32 ON THE AGEICULTUEE OF THE COUNTY OF SUTHERLAND. 



and top-dressing the land at Sliiness ; this is indeed a most 

 important element in the whole matter. The railway makes 

 all carriages nothing more than the average of the country." 

 With regard to outruns and plantations, he says : " I attach 

 much importance to these outruns in connection with the pro- 

 posed reclamation, though I trust future generations will see 

 their areas gradually encroached upon by the plough. With 

 drainage and lime, I expect they will be made very valuable. 

 The drainage I estmiate at £1 per acre, and we must add 

 10s. per acre for ring fences. Throughout these outruns — and 

 wherever it can be properly arranged within the bounds of 

 the area to be made arable — plantations should be at once 

 formed, ha%dng reference to shelter chiefly. In exposed places 

 it will be of no use, I fear, to plant less than fifty-acre spaces ; 

 but on the face towards Loch Shin, much smaller belts may 

 be formed. The soil, however, is not favourable for plant- 

 ing, except in a few spots which I have marked on the plan, 

 and profit cannot be directly regarded from this operation. It 

 is fair, therefore, to charge the great part of the probable cost 

 to the work of reclamation ; and I propose to add £600 under 

 this head — or say, at the rate of 10s. per acre." Mr ]\Iurray 

 concluded his admirable report by considering the question of 

 how the new land should be let, and added an abstract of the 

 probable cost and probable revenue. From this abstract it ap- 

 pears that he estimated the total cost of improving the 1175 

 acres, including drainuig, ploughmg (which was estimated at 

 £3 per acre, to cover the trenching of a few spots), clearing 

 away stones, farm buildings, fencing, forming roads and bridges, 

 and plantations for shelter, at £21,737, 10s., or £18, 10s. per 

 acre. The draining and fencing of the 2200 acres of outruns 

 were estimated at £3300, or £1, 10s. per acre ; making the total 

 probable outlay £25,037, 10s. The average rental of the three 

 larger farms for the first thirty years was estimated at £1, 3s. 4d. 

 per acre, or £670, 16s. 8d. in all ; and that of the fifteen smaller 

 possessions at 17s. lOd. per acre, or £535 in all, — giving a total 

 average annual revenue for the first thirty years of £1205, 16s. 8d. 

 The annual value of the land before being improved was stated 

 at £150, which left, as the probable " improved rental," 

 £1055, 16s. 8d., and which wo\ild be equal to a return of more 

 than 4 per cent, per annum on the estimated cost of the im- 

 provement. 



Beginning and end of the Lairg Improvements. — j\Ir ]\Iui'ray's 

 report was favourably entertamed by the Duke. Having failed 

 in many efforts to induce contractors to undertake the recom- 

 mended reclamations either by manual and animal labour or by 

 steam. His Grace at last took the matter in hand himself, and 

 in the beginning of September 1872 commenced at Lairg with 



