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General View Of The Agriculture Of The County Of Stirling : With Observations On The Means Of Its Improvement / Prepared By R. Belsches, Esq. Of Greenyards, In That County ; Drawn Up For The Consideration Of The Board Of Agriculture And Internal Improvement
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various purpoſes, as houſe-building, brick-making,&c- Their ſides and bottoms afford heavy crops of coarſe grafles, as the-fe/2uca fluitans, arundo phragmites, carexes and ſeges, beſides a conſiderable proportion of good grafles, as poas, 8&c. which, from the moiſture of the ditches,«grow with great luxuriance, and, in the ſummer ſeaſon, are carefully cut with the ſcythe or ſickle, to be eat green, and in former times afforded the principal ſuſtenance of the milch cows and young cattle on the farm.

Stone walls are frequently met with in the county. They are of various ſorts. Thie height in general is 43 feet, with a covering or coping of ſods, ſometimes in one and often in two rows. The workmen are very dexterous in forming theſe ooverings. Thoſe that are beſt conſtructed projet a few inches on each ſide of the wall. The beſt walls are built of that kind of freeftone which readily ſplits into thin layers like lags. The ſtones are laid horizontally in regular rows, and laſt even without lime, the dikes re- quiring very little repair, for thirty or forty years. The ex- pence of building is from 15. to 18. 6d. per yard running meaſure. Where freeſtone cannot eaſily be got, and eſpe- cially where the ſurface of the ground is incumbered with Faſt ſtones,(as 15 the caſe in' many places in the upland parts of the ſhire), the walls are, for two thirds of their height, conſtrudted of large irregular ſhaped ſtones wedged toge- ther, and upon theſe large ſtones a Nender wall, in height from 18 inches to 2 feet, is formed. This wall, which is 'ereded at no great coſt, makes an excellent fence, eſpecially for ſheep; and, where attention 15 paid to replace the ſtones when fallen down, will continue for many years:

A favourite mode of incloſing adopted by fome gentle- men, eſpecially on grounds upon the ſides of the great roads, ſcems to be a ſort of /unk feice, faced with ſtones on the ſide next the road. The height is from 3 to 5 feet. The fäce of the wall is ſometimes caſt with lime, but often not. Theſe walls-are deſigned as'a' defence againſt the numerous

droves