CHAPTER XII.

The Agricultural Interest-JAMES FREW-ROBERT GRAHAM-Introduces the Potato-History of the Potato-Graham's Experiments-Widespread Interest and Success-DR. ROBERT RENNIE-Graham and Rennie Compared-Peat Moss Studies -The Nature of Peat-Peat Companies-Rennie's Early Life -Presentation and Marriage-A Distinguished Son-Second Marriage-A Faithful Pastorate-Number of Communicants— New Parish Church-The "Essays on Peat Moss "—The Peat Bogs of Europe-Dullatur Moss-Flanders Moss-Substances contained in Moss-Qualities and Sterility of Moss--Publication and Honours Czar of Russia — Alexander I.-Offers Appointment-Sir John Sinclair Advises Acceptance-The Czar's Presents-Bell of Antermony-Rennie's Death.

NOTWITHSTANDING the enormous development of the national commerce and manufactures, the agricultural interest is still the most important in the country. With this interest the parish of Kilsyth has more than merely a local connection. It was for the largest portion of his life the residence of James Frew of Balmalloch, and it was the birth-place of Robert Graham and Robert Rennie.

Of the first, not more than a very few words need be said. He gave himself to the rearing of Ayrshire stock, and is a good example of how, by persistent energy, the ordinary Scottish farmer may come to make for himself an honourable name. In his special department at the Highland and Agricultural Show at Perth in 1861, and

1959

But if James Frew is one of the Graham is certainly one of the larger 1 agriculture. We simply owe to his which we cannot pay. He introduce Scottish agriculture, and the Scottish f duces annually over 800,000 tons of tha supply. The value of the potato as a relished alike by prince and peasant, its adaptation to a wide diversity of soil and large and profitable productiveness, well high esteem in which it is now universal historian, those fields around Neilstor first grown in Scotland, are more su teresting than those heights close by Howe," where the Covenanting army w worsted.

While the history of the origin of w buried in obscurity, that of the potato tion into Europe is fairly well known. into eastern civilisation by the Spania where they found it cultivated by the na mus Cardan, a monk, brought it from and from that country it passed into Ita In 1586, Sir Walter Raleigh introduced Ireland from North Carolina and Virg vated it with some success on his own e Some authorities place the date of the the plant into Ireland twenty-four years

; progress was slow, and not till the last 18th century did its cultivation upon a e to be general.

am was the proprietor of Tamrawer, near was also the factor on the Kilsyth estate, it Neilston. Taking an interest in all ojects, he had amused himself with the he potato in his garden. In 1739, having sed of the idea that the potato might be agricultural utility, by way of experiment half an acre in the open field. His exe fully realised, and he went on extending As he learned by experience the art of ground, manuring, drilling, planting, and ew more self-reliant. The farmers in the copying his methods, and the success of became so noised abroad, that noblemen om every part of the country came to him ceive his counsel and learn his methods.

such widely separated places as Dundee, urgh, Glasgow, and Renfrew, his enterd the largest and most important districts , and in a few years potato growing be1 throughout Scotland, wherever there was Robert Graham was held in the highest e new impetus he had given to Scottish Although, however, he saw the success of ts fully proved, he must have failed to

as that of Robert Graham. There is wide difference between the two men. ments were successful, and led to in Every strath and carse and hillside nesses every year to the fruitfulness of was not so with Rennie. On his favo conversion of peat moss into arable 1 fuel, he read largely, thought profo extensively and learnedly. His spec the notice of sovereigns and statesmen of Edinburgh ransacked Europe to books. The Board of Trade, the R Scottish Highland and Agricultural University of Glasgow, one and all en his labours. Notwithstanding all thi terest and stimulus, apart from the essa work of Rennie has had, so far, no prac The vast mosses of Britain and Eur in our day as

they lay in his.

waste and evidently as These great accumulat of the primeval forests are still temptin no key can be found to unlock th riches. For the present, it seems as done. We may rest assured, howev the present, for it would be absurd to wheels of our chemical and mechanic be permanently stopped at the margin When the time for the utilisation

deposits comes, there can be no doubt the work of Dr. Rennie will be found an important connecting link in a long chain. I anticipate nothing of what follows by remarking in a sentence or two, that in every department of manufactures and agriculture, peat has been found hitherto most intractable and unproductive. The vast deposits have a promise of a varied production which in reality they never yield. Peat, as a fuel, burns with a red, smoky flame, emitting a strong, and to some by no means disagreeable, odour. The lighter varieties are exceedingly inflammable. Its combustible powers are, however, tantalising; the yield of heat being very small in proportion to the bulk of the fuel. In Bavaria and Oldenburg it is used in the locomotive engines, but the tenders are larger than our largest cattle trucks. It can be compressed, but the advantage thus gained does not compensate the cost of the operation. Peat has been successfully used in the iron furnaces of Austria, and makes an excellent quality of iron, although here again the quantity of the ash militates against its use. Earnest and persistent efforts have been made to use peat as a gas producer. The harnessing of Will o' Wisp has, however, only been attended with the smallest measure of success. Again, charred peat has been excessively extolled for its value as a manure both when applied by itself and as part of a compound. So great were the expectations at one time of an enormous demand for it, and of the benefits likely to accrue to Ireland by thus disposing of her bogs, that a Royal Charter was granted to a company by which. its manufacture was to be carried on. Notwithstanding this huge enterprise, the bogs of Ireland are still one of the unsolved problems of that country, and the history of peat companies and manufactures is but the history of abortive and fruitless expedients