THE COUNTIES OF FORFAR AND KINCARDINE. 87 



estate, in the parish of Inverkeillor, and occupied respectively 

 by Mr James Bell and Mr John B. Bell, and on the extensive 

 holdings of East Newton and Eosehill, on the Northesk estate, 

 in the adjoining parish of St Vigeans, and held respectively by 

 Mr E. J. Donaldson and George Miln, steam cultivation has 

 been pursued jointly for several years with success. 



Keversing our course, we proceed westwards along the valley 

 of Strathmore, first passing through the parishes of Farnell and 

 KinnelL These parishes have hardly forty farms between them, 

 and yet the former has a rental of £7379, and the latter of 

 £7862. Since 1856, the one has increased by £1687, and the 

 other £2182. The whole of Farnell belongs to the Earl of 

 Southesk, whose estate is one of the most compact and desirable 

 in the county, extending, as it does, to 22,525 acres, and bring- 

 ing an annual rental of £21,811. Of the fourteen farms iin 

 Farnell, four exceed £700 in rental, while two exceed £1000 — 

 East and West Carcary, leased by Mr Eobert Lyall at £1078, 

 and Fithie, rented by Mr David Mitchell at £1008. Lord 

 Southesk is also the largest proprietor in Kinnell, in which the 

 Earl of Dalhousie, as already mentioned, also owns a large 

 extent of good land. The soil in this district is mostly a 

 clayey loam, in parts rather stiff and in others of a moorish 

 texture. The subsoil is chiefly clay, mixed with gravel, and 

 resting on the Old Eed Sandstone. On the higher parts 

 whinstone shoots up here and there to within a few inches of 

 the surface. On the richer land the seven-course rotation is 

 pursued, but on the thinner soils, and where it is not convenient 

 to grow potatoes, the five-shift rotation prevails. By not a few 

 farmers the six-shift is now preferred. Only a small extent 

 of land has been reclaimed in this district since 1850, but 

 draining and building have been carried on largely ; while 

 since wire-fencing was introduced a good deal has been done 

 in enclosing land. In the latter respect, liowever, there is stiU 

 much to do. The draining has been done chiefly by government 

 money, for which the tenants are usually charged a percentage 

 sufficient to cover the interest on the loan and repay the prin- 

 cipal. In some cases proprietors have given money for draining 

 for interest only. There have been few changes of much im- 

 portance in the system of farming in this district during the 

 last twenty-five years. For some time the practice of letting 

 turnips to be consumed on the land by sheep has been prevalent. 

 It is the 0[)inion of experienced fiirmers that more profit is 

 derived from the crop in this way than if cattle were brought in 

 and fed uj)on it. The average rent of the land in this district 

 affords no real criterion of the agricultural value of the diCl'erent 

 classes of soil, for on almost every farm there is a portion of 

 poor laud worth little per acre. The average rental per acre is 



