74 ON THE AGEICULTUEE OF THE COUNTY OF SUTHERLAND. 



to go to the market every year for wether lambs and hoggs. 

 The stock on the farm is descended from that held by the late 

 Mr Paterson, the former tenant, but has been largely crossed by 

 sheep from other farms held by the Messrs Mackay, as well as 

 from the other well-bred stocks in Sutherland. The tups are 

 reared on the farm, fresh blood being introduced from the south 

 every second or third year. All the old sheep are smeared 

 with tar and butter, the lambs being dipped with Wilson's 

 dip. The smearmg costs about 8d. a-head, and dipping 4d. 

 a-head. Clipping commences with the wethers, about the 

 6th or 10th of June. The most of the hoggs are wintered on 

 their farms in Caithness, the remainder being sent elsewhere 

 and wintered on grass and turnip at a cost of from 8s. to 

 9s. each. The shepherds on Melness herd each, on an average, 

 about 450 in winter and 650 in summer. The death-rate is 

 fully 10 per cent. It is seldom that more than seventy-five 

 lambs are speaned for every one hiuidred ewes tupped. Of 

 every one hundred hoggs sent to the hill in spring, not more than 

 seventy live to be sold as cast ewes or wethers. The death-rate 

 is greater than some years ago. There are about 90 acres of 

 arable land on Melness ; but, owing to turnips ha\dng ten con- 

 secutive years succumbed to " finger and toe," the most of it has 

 been laid down in grass. Of these about 50 acres have been 

 recently reclaimed by the Duke, on the usual conditions, at a 

 cost of about £40 per acre. The weaker sheep are gathered off 

 the "hirsels" every month in winter, and are hand-fed on the 

 arable land. Since entering Mehiess the Messrs Mackay have 

 expended about £1000 in surface-draining and other improve- 

 ments. When the late tenant's stock on Melness was sold by 

 public roup, at Whitsunday 1866, the roup-roU amounted to 

 £18,500. It is stated that when he entered about 1828, the 

 stock cost him only from £3000 to £4000. Owing to ravages of 

 rinderpest the prices in 1866 were exceptionally high, and the 

 Messrs Mackay paid 70s. for every ewe and lamb purchased at 

 the sale. 



In the parish of Durness there are some very large holdings. 

 The fine farm of EriboU, extending to between 30,000 and 

 40,000 acres, and rated at £1307, has been held by the Clarke 

 family for sixty-four years. The present tenant is Mr George 

 Gran\ille Clarke, grandson of the original tenant, whose name 

 has already been mentioned among the pioneer sheep-farmers of 

 the county. Eriboll consists of mixed laud, much of it moory, 

 very rocky, and wild, and little of it green except on the seaside. 

 The winter is often wet and stormy, but the farm is not subject to 

 long-continued snowstorms. An excellent ewe and wether stock 

 is kept : no ewes ever being bought in, but 300 wether lambs 

 are purchased yearly. One or two tups are bought in every 



