General Report of the Agricultural State Volume 3; And Political Circumstances, of Scotland (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1814 Excerpt: ...the western shores, and in the isles, where from want of regular employment, great numbers of the inhabitants are obliged to leave their homes, in quest of work in other districts, cultivators often find the greatest scarcity of hands, when the weather is favourable, and the. busy season arrives. They are therefore obliged to rely entirely upon their regular hired farm-servants, which compel them to keep a greater number than they would do under different circumstances. Where so many difficulties, arising from the climate, and the natural state of the country, are to be encountered, perhaps the best method would be, to diminish the extent of land in cultivation, and to attend chiefly to grass, or to grant as much land, as would enable the cottager to raise potatoes and flax sufficient for his family, (which, with the assistance of his family, he might cultivate at his leisure hours), and to call for his assistance when necessary. This would give the cottager something upon which he might rely, when he had it not in his power to work for hire, without enabling him, at the same time, to dispense with any opportunity which might offer to work to others. This manner of procuring labourers, has been acted upon by that intelligent and public spirited gentleman, Mr Campbell of Shawfield, who retains, in the island of Islay, from fifty to eighty labourers, who, whenever they themselves and his overseer think proper, arc constantly employed by the day. Mr Macneill of Gigha, and Mr Macneill of Colonsay, also keep a number of cottagers, (who are in fact day-labourers), in a way somewhat similar. Besides these two classes of labourers, there is a third, consisting of women, boys and girls, who, upon all well cultivated arable farms, are regularly employed, during the s...