ON THE AGRICULTUItE OF THE COUNTY OF RUTIIERLANP. Gl 



of their own breeding. They send them oil' w lien about two years 

 old. Sutherland crosses, at that age, usually weigh from 6 cwt. 

 to 7 cwt. in the carcass. It is worthy of mention that about 

 fifty years ago Mr Alexander Craig, tenant (jf tlie farm of 

 Kirkton in the parish of Golspie, kept there an excellent herd of 

 polled Galloway cattle. At the first Show of tlie Higldand and 

 Agricultural Society at Inverness in 1831, Mr Craig won all the 

 jirizes ollered for Galloway cattle, except one which the Duke 

 of Gordon ol)tained for a bull. In Mr Ilamsay's achnirable 

 " History of the Highland and Agricultural Society," there is the 

 following reference to the creditable position taken at that Show 

 by j\Ir Craig: — "In the Galloway breed, prizes were offered for 

 bull, cow, heifer, and ox. There was a pretty fair muster of the 

 breed, but the exhibitors were not numerous ; in fact, there were 

 only three exhibitors — James Bain, Antfield, Inverness, who 

 exhibited a bull ; the Duke of G<jrdon, who exhibited a bull and 

 an ox ; the other and chief exhibitor being Alexander Craig, 

 Kirkton, Sutherland, who exhibited two bulls, and who sent all 

 the animals — five in number — entered for the cow premium, and 

 the three animals entered for the heifer premium, together with 

 five animals entered for the ox premium. Mr Craig's cattle 

 were all bred l)y himself except one of the cows which was bred 

 by the Duke of Gordon. The prizes all went to Mr Craig, 

 except that for the bvdl, which was won by the Duke of Gordon 

 with an animal bred at Gordon Castle." 



Swine and Foultnj. — The number of swine in the county was, 

 in — 



1853, . . . 1310 

 1870, . . . 1378 



1875, . . . 1257 

 1879, . . . 1157 



Decrease since 1853, . . 153 



The stock of pigs in the county has been greatly improved 

 during recent years by the introduction of good sires, but still 

 they are not as a rule of a high class. A large number of some- 

 what inferior pigs are kept among the crofters. 



Poultry are not kept extensively in tlie county, though there 

 are a few good " stocks " of them on the south-east coast. 



o^ 



Buildings, Fences, aiid Roads. 



Generally speaking, the farms of Sutherland are now well 

 ])rovided with both dwelling-houses and steadings. The im- 

 provement eli'ected in buildings during the past quarter of a 

 century has been very great. The Duke of Sutherland has 

 expended a very large sum in that work, the new houses having 

 in most cases been erected at his cost, the tenant paying interest 

 or an equivalent increase in rent. On most of the larger farms the 



