The General Views of the Agriculture of the Counties of Scotland were an effective companion to the First Statistical Account.

Although detailed accounts of individual parishes are not included, the attention to detail provided gives a revealing portrait of the day-to-day circumstances of the substantial rural population at the end of the eighteenth century.

Far more informative than the Statistical Account in terms of the reality of life. Contents include chapters on geographical background, the State of property, Buildings, Mode of Occupation, Implements, Enclosures, Arable Land, Grass, Gardens, Woods, Livestock, the Rural economy, Political Economy, and obstacles to improvement.