92 ON THE AGRICULTURE OF 



cottages is being completed. In the building of new bouses 

 alone about £20,000 has been expended since 1860, while 

 between £1200 and £1500 additional has been spent annually 

 on repairs. The outlay on draining in that period has been about 

 £11,000, on fencing £5000, and road-making £2000. It was 

 formerly the custom to charge interest at the rate of 5 per cent, 

 against the tenants for outlay on buildings, but in recent years 

 all buildings have been erected by the proprietor under the con- 

 ditions upon which the farms are let. The farms on the Glamis 

 property, as a rule, range from 200 to 400 acres in extent, a few 

 being larger and some smaller. There are also sixty-four crofts or 

 pendicles, running from 8 to 15 acres, held from year to year, 

 and rented at about 30s. per acre. The farms are let on lease 

 of nineteen years. An improvement w^orthy of special notice is the 

 straightening of the course of the Kerbit, which was carried out 

 by Lord Strathmore in 1876-77. The course of this water 

 formerly ran through the farms of Scrogalfield, ]\Iains of Glamis, 

 and West and Mid Ingleston, in a winding and very inconvenient 

 manner. To obviate this a new course was cut through a sandy 

 mound into the Dean, about 300 yards above the old junction 

 of the two waters. The new run is about a mile in length and 

 40 yards wide, the greatest depth being about 40 feet. The 

 work, which was carried out under the direction of Mr 

 Ealston, factor on the estates, was attended with considerable 

 difficulty, owing to the want of fall and the sandy nature of the 

 ground. It has, however, proved thoroughly successful. It 

 gives a better fall for the drainage of about 200 acres of valuable 

 land, and thus improves the climate of the district. The cost 

 was about £2000. The old run has been filled up, converted 

 into arable land, and added to the adjoining farms, the tenants 

 of which pay interest on the cost of filling up at the rate of 5 per 

 cent. In this way about 10 acres of excellent land have been 

 added to the farm of Mr Arnot, Mains of Glamis, and all the 

 extra rent he pays is about £10 of interest. 



Glamis Castle, an ancient and noble mansion, stands not far 

 from the centre of the property in " its world-famed magnificent 

 surroundings." The home farm adjoins and includes part of the 

 policies. It is worked in six shifts, three years grass, oats, 

 turnips, and barley. Lord Strathmore takes great interest in the 

 rearing of the best class of farm stock, alike of horses, cattle, and 

 sheep, and in this respect his home farm has few equals in the 

 country. The stock consists of a stud of Clydesdale horses, a 

 herd of polled cattle, and a flock of Shropshire sheep, each com- 

 posed of the best available materials, and managed with great 

 skill and success. In this department Mr Ealston is ably assisted 

 by Mr John Stewart, farm overseer. Of the live stock more anon. 



The largest farm on the Glamis estate is Mains of Glamis, 



