ON THE AGRICULTURE OF THE COUNTY OF SUTHERLAND. L'7 



area must have been reduced by a few thousand acres — the exact 

 extent cannot be ascertained. The first properly organised in- 

 quiry into the agricultural statistics of .Sutherland was made in 

 July IS,");! l)y tlie Hi^hlaiid and Agricultui'al .Society of Scotland 

 at the desire of the Jioard of Trade. According t(j that inquiry the 

 arable area in 1853 was 22,022^ acres, or only 3,897^ acres more 

 than in 1808 — not a very large increase for a period of forty-five 

 years. It must be remend)orcd, however, that the statistics of 

 1808 were more roughly gathered tlian those of 185;>, and that, 

 as already stated, the removal of small tenants and the introduc- 

 tion of sheep-farming threw a large extent of arable land out of 

 cultivatit)n. The following table shows tlie addition that has 

 been made to the arable area of the county during the past 

 twenty-six years : — 



Acres. 

 Arable area in 1853, . . , 22,0224 



1879, . . . 29,441 



Increa.se during last twenty-six years, . 7,418j 



As shall be afterwards shown, a large portion of this increase 

 has been effected by the Duke of Sutherland, within the last few 

 years, at Lairg and at Kinbrace ; while the main part of the 

 remainder has been made up by the reclamation of pieces of land, 

 varying in extent from 50 to 200 acres, on sheep farms through- 

 out tlie county for the purpose of producing winter food for the 

 sheep. As a rule these latter reclamations have been executed 

 by His Grace, the tenants paying interest on the outlay. 



The progress of the present century is better indicated in the 

 valuation of the county than in its arable area. The valued rent 

 of the county ui 1802, as entered in the Eecords of the Exchequer 

 at Edinburgh, was £26,193, 9s. 7d. Scots, or about £2,182, 15s. 9d. 

 sterUng; while in 1808 Captain Henderson estimated the real 

 rent of the county at £16,216, 12s. 6d., including about £1750 

 for fishings and kelp, and about £200 for houses in the burgh of 

 Dornoch. The following table shows the valuation at various 

 times since the commencement of the present century : — 



These figures bear indelible testimony to the great skill and 

 enterprise that have been displayed during the present century 



