Transactions of RHASS Volume 1940 - Page 090
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| Year | 1940 |
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168 CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1939. From the answers received, the following notes and statistics have been compiled :— EDINBURGH DISTRICT. MID-LOTHIAN. Wheat—50 bushels per acre; most satisfactory cereal crop Of the season; straw 45 cwt. per acre; seed sown, 3} bushels per acre ; October sown wheat, 3 bushels per acre, if put in with drill. Barley—48 bushels per acre ; quality of grain very good, but some areas affected in colour by wet weather while in stook; straw, 25 cwt. per acre; seed sown, 3 bushels per acre. Oats— 56 bushels per acre ; grain lacking in plurnpness and, in consequence, lighter weight per bushel; straw, 30 cwt per acre; seed sown, 5 bushels per acre. Harvest—Earlier than usual and, in the earlier or lowland district, of short duration; later districts rather pro- tracted on account of wet weather. Hay—~Lighter crop than usual ; 2 tons per acre ; affected by severe drought in May. Aleadow H a? — Very little grown; crop also light. Potatoes—5 tons per acre; suffered from mid-summer drought, and certain varieties affected by green-fly during August. Turnips—lfi tons per acre; easterly district suffered very much from ravages of green-fly after a good braird ; in many instances a complete failure. Insects—Turnip crop affected by green-fly; much more damage than usual. Weeds— Crops very free from weeds; season admirably suited for their destruction. Pastures-Suffered from summer drought. Live Stock— Throve very well where not too heavily stocked, and were freer from disease than usual. Clip of W cob—«Average and of good quality. WEST LOTHIAN. Wheat—Autumn sown, 36 to 42 bushels per acre; spring sown, 28 to 32 bushels per acre; grain and straw of moderate quality ; large acreage of spring wheat sown owing to the exceptionally wet weather during autumn and winter; seed sown, 3 to 3% bushels per acre, drilled; broadcast, 4 bushels per acre. Barley~32 to 40 bushels per acre; seed sown, 3:} to 4 bushels per acre; disappointing crop, owing to wet seed-time followed by cold drought; easily 25 per cent below average; grain of fair quality; straw of short and soft quality. Oats—40 to 60 bushels per acre; grain and straw of poor quality; seed sown, 4% to 6 bushels per acre, according to variety. Harvest—Began about the usual time in close weather; owing to the lack of drying winds considerable damage was done in the stock to all grain crops, especially oats, which discoloured badly ; the weather improved towards the middle of September and continued good, giving harvest a quick finish. Hay—30 to 40 cwt. per acre; a poor crop secured in good order; quality fair. Meadow Hay—Very little grown, practically a failure. Potatoes—Earlies, 10 to 12 tons ware per acre; lates, 9 to 11 tons ware per acre; lates fully 2 tons per acre better than last year, especially on the heavier type of land, which suited the dry weather; the only crop in the county up to average. Turnips—A fair crop Where sown early; 20 to 25 tons per acre; when sown after the middle of May practically a failure ; although some very late sown, which brairded about the end of June, made rapid growth, but bulbed very poorly. Insects—Very little damage done. Weeds-— Turnips long in brairding almost choked out by weeds; mostly CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1939. 169 annuals. Pastures—The worst growth for years ; where eaten down in the spring they never recovered. Live Stock—Throw) fairly well on bare pastures, and were comparatively free from disease. Clip of “bob—Average quality and clip. EAST LOTHIAN (Upper). Wheat—Yield of grain similar to that of last year, 44 to 52 bushels per acre ; both grain and straw harvested in fair condition, slightly darkened by fog during harvesting; seed sown, 3% to 4 bushels per acre. Barley—Yield of grain rather better than last year, 46 to 56 bushels per acre; straw rather lighter; grain and straw harvested in good condition; seed sown, 3 to 3% bushels per acre. Oats—54 to 66 bushels per acre; yield of grain and straw under that Of last year; in many cases grain darkened by fog during harvest, but some good seed samples; seed sown, 4 to 5% bushels per acre. Harvest—Started same time as last season ; with the exception of a few foggy days was a good and speedy harvest. Hay—Under average crop owing to dry weather in May and early June, but secured in good condition ; 40 to 48 cwt. per acre. Meadow HayaVery little grown. Potatoes—Slightly under average crop; Ho 9% tons per acre ; lifted and stored in good condition, ten days earlier than usual; very little blight; rather more leaf curl and virus diseases, especially in ‘Majestics ’; very little sprain. Turm‘ps —Again a. light and variable crop; came to the hoe rather late, and in patches; a good deal of finger-and-toe and dry-rot; crop, 14 to 16 tons per acre; some odd cases of second sowing; more mangolds being grown every year, even along the hill-foots; good crops were secured. Insects—Some considerable damage caused amongst turnips; rather more than previous year. Weeds—Annual weeds not so troublesome owing to the drier season; thistles worse than usual in pasture fields. Pastures—Came away early in spring, and grazed well all season; fully average growth. Live Stock— Both cattle and sheep grazed well and were free of disease. Clip of W col—Average. EAST LOTHIAN (Lower). Wheat—Yield was fairly good; average about 48 bushels per acre ; straw about 36 cwt. per acre ; the wheat crop was secured in good condition; seed sown, 3 to 4 bushels per acre. Barley—Rather under average in yield and sufiered some damage in colour, particularly in coastal areas, both before being cut and in the stook, but the bulk of the crop was stacked in good condition; yield variable, 48 to 64 bushels per acre; straw short; prices started after harvest at previous year’s low level of 40s. per quarter, but rose to a peak of 85s. for the best samples and then declined to from 60s. to 70s. ; seed sown, about 3 bushels per acre. Oats—Yield under average and quality disappointing, the grain not being well filled; threshings of good crops mostly ranged between 60 and 80 bushels per acre; the straw was well under average; seed sown, 4 to 6 bushels per acre according to variety. Harvest—Commenced about the usual time and was slow at the outset owing to damp weather, but, later, weather on the whole was favourable, and the crops were secured in good order in reasonable time. Hay—Quite an average crop of 50 to 60 cwt. Per acre, which was got in good condition; second crop, where cut, was also good, the yield being in many cases over 20 cwt. per acre. Meadow Hay—None made. Potatoes—Yield well under average; VOL. LII. M |
| Title | Transactions of RHASS Volume 1940 - Page 090 |
