in regard to every farm in the parish, the answers being received from the farmers themselves. Very few cattle are reared or fed here, owing to the high price received for turnips, viz. from L. 15 to L. 20 an acre; but that immense cattle can be reared, will appear from the fact, that Mr Johnston of Niddry had last year a bullock of his own rearing, which, at three years old, weighed nearly 130 stones Dutch. The wages of married ploughmen are I. 16 in money, 6 bolls of meal, 3 bolls of potatoes, 1 month's meat in harvest, and a free house and garden. A few of a better class receive L. 2 more. Young unmarried men receive L. 5 and board. Women's wages are from 8d. to 9d. a day. Shearers in harvest receive 10d. or 1s. 3d. a day, but have sometimes received as high as 2s. and food, which consists of admirable porridge and milk, at morning and night, the porridge made in a large boiler, into which half a boll of meal is often thrown, whilst the mess is stirred with an immense staff seized in the centre, and fastened at the top, which thus is made to work with a lever power. An Irish shearer has been known to eat 9 lbs. weight of these excellent porridge. At noon the shearers get bread and beer.

Improvements required.-Nothing of this nature stands so much. in need of improvement as the farin-offices. Some of the cottages, too, are much in want of being renewed, and constructed with two apartments each. They are on some farms worse than the stables. A most important effort is being made at present by the Highland Society, to secure greater neatness and cleanliness in the cottages; and Mr Trotter of Mortonhall is powerfully seconding their efforts in this parish, by doubling the premiums offered, and adding two of his own. The result undoubtedly has already been highly beneficial. A good deal also requires to be done, and something is being done at present, in the way of enclosing, especially on the Liberton estate, and in the way of planting the tops of the hills towards the west, which will greatly add to the beauty of the landscape, and break the force of the west wind, which is here by far the most violent,-the result of which is that the trees on the rising grounds are all bent towards the east.

Horses. The horses are mostly of a superior kind, and are generally highly fed, which is a proof of the prosperity of agriculture. The horse which obtained the prize at the exhibition of the Highland Society at Glasgow, last year, was reared by Mr Law of Morton, one of the farmers of this parish. It is supposed to be one of the largest and most handsome horses in the world. Another

splendid horse, which also received several premiums, was reared at the same time by Mr Jamieson of Straiton.

Modern Improvements. One of the most important agricultural improvements introduced into this district has been the steam thrashing-mill. By its use time and labour are equally saved, and one of the farm-servants can soon be trained to act as engineer. One has been erected at Niddry, and another at Straiton, with engines of six horse-power, made by Douglas of Edinburgh. They thrash easily 60 bushels of grain an hour, requiring, however, the aid of nine women, six men, and two carts and horses, in feeding the mill, and clearing away the grain and straw. Thus 600 bushels can easily be thrashed in a day. There are besides in the parish seven water thrashing-mills, and one windmill. The rest of the grain is thrashed by horse-power. Flails are unknown. The refuse of saltpetre has lately been applied to grass as a manure, with great success. It is sown upon the grass in February or March, the worth of L. 1 being applied to an acre. It acts as a powerful stimulant, and sends up a dark green luxuriant bulky crop. Soot produces nearly the same result. Amongst the most important improvements may be reckoned sowing machines, which are of two kinds, 1. the drilling-machine, by which oats and other grain can be sown with the utmost regularity and precision. The effect besides is to save seed, and to enable the farmer thoroughly to clear out weeds between the drills, by means of the Dutch hoe: 2. The broad-cast machine made by Scoular of Haddington is an immense improvement. It sows at once a breadth of 18 feet as fast as a horse can walk, or 4 acres an hour, holding as much seed at once as will sow an acre, and only requiring one man and one woman to manage it, but requiring eight horses to harrow in the seed. It costs L. 10, but is so profitable in the way of saving seed, and insuring good sowing, that, in the opinion of the most skilful farmers here, a farmer of any extent had better borrow the money required than be without one, as it will amply save the value of itself in one year. It is peculiarly valuable in sowing grass seeds, a most difficult operation, especially when they are mixed with clover seed, which being heavy, requires to be continually stirred up amongst the grass seeds, and thrown out with a considerable impulse. It is difficult to get a servant who will take the trouble; but the sowing machine secures this object most effectually, by stirring the seed continually, and sowing it with such power, that in the face of a tempest, (a sad enemy to the ordinary sower) its operations are unimpeded. In a

word, there is all the difference here which exists between the powerful and steady action of a steam-vessel, and the feeble and irregular motion of a paddle boat. Besides, the use of this machine forces the farmer to straight his furrows, and square his fields, which will be found a mighty advantage in ploughing, harrowing, reaping, and every other operation of husbandry. There is an instrument in use here, which I have not seen in the west of Scotland, called a grubber, which is drawn by one horse, and is used with effect in clearing out the weeds between the drills of potatoes and turnips, thus making the operation of hoeing much easier, and more effectual. The horse rake also may be mentioned as a modern instrument, which is employed in raking over the whole ground, cut with the sickle after the grain is carried, and thus clearing off the entire crop. Carts here cost L. 12; a pair of harrows L. 3; an iron plough (wooden ploughs being discarded,) L. 3; and smiths receive L. 3, 10s. for every plough kept on a farm, for which they are bound both to supply iron and keep the farming implements in order.

