth, far exceeds the quantity that is woven or otherwife manufactured in the town and district around. This would lead us to prefume, either that there muft be fomething in the fituation peculiarly favourable to the operation of bleaching, or that nothing is wanted but equal enterprife in the other departments: And that the last fuppofition may be the just one, is rendered probable, by the uncommon fuccefs of fome late attempts, of which a remarkable example naturally prefents itself in the cafe of a printfield, under the firm of Young, Rofs, Richardfon, and Car †, which was established in this parish upon the fame canal, fo lately as the year 1792, and has already become an object of fuch importance, as to be entitled to a diftinguished place

Tulloch bleachfield, upon the fame canal. +Ruthven printfield.

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in this statistical report. A bleachfield upon a small scale gave way to this more important work on the fite of it; and additional ground having been procured, as well as additional houses erected, the work already employs about 250 men, women, and children. The fpirit and fuccefs, with which the business is here conducted, may be judged of by the following inftance: In the year 1793, when the general ftagnation of credit, and the want of market for cotton goods in particular, induced many of the principal manufacturers, either to dismiss a part of their working people, or to restrict their employment to 3 or 4 days in the week, the managers of this printfield, though then but an infant Company, rejected fuch an expedient, and at the fame time adopted another well worthy of being imitated, if the fame neceffity fhould again occur. Inftead of difmiffing any of their people, or restricting their days of working, they made a fmall reduction, for the time, in the rate of wages, which enabled them more easily to keep the ufual number of hands in conftant employment; and while, in this way, the earnings of the working people were less impaired, the full benefit of their industry was preferved to the public, and the vices that arife from idleness happily prevented. This work derives much advantage from the ftaple manufacture of the country around being cloth of fuch kinds as are adapted to the purpofe of printing, and from a fafe, regular, and expeditious conveyance of goods to the London market, by means of the fmall veffels that are employed in carrying falmon from the port of Perth. Befides these things, the whole country around Perth affords peculiar encouragement to manufacturers of every description, from the average prices of corn and butcher's meat being here confiderably lower than in the west of Scotland, which is at present the principal feat of manufactures, an advantage naturally derived from the fuperior

extent

extent and fertility of the country, compared to the popula tion of the town and its neighbouring villages. The high price of coals is perhaps the only peculiar difadvantage that attends the manufacturers of this district ; and even this difadvantage has been confiderably leffened by the wisdom of the Legiflature, in abolishing the duty upon fea-borne English coals.

Wages. The average yearly wages of a ploughman are 91. and of a maid fervant 31. with board or maintenance to each; the average day wages of a callico printer are 3 s. of a bleacher 1 s.;. of an ordinary labourer 1 s. and 2 d. all without board.

Ecclefiaftical State.-The church, which is an old building, has been lately repaired and rendered convenient. The manfe was built in the year 1744, and has been repaired at different times. The ftipend, in confequence of a late aug. mentation, confifts of 8 chalders of meal and bear, and 35 l. Sterling, together with 100 l. Scots of communion elementmoney. The King is patron. The minifters, from the reformation downwards, have been Alexander Young +, Alexander Balneavis, fen. Alexander Balneavis, jun. ‡, David Meldrum,

* Bleachers have commonly in their power to earn somewhat more, by working fome hours extraordinary.

+ Mr Alexander Young was prior of the Carmelite Monaftery of Tullilum, (mentioned under the head of antiquities) and, upon embracing the reformed religion, was admitted minister of Tibbermuir. See Perth Hofpital Records.

It is worthy of obfervation, that Meffrs Balneavis, father and fon, were minifters of this parish for the space of 100 years, notwithstanding that the fon did not die minifter here, but was removed at the period of the revolution. See Perth Prefbytery Records.

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