Some of the most important Scottish agricultural books between the mid eighteenth and early twentieth centuries record the agricultural implement and machine makers and their activities, as well as the tools, implements and machines used on farms.
Google books and the Internet Archive have digitised the most important of these books. I have listed these and have provided links to their electronic copies.
1762
Adam Dickson, A treatise on agriculture, 1862
1784
James Small, A treatise on ploughs and wheel carriages, Edinburgh, 1784
1795
Board of Agriculture, Report of the Committee of the Board of Agriculture, appointed to extract information from the county reports, and other authorities, concerning the culture and use of potatoes, London, 1795
1796
James Donaldson, Modern agriculture; or, the present state of husbandry in Great Britain, in 4 vols, vol 2, Edinburgh, 1796
James Donaldson, Modern agriculture; or, the present state of husbandry in Great Britain, in 4 vols, vol 3, Edinburgh, 1796
James Donaldson, Modern agriculture; or, the present state of husbandry in Great Britain, in 4 vols, vol 4, Edinburgh, 1796
1798
Henry Home, Lord Kames, The gentleman farmer, being an attempt to improve agriculture, by subjecting it to the test of rational principles, 4th edn, Edinburgh, 1798
1804
Robert Forsyth, The principles and practice of agriculture systematically explained, 2 vols, vol 1, Edinburgh, 1804
1805
William Aiton, A treatise on the origin, qualities, and cultivation of moss-earth, Glasgow, 1805
Robert Forsyth, The beauties of Scotland: containing a clear and full account of the agriculture, commerce, miles, and manufactures; of the population, cities, towns, villages &c of each county, vol 1, Edinburgh, 1805
Robert Forsyth, The beauties of Scotland: containing a clear and full account of the agriculture, commerce, miles, and manufactures; of the population, cities, towns, villages &c of each county, vol 2, Edinburgh, 1805
1806
Robert Forsyth, The beauties of Scotland: containing a clear and full account of the agriculture, commerce, miles, and manufactures; of the population, cities, towns, villages &c of each county, vol 3, Edinburgh, 1806
1808
Robert Forsyth, The beauties of Scotland: containing a clear and full account of the agriculture, commerce, miles, and manufactures; of the population, cities, towns, villages &c of each county, vol 4, Edinburgh, 1808
Robert Forsyth, The beauties of Scotland: containing a clear and full account of the agriculture, commerce, miles, and manufactures; of the population, cities, towns, villages &c of each county, vol 5, Edinburgh, 1808
Andrew Gray, The plough-wright’s assistant; or, a practical treatise on various implements employed in agriculture, Edinburgh, 1808
1811
William Aiton, A treatise on the origin, qualities and cultivation of moss-earth, with directions for converting it into manure, Air, 1811
Robert Brown, A treatise on agriculture and rural affairs, vol 1, Edinburgh, 1811
Robert Brown, A treatise on agriculture and rural affairs, vol 2, Edinburgh, 1811
William Lester, A history of British implements and machinery applicable to agriculture, with observations on their improvement, London, nd. [1811]
1812
John Johnstone, esq, General report of Scotland: On draining, Edinburgh, 1812
Sir John Sinclair, An account of the systems of husbandry adopted in the more improved districts of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1812
1813
Sir John Sinclair, An account of the systems of husbandry adopted in the more improved districts of Scotland, 2nd edn. In 2 vols, vol 1, Edinburgh, 1813
Sir John Sinclair, An account of the systems of husbandry adopted in the more improved districts of Scotland, 2nd edn. In 2 vols, vol 2, Edinburgh, 1813
1814
Andrew Gray, Explanations of the engravings of the most important implements used in Scotland, Edinburgh, 1814
Sir John Sinclair, General report of the agricultural state, and political circumstances, of Scotland, vol 1, Edinburgh, 1814
Sir John Sinclair, General report of the agricultural state, and political circumstances, of Scotland, vol 3, Edinburgh, 1814
Sir John Sinclair, Appendix to the general report of the agricultural state, and political circumstances, of Scotland, vol 1, Edinburgh, 1814
Sir John Sinclair, Appendix to the general report of the agricultural state, and political circumstances, of Scotland, vol 2, Edinburgh, 1814
1815
Henry Home, Lord Kames, The gentleman farmer, being an attempt to improve agriculture, by subjecting it to the test of rational principles, 6th edn, Edinburgh, 1815
1818
Sir John Sinclair, The Code of agriculture, Hartford, 1818
1825
John Claudis Loudon, An encyclopedia of agriculture, vol 1, London, 1825
1829
George Robertson, Rural recollections; or, the progress of improvement in agriculture and rural affairs, Irvine, 1829
Alexander Taylor, The farmer’s guide, and agriculturist’s companion, Edinburgh, 1829
1830
John Milne, A practical view of the steam engine, Edinburgh, 1830
1832
Sir John Sinclair, The code of agriculture, 5th edn, London, 1832
1834
John Johnstone, A systematic treatise on the theory and practice of draining land, Edinburgh, 1834
David Low, Elements of practical agriculture, Edinburgh, 1834
1836
The Agriculturist’s manual, forming a report of Lawson’s Agricultural Museum in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 1836
1838
David Low, Elements of practical agriculture, 2nd edn, London and Edinburgh, 1838
1840
James Jackson, A treatise on agriculture and dairy husbandry, Edinburgh, 1840
1843
A general priced catalogue of implements, seeds, plants &c sold by W. Drummond and Sons, seedsmen and nurserymen, Agricultural Museum, Stirling and Dublin, 1844
James Smith, Remarks on thorough draining and deep ploughing, 6th edn, Stirling, 1843
1844
Henry Stephens, The book of the farm, vol 1, Edinburgh, 1844
Henry Stephens, The book of the farm, vol 2, Edinburgh, 1844
Henry Stephens, The book of the farm, vol 3, Edinburgh, 1844
1848
Henry Stephens, A manual of practical draining, 3rd edn, Edinburgh and London, 1848
1849
Robert Ritchie, The farm engineer: a treatise on barn machinery, Glasgow, 1849
1851
Henry Stephens, The book of the farm, vol 2, Edinburgh, 1851
1855
Henry Stephens, The Yester deep land-culture, Edinburgh, 1855
1856
Henry Stephens, Catchism of practical agriculture, Edinburgh, 1856
1858
James Slight and R. Scott Burn, ed Henry Stephens, The book of farm implements and machines, Edinburgh and London, 1858
1859
John Wilson, Our farm crops, vol 1, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow, 1859-60
John Wilson, Our farm crops, vol 2, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow, 1859-60
1861
Henry Stephens, The book of farm buildings, Edinburgh and London, 1861
1862
John Wilson, British farming: a description of the mixed husbandry of Great Britain, Edinburgh, 1862
1869
Robert E Brown, The book of the landed estate, Edinburgh, 1869
1879
Ramsay, Alexander. History of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland; with notices of earlier societies for the promotion of agriculture in Scotland, Edinburgh, 1879
1889
Henry Stephens, The book of the farm, division 1, Edinburgh and London, 1889
Henry Stephens, The book of the farm, division 2, Edinburgh and London, 1889
Henry Stephens, The book of the farm, division 3, Edinburgh and London, 1889
Henry Stephens, The book of the farm, division 4, Edinburgh and London, 1889
Henry Stephens, The book of the farm, division 5, Edinburgh and London, 1889
Henry Stephens, The book of the farm, division 6, Edinburgh and London, 1889
1908
Stephen’s book of the farm 5th edn, revised by James Macdonald, vol 2, Edinburgh and London, 1908
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