ox THE AGRICULTURE OF THE COUNTY OF SUTHERLAND. 13 



nearly as possil)le 5 tons. Part of it is iiii])()rte(l from Nortlniii:- 

 berland, and part frdiii tlio JJuke's own limeworks at Eriboll. 

 It is believed by most jjractical men that o tons per acre is 

 too mucli for the first dressing' to such land as tliat in Kildonan, 

 and it is intended to lessen tlie quantity as experience teaciies. 

 The fencing at Kildonan is all of iron, in stone bottoms, and 

 on the Corimony princii)le, including the Master of Blantyre's 

 patent. Th(! drainage is lieing accomplished according to the best 

 known metiiods ; and with so many deej) beds of moss, great care 

 is frequently to be exercised in order to insure efliciency. In 

 some spots at Auchintoul the drains have been cut to a depth of 

 from 17 to 19 feet; but ex])erience has shown tliat it is desirable, 

 as far as possible, to avoid land requiring drains of that character. 

 Had they not been necessary for the scpuiring of fields and 

 farms, these spots would not have been touched in this case. 



The " making " of the surface after the land is ploughed (or 

 trenched, as the work of the Sutherland plough may be more 

 properly called) has been found to be a process of great import- 

 ance in Kildonan, where it is necessary tliat a little of the sub- 

 soil should as far as possible be mixed with the surface or 

 peaty soil. Tliis important work is being most satisfactorily 

 accomplished by a sort of harrow cultivator of novel design, 

 called the " discer," and patented by Mr Greig. Its construction 

 will be indicated afterwards, but it may be stated here that it 

 dcjcs its work in a most admirable manner, " tearing into shreds 

 and efi'ectively pulverising sods of a texture tough enough to 

 have withstood the action of the elements for year's." The 

 deputation from the Scottish Chamber of Agriculture that 

 visited the reclamations in the autumn of 1878 reported, in 

 regard to the efficiency of the implements employed, that the 

 Duke of Sutherland " must have achieved a triumph far beyond 

 his most sanguine expectations." In respect to the " discer," 

 which is one of the later inventions in connection with the 

 reclamations, it may safely be said that a more efficient instru- 

 ment for the work it performs can hardly be conceived. 



The reclamations at Auchintoul now extend to close on 500 

 acres, the extended limit laid off for reclamation on that farm ; 

 the land having been divided into five sections and worked 

 inulor eight distinct heads, a separate account being kept for 

 each head — viz., trenching, draining, clearing, fencing, roads, 

 building, liming, and farming. Last spring two fields in Auchin- 

 toul were sown with oats and one with turnips, but the bad 

 seasons told seriously against Iwtli crops. The turnips looked 

 fresh and healthy, but far from a heavy crop. 



At Bannockburn, immediately adjoining Auchintoul, another 

 large reclamation scheme is well advanced, and a great deal 

 more of similar work has been mapped out in this district. 



