ON THE AGRICULTURE OF THE COUNTY OF SUTHERLAND. 7 



other tenants. The Duke of Sutherland has for several years 

 carried (ui at Brora, under the inanagenient of Mr Dunbar of 

 Brawl Castle, extensive experiments on the breedin^f of salmon ; 

 and, liy introducing' into the streams of SuthcilaiKl tlie salmon 

 of such rivers as the Tweed, the Tay, and the Thurso, he has 

 very greatly increased the value of the salmon fishing on his 

 property. To those who prefer the gun to the rod there is also 

 strong attraction in Sutherland. It contains many excellent 

 grouse moors and a few good deer forests. The largest of the 

 latter is Eeay Forest, rented by the Duke of Westminster 

 at £1290. 



Sutlierland stands twenty-third in Scotland in regard to the 

 area under wood. In 1853 that area was estimated at 10,812f 

 acres, but according to a Board of Trade Eeturn in 1872 it was 

 then only 7296 acres. The natural clumps of shrubbery along 

 the straths in the interior have been gradually disappearing, 

 and it may be that a greater area of these was included in the 

 esthnate of 1853 than hi that of 1872. About the beginning of 

 the present century, the extent under plantations of fir and 

 hard wood was estimated at about 936 acres, and under natural 

 wood or shrul)l)cry, in the straths of the several rivers and 

 rivulets, at 1350 — making in all, 2286 acres. Between 1836 and 

 1842, new plantations, extending to 2091 acres, were formed 

 under the direction of Mr James Loch, commissioner to the 

 Duke of Sutherland, at a total cost of £2344 ; and an interest- 

 ing report on the improvement will be found in vol. i. 3d 

 series, of the " Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural 

 Society," p. 36. Since 1872 the area under wood has been 

 considerably increased by new plantations formed in connection 

 with the land reclamations. These plantations will be referred to 

 hereafter. 



When it is mentioned that, according to a liberal estimate, 

 barely one-twcnty-fifth part of the county is capable of being 

 cultivated, it will easily be understood that Sutherland docs not 

 occupy a prominent position from a strictly agricultural point 

 of view. In regard to the total area under crops, bare fallow, 

 and grass, it stands twenty-ninth among the Scotch counties — 

 Nairn, Bute, Selkirk, and Clackmaunan ranking lielow it. Xairn 

 has a slightly greater area under regular cultivation, but, on the 

 other hand, Shetland has a less area under rotation, so that, like- 

 wise from that point of view, Sutherland is still left twenty- 

 ninth in order. In reference to the proportion or percentage of 

 the total area of the county occupied by " crops, bare fallow, 

 and grass," it is lowest on the list. Another illustration of 

 the mountainous and sterile character of the main portion of 

 Sutherland is supplied by the fact that the total valuation of 

 the county, as returned in the Valuation EoU for 1878-79 



