ON THE AGKICULTUKE OF THE COUNTY OF SUTHERLAND. 69 



land at Dalchork is rented at £1 per acre, and grows good crops 

 of oats and turnips, — the former yielding about 5 qrs. per acre 

 in a good year, and weigliing al)out 42 lbs. per bushel. A few 

 Highland cattle are kept on Dalchork. Another large and well- 

 stocked farm in the parish of Lairg is Gruids, leased by Messrs 

 Douglas Dobie and Thomas Martin. 



In the neighbouring parish of IJogart is situated the extensive 

 farm of JUaricIi, hekl by Messrs W. and D. Meuzies. This iine 

 farm was long held by Mr Andrew Hall of Calrossie, the repre- 

 sentative of the well-known Hall family, so long located at 

 Sciberscross. Mr Andrew Hall has perliaps a more intimate 

 acquaintance witli the pastoral districts of Sutherland than any 

 other person, and was a remarkably skilful, painstaking, and 

 successful sheep-farmer. His stock at Blarich commanded tlie 

 admiration of all who saw them, and always fetched the top 

 prices in the markets. The Blarich wetliers this year lirought 

 42s. 6d., and tlie cast ewes 33s. 6d. The largest holding in 

 the parish of Clyne is Kilcolmkill, leased by Colonel Tod 

 Brown, C.B., at a rent of £1171, and stocked with a superior 

 class of sheep. In the adjoining parish of Lotli, Mr J(jhn B. 

 Dudgeon has in many respects (jne of the most desirable hold- 

 ings in the county — the arable and grazing farms of Crakaig 

 and Lothbeg — while he also leases the pastoral farm of Eldrabol 

 in Kildonan. Mr Dudgeon has long kept a very fine stock of 

 sheep, and has with much success bestowed a good deal of 

 attention to the rearing of tups of the very best character. He 

 imports tups from the best flocks in the south of Scotland ; and, 

 mating these with a few select ewes, rears tups that have few 

 equals in the northern counties. At the show at Lairg last 

 August, nearly all the higher honours for Cheviot tups fell to 

 Mr Dudgeon. In the parish of Kildonan there are several large 

 grazing farms well stocked with Cheviots, the more extensive 

 being Kinbrace, held by the Duke of Sutherland, as already 

 mentioned; Dalharn, held by Mr Sangster; Altandown, by 

 Mr Gunn ; and Kildonan, by the trustees of Mr Eutherford. 



Crossing the mountains to the north-west coast from Kildonan, 

 the traveller enters the Sutherland portion of the parish of lieay. 

 The principal holding in this district is the fine farm of Bigliouse, 

 extending to about 60,000 acres, and rented at £1262 by Mr 

 Eobert Paterson of Birthwood, Biggar, Lanarkshire. Mr Pater- 

 son, who, it may be mentioned, has had the honour of being 

 selected to act on the lioyal Commission recently appointed to 

 inquire into the agricultural depression, also leases farms of 

 1500 acres in Caithness, and 3000 acres in Lanarksliire, including 

 his own property of Birthwood. He entered Bighouse in 1861. 

 Along the banks of the river and burns there is a good deal of 

 green land; but the greater portion is black and mossy. A 



