REPORT ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF MEADOW PASTURAGE. 441 



In 1861-63, the burns that fall into Torran water were cut, 

 and the upper ground surface drained, which brought down the 

 water immediately, and rendered the flooclings much more fre- 

 quent and continuous. In 1863 the flood came clown on 18th 

 August, when the hay was lying in swathe, and scarcely as 

 much of it was saved as served the shepherds' cows. Although 

 the flooding several times subsided, the ground never again was 

 safe for sheep that season. Thirty cattle were sent up to try and 

 get some good of it, but they were twice or thrice surrounded by 

 water, and eventually had to be taken round Loch Shurrery and 

 home again. Any one acquainted with the management of 

 sheep stock will understand the impossibility of maintaining a 

 hirsel of ewes under such circumstances. The leens, having 

 been saved on account of the hay portion, were lost, as well as 

 the hay, when at their very best, and the stock were to tide over 

 winter without an opportunity of getting into condition to stand 

 it. But this was not all ; for no power could keep sheep on the 

 ground, and prevent them from getting to the leens when the 

 water subsided, on account of the curtailed extent of green 

 ground, and their predilection for leens' grass. The consequence 

 was, that the reporter lost L.800 value of sheep by rot in the two 

 years, 1862-63 ; and thus found that to go on with the leens 

 unsecured would be ruinous, that to give up the farm after such 

 a loss at the beginning of the lease would be equally so, and that 

 his only alternative was to secure the leens with the least pos- 

 sible delay. Had this been done in 1860 the saving would have 

 been inestimable. The former rent was only one-third of the 

 present, and could be met comfortably with very different 

 management. The ground was under black cattle till within a 

 few years of the reporter's entry. 



On 23d March 1864, as soon as the leens were clear of flood 

 water, the reporter had Mr William Eeid Tait, C.E., at the 

 ground, who made a survey, and took the levels along the channel 

 proposed in 1860, as laid off on the ground by roanfeals cut on 

 each side. He gave in a plan and section thereof, accompanied 

 by an able report early in April following. 



The plan and report were submitted to Mr Sinclair of Forss, 

 who approved of them, but demurred to allowing such extensive 

 cuttings through his ground without relieving his portion of the 

 leens from flooding. This, the levels show, could not be done, 

 as the extraordinary flood-level of the loch and the surface-level 

 in the centre of Lamsdale leen is the same. However, in con- 

 sideration of the terms of Lamsdale lease, he signed his approval 

 of plan and report on 18th April 1864. 



A specification of the works was prepared and estimates ad- 

 vertised for the following week. On 25th July 1864, a contract 

 was entered into with Mr George Sinclair, who. undertook to 



