Transactions of RHASS Volume 1940 - Page 093
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| Year | 1940 |
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" I; 5i p“. I: an— -‘ i Mr E. .~ Ila—1‘ " ,3 a 4': 174 CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1939. 40 bushels per acre; strau after green crop below the average, Harvest—Began much about the usual time; the first cut corn was very slow to lead on account of the muggy, raw weather; the late farms got a good harvest. Hay—Ryegrass was a very disappointing crop where eaten by sheep in the early spring; on the good heavy land it ran from 30 to 38 cwt. per acre, but on the secondary land from 18 to 24 cwt. per acre. 11! eadow H cry—An average crop. Potatoes —Barely an average; about 7 tons dressed were per acre; there was no disease. Trumps—The early sown turnips were a good crop and brairded quickly; the later sown were most disappointing. Insects—No serious damage caused. Weeds—NO serious damage done. Pastures—In the early part of summer suffered severely from drought, but after the rains came they were exceptionally good. Live Stock—Did well, and cattle and sheep were free from disease. Clip of W ool—A good average. DUMFRIES DISTRICT. DUMFRIES (Annandale). Wheat—Very small acreage grown; “ell harvested and of good quality; yield, about 44 bushels per acre; straw, 3O cwt. per acre; about 4%; bushels per acre usually sown. Barley—None grown. Oats—Acreage less than in 1938 ; straw much lighter owing to dry weather in May and June; crops were well harvested, and threshed well above average; yield, 50 bushels per acre ; straw, 25 cwt. per acre ; seed sown, 5 bushels per acre potato, or 6 bushels per acre thick-skinned varieties. Harvest—Began about 20th August and finished by end of September; crops were well secured. H ay—Ryegrass hay crop much lighter than usual ; weather good, and hay well got; 1 ton 10 cwt. per acre. 111 eadow Hay—Also lighter than last year, but of very good quality; 1 ton 15 cwt. per acre. Potatoes—A very good crop and well harvested; have kept well in pits; quality very good; yield, about 9 tons per acre; Arran Peak, the only new variety planted, has proved a good cropper. Turnips—About an average crop; some fields very good and others very poor; brairded well and were singled early, but dry weather at beginning of summer kept back growth ; weight per acre, about 8 tons. Insects—Not so much damage as usual. W eeds —Crops not injured to any great extent. Pastures—Very bare in the early part of season, but good in the latter end of year. Live Stock—Did rather better than in previous year; cattle and sheep were free from disease. Clip of W ool—About average. DUMFBJES (Nithsdale). Wheat—«N one grown. Barley—None grown. Oats—A very good crop, not much laid; ripened fairly evenly; threshed very well. Harvest—About a. week earlier than usual; started last week in August, general by first week in September; late places had a very good quick harvest. Hay—A light crop, not so well get as in 1938. Meadow Hay—A fairly good crop; not so heavy nor so well got as in previous year. Potatoes—The best crop in the district for years ; very free from disease ; yield, about 6 tons 10 cwt. per acre. Turnips—Brairded well; not as much disease as in 1938; about 16 to 20 tons per acre. Insects—Crop free from insect pests, but pigeons a great scoru‘ge. W eeds—Crops very free CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1939. 175 1‘ mm injury in most cases. Pastures—Very good ; much better than last year. Live Stock—Throve well, and specially on late farms ; cows did exceptionally well; cattle and sheep were free from dlsease. Clip of Wool—Average ; quality about as good as previous year. DUMFRIES (Eskdale). Wheat—None grown. Barley—None grown. Oats—‘Crops all over were fairly good, lea oats especially; some sow- out crops were short in straw and light ; all secured in excellent con- dition; very early places get some bad weather, but later districts had it very good ; crops did not thrash as expected ; average about 35 bushels per acre ; seed sown, potato and small oats, 5 bushels per acre. Harvest—~Began about the same time as last year, but was iinished earlier. Hay and Meadow H ay—VVere lighter than last year, especially meadow hay; ryegrass hay averaged about 33 cwts. per sire, and meadow about 28 cwts. per acre. Potatoes—A better crop than in 1938; about 7 to 8 tons per acre; there was no disease; tubers were perhaps hardly so large, but were very sound. Trumps—— A much better crop than in previous year ; quality very good ; the braird was very good, although in some cases resowing was required, owing to the dry weather at the time of sowing. Insects—Not much damage at all; less than last year. Weeds—Very odd places were affected badly; not so much injury as last year. Pastures—Very good all season ; Of average growth, and lasted much longer in autumn. Live Stock—Did very well on pastures, and cattle and sheep very free from disease all year; there were a few reports of deaths amongst lwggs from Braxy, almost in every case in stock which were not inoculated against this disease. Clip of WOOL—About the same quantity as in 1938 ; the quality was fully better ; both were above the average. KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE. Wheat—Only a small acreage grown; it was secured in excellent condition and thrashed out well. Barlci — Practically none grown. Oats—Owing to the exceptionally dry spring and summer, the driest in this locality since 1911, oats were a very light crop ; the harvest, though dry, was very slow, and some grain was damaged through stacking too quickly; the yield of grain to the acre was almost up to the average, but straw which in this area is extensively used for fodder was extremely scarce. H (truest—Began a week earlier than usual; in early districts it began about the 7th of August and was very general one week later. Hay—Eyeglass hay was the smallest crop in most peoples’ memories owing to the extraordinary dry spring and early summer; probably it would only average 15 to 20 cwt. per acre. Meadow Hay—A slightly better crop than ryegrass, but only about 20 cwt. per acre. Potatoes—— An excellent crop; the best and soundest for many years; 8 tons per acre, and lifted in excellent condition; some, however, were damaged in pits during the exceedingly hard frost in January. Turnips—Turned out a good crog on most farms, although many were not singled until August ; the marvellous warm autumn saved the situation, and swedes finished up more than an average crop; yreld, about 22 tons per acre ; although the turnips lay for six weeks Without brairding, very little resowing was necessary. Insects—No great trouble caused. Weeds—Owing to the dry year weeds were not so troublesome as usual. Pastures—Were very bare and burned up to beginning of July; after that they were excellent ; the total |
| Title | Transactions of RHASS Volume 1940 - Page 093 |
