Transactions of RHASS Volume 1940 - Page 099
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| Year | 1940 |
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186 CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1939. good weather for cutting, but no winning weather, and crop had to stay much longer than usual in stook, thus spoiling a lot; later, in glcns, the harvest was good. H (Ly—3 tons per acre ; quality mostly good. Meadow HayflVery little grown. Potatoes—7 tons per acre; some blight, but not so much spraying required ; only a lot of burning down shaws with acid spray ; lifting started in September. Tumzips —18 to 20 tons per acre ; brairded well, and kept on all the season. Insects—No injury except where seed dressing had not been used on oats; damage from grub about usual. Weeds—Damage about usual. Pastures—Average growth and quality, with a big flush towards end of season. Live Stock—Throve well; disease much the same as usual, except for losses from grass sickness among horses. Clip of Wool—Good ; just about the average. ANGUS (Eastern). Wheat Crop rather above average; grain, 46 bushels per acre; good quality, and generally well secured; straw firmer than usual and stood up well; seed sown, between 3 and 4 bushels per acre. Barley—Average crop ; about 48 bushels per acre; straw shorter than average; grain good quality, but slightly darkened in colour on account of persistent rain in September ; many good crops on the best land, turning out 56 to 60 bushels per acre; prices satisfactory; seed sown, 3 to 3% bushels per acre. Oats—Generally a very good crop, but badly darkened in colour by September rain and misty weather; sprout just showing in stocks ; straw stood up well, but dark in colour and of poor feeding quality; well filled heads of plump grain thrcslied from 64 to 104 bushels per acre on best land ; seed sown, 4 to 6 bushels, according to variety. Harvest—Began early, about 12th August, with ten days of very fine weather; then harvesting became very tedious on account of rain, misty weather, and high temperature, which discoloured all grain and straw; wheat suffered least and was quite good in v colour ; harvest lasted six to seven weeks, but weather cleared then and stacks dried very well; the larger proportion was built in the fields where grown. Hay—Crop much lighter than average; about 2 tons per acre, generally very well got; fairly well mixed with clover; aftermath got rain and was really good. Meadow Hay—- Very little grown ; probably less productive than in 1938. Potatocs— A good crop, much the same as in previous year; there was less disease and fewer rough ones, and therefore a bigger tonnage of sound potatoes was produced ; 8 to 10 tons per acre about average; blight started in wet weather in September, when tubers were well grown, and many farmers burned off the shaws, thus saving the crop. Turnips Swedes a better and much sounder crop than in 1938, when, as winter progressed, they kept very badly, going black in the heart and rotting; yield, 24 to 30 tons per acre, and even a little more on the best land ; yellow turnips not much grown, as they have done so badly during the last eight or ten years. Insects ——Did not trouble the crops to any extent and there were far fewer slug or wireworm holes in potatoes than usual; no fly amongst swedes or beet. Weeds—With dry weather till latter half of August, weeds were easily overcome, and crops grew fast, but potato shaWS went down early, and the wet September weather brought on a 111511 of weeds, especially charlook, and the green crop break looked in many cases foul. Pastures—Stood out well even in the dry weather CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1939. 187 01' early summer, and there was a great abundance of grass in autumn. Live Stock—Cattle and sheep throve and fattened very well both in m1er and late summer, and no disease Of any consequence was reported. an} of W ooh—Quality very good ; crop quite average. KINCARDINESHrRE. Wheat—22 cwt. per acre; grain and straw of better quality than in 1938; straw shorter; in the Stonehaven district crop did not come through the winter so well; seed sown, 3.1. to 4% bushels per acre. Barley—18 to 24 cwt. per acre; where grain was not laid quality was good; in the Stonehaven district crop suffered from drought, and was only normal in that area; seed sown, 3,1, to 4 bushels per acre. Oats—15 to 30 cwt. per acre, depending on lei-zility; in the Stonehaven area crop suffered from severe drought, especially clean land; average crop, 18 to 27 cwt. per acre; crop lighter in Deeside than in the Howe of the Mearns ; grain and straw of better quality than in previous year, except in Stonehaven district. Harrest—Began about mid-August, which is about the usual time. Hill/MA short crop and deficient in clover; was secured in better condition and, in the St Cyrus district, the quality was much better than last year; yield, 111: to 3 tons per acre. Meadow Hay—None grown. Potatoes—Were a very heavy crop; 6 to 12 tons per acre, according to district, slightly lighter crops at seaside; disease prev- alent in certain varieties, commencing about the middle of August; no new varieties. Tumiqos : Howe 0’ the M earns—Swedes were better and healthier than last year, but many crops of yellow turnips went soft; 21 to 28 tons per acre; early sown fields brairded well; St Cyrus—Crop not so good as in 1938; it was slow to braird, and consequently left a lot of blanks; 25 tons per acre; Stoneluwen~ Owing to severe drought crop very poor; 10 to 20 tons per acre; quite a lot of second sowing on account of fly damage and dry weather. Insects—No material damage done. Weeds—Owing to the very wet weather in spring were more abundant than usual. Pastures—In the beginning of the season grass was very scarce, but very abundant in the late season. Dive Stock—Did quite well, and there was no outbreak of any epidemic. Clip of Wool—Quality good. ABERDEENSHmE (Buchan). Whack—None grown. Barley—Fair crop ; 40 bushels per acre. Oats—Good crop, but not up to previous year. HarvesF—Began about 20th August; the earlier parts got bad weather, and the crop was badly weather-bitten; the later cut grain was secured in good order. Hay—Very thin and short of last year's return ; clover scarce ; not too well harvested ; yield, 30 cwt. per acre. Meadow Hay—None grown. Potatoes—Good crop ; practically no disease; yield, 7 tons per acre. Turnips—Brairded “'0”, but a good deal of resowing owing to frosty mornings and the beetle; weight of crop, 12 to 14 tons per acre. Insects~—Not worse than usual. Weeds—No injury reported. Pastures—The best grazing season in reporter’s experience. Live Stock—Throve splendidly, and were free from disease. Clip of Wool—Average. ABERDEENSHIRE (Central). Wheat—l7 to 18 cwt. per acre ; quality much inferior to 1938, with a much wider range than in a normal .VSEI‘; seed sown, 4 bushels per acre. Barley—~16 to 18 cwt. per “We; quality much inferior to previous year, with also a much |
| Title | Transactions of RHASS Volume 1940 - Page 099 |