Waste Lands reclaimed.-The upper part of the farm of Liberton Tower Mains, where it joins the Braid hills, containing from 12 to 20 acres, was formerly covered with furze and brushwood. Mr Brockie, the tenant, obtained a lease of it for 5s. an acre, and it is now entirely cleared, and converted into good land, bearing all kinds of crops. The land, too, in the barony of Broomhills, of which Mr Whyte says, that "the expense of draining and putting it into order, would far exceed any profits that might thence arise," was lately drained, and is in the rapid course of improvement, and will, it is believed, amply repay the expense incurred. It amounts to about 40 acres. There is scarcely, therefore, a rood of waste land in the parish.

Pigs and Poultry.—Most of the farmers keep poultry, some of them a large number. On some of the farms the ordinary stock of common fowls is sixty or seventy, besides turkeys, geese, and ducks, so that at Niddry Mains, for example, there may sometimes be about 200 of these creatures. The geese grow to a large size, weighing sometimes not less than 1 stone of 16 oz. Poultry are not reckoned profitable in any other sense, than that they are supported by grain gathered in the barn-yard, which otherwise would be lost. Pigs are also kept about all the farms. They also receive little food except what they pick up in the straw yard, and yet they become very large and fat, weighing often 16 or 17 stones Dutch. They thrive much better in consequence of

being thus allowed to go at large; those with short heads and upright ears are reckoned best, and in the market the white are reckoned more valuable than the black.

Leases. The general duration of leases is nineteen years.

Gardens, &c.—Gardening is carried on in this parish with great skill and success. The soil is peculiarly adapted to the growth of vegetables of all kinds. I have seen even in the manse garden an early cabbage weighing 16 oz. The earliest strawberries in the Edinburgh market are sometimes raised at Stenhouse. In 1832, they were ripe as early as the 5th of June. There are admirable and most productive gardens, with forcing houses, at Mortonhall, St Catherine's, Inch, Moredun, Drum, Sunnyside, Southfield, and an excellent garden at Niddry. The Moredun gardens are still as famous as when Mr Whyte's account was written, and no expense is spared in improving them by the present excellent proprietor. Besides moveable glass frames, there is exposed to the light in the vineries, peach-houses, and pine-pits, at Moredun, upwards of 8223 square feet of glass. Hollies thrive admirably in this soil, and there are not only many splendid specimens, but whole hedges of this beautiful plant. At Moredun there is a holly hedge, very tall, and reaching the whole breadth of the garden, and at Niddry a very splendid one, 30 feet high, which, when annually cut, are of course scaled by ladders. These hedges are like solid evergreen walls. There are several very large trees in this parish. A sycamore tree at Niddry measures 19 feet in circumference, and another at Mortonhall, said to have been planted in 1700, measures 14 feet. At Moredun, Drum, and Inch, there are also many fine trees.

Mines and Quarries.—1. Coalwork at Gilmerton.-At Gilmerton there are about 20 seams of coal from 2 to 10 feet thick. The working of the coal, which is of excellent quality, is supposed to have commenced at a very early period; probably 300 years ago. It was in vigorous operation in 1627, and in Mr Whyte's time, fifty-four colliers were employed. This number was, however, greatly augmented afterwards, about eighty families being constantly employed, the quantity of coals annually raised being from 20,000 to 24,000 tons, and the amount of wages paid being L.180 a fortnight to colliers alone. In addition to colliers, a number of carters were employed, and employed themselves in driving these coals to Edinburgh, making the population of the village of Gilmerton to be upwards of 800 souls. The seam of coal lately work

ed is 4 feet 4 inches thick, with 8 inches of parrot coal above. Of late, however, these operations have been suspended, partly owing to the expiry of the lease of the late tenant, but chiefly owing to the quantity of coal brought to the Edinburgh market by means of the Dalkeith Railway, from mines which can be worked at less expense. The mines at Gilmerton may remain dormant for a time, till some of the neighbouring collieries are exhausted to the same depth, but there is at Gilmerton an immense supply of coal unworked.

Iron.-Blackband ironstone of the best quality, and 14 inches thick, has lately been discovered at Gilmerton, which may immediately cause a great increase of population.

Its

Lime-works at Gilmerton.-The Gilmerton lime-work was perhaps the oldest in Scotland, and had also been in operation from time immemorial. It was at first worked by tirring, afterwards by mining, according to the plan at present in use. present waste, stretching from Moredun Mains along by Hyvot's Mill, to Muirhouse, presents abundant evidence of former operations, there being a vast series of pillars with open areas, the rock being 9 feet thick, and resting on a declivity of 45.° The stones from the mine or quarry were formerly carried to the bank-head by women with creels fastened on their backs, and when the works were in full operation, probably fifty women were thus employed. At length asses were with more propriety employed in this occupation; a change suggested by a man of the name of Pidie, who had been at the siege of Gibraltar, and had seen asses employed there in carrying up sand to fortify the trenches. The east part of the quarry was afterwards worked by means of a steamengine, but this was found unprofitable, and was consequently abandoned. The working was, however, renewed, and carried on with great vigour during the years 1825, 1826, and 1827, when the rock was laid dry by the draining and working of the North Green coal, which lies regularly above it. At this time there were upwards of twenty quarrymen employed, and the quantity produced was about 15,000 bolls of six imperial bushels per annum. Nearly the same quantity of small coals was consumed, and the rock was forced out by means of blasting with gunpowder; a very difficult operation.

This limestone extends from the adjoining parish of Lasswade, nearly across the entire breadth of this parish. It begins near Loanhead on the west, and runs nearly in a north-eastern direction to Moredun, passing through Muirhouse, the property of Mr Trotter