114 LAND IMPROVEMENTS. 



Here, in competition with a dozen of the best farms in the 

 county, Mr. Brown stands third. The crop is the second after 

 reclamation from moor. 



The present leases expire at Whitsunday, 1878, with the 

 exception of Upper Dounreay, which does not expire until 1883. 



Mr. Mitchell, in his report, calculated that the estates at the 

 expiry of the present leases would let for £6,100. The reporter 

 considers this a very moderate estimate of the enhanced value 

 of the estates at that period. 



The present rental, including interest payable by the tenants, 

 is £5,084. The value of 2,500 acres (there will be fully this 

 extent improved before the present leases expire) of improved 

 land at Whitsunday 1878 will not be less than 15s. per acre., 

 which amounts to £1,875, added to the present rental, makes 

 £6,959. This appears to be the minimum rental that will be 

 obtained at Whitsunday, 1878. In this estimate no account has 

 been taken of the immense amount of carriages performed by the 

 tenants in connection with the improvements, free of charge to 

 the proprietor 



The debt upon the property for improvements at Whitsun- 

 day, 1878, will not exceed £14,000 ; for it must be borne in 

 mind, that the interest paid by the tenants during the currency 

 of the existing leases is equal to the clearing off of about £10,000 

 of capital and interest. 



General Remarks. — A question not unfrequently arises, as to 

 whether improvements should be undertaken by the proprietor 

 single-handed, or in conjunction with a good class of tenantry. 

 In ordinary circumstances the wise and profitable course is to 

 make liberal arrangements with good tenants, and when such 

 arrangements are made, they are as a rule zealously and faithfully 

 carried out, with benefit to themselves and their proprietor. 

 Judging from a well paid rent roll, the improvements reported 

 upon are not only satisfactory to the proprietor, but also to the 

 tenantry who have been associated with him in their execution. 

 And it gives the reporter much pleasure to be able to state that 

 neither with tenant nor contractor has any misunderstanding 

 arisen, during the six years the works have been in progress, but 

 such as was amicably settled. 



In concluding this report, attention may be directed to the 

 drainage of the waste but highly improvable land in Caithness. 

 The value of the greater proportion of such land may be put 

 down at 2s. 6d. per acre, and the drainage rent charge payable 

 by the tenant at 8s. per acre, making the rent 10s. 6d. per acre. 

 In 25 years the principal and interest of the cost of draining 

 may be cleared off. The land should then at the lowest estimate 

 be worth 10s. 6c\ per acre. It thus appears that such land in- 

 creases four-fold in value in 25 years, without costing the pro- 

 prietor more than a fractional amount of expense and trouble. 



