THE COUNTIES OF FORFAR AND KINCARDINE. 81 



his first lease spent a large sum in reclamation, draining, fencing, 

 building, and other works, bringing the farm into high order 

 and convenient form. A good deal of the land is stiff strong 

 clayey loam, not very well suited to potatoes, but of wheat, 

 barley, oats, and turnips he raised excellent crops. A few years 

 ago he transferred Balnuth to his nephew, Mr William Bell, 

 and now resides on the adjoining farm of Kirkton, which he 

 also maintains in high condition. At Kirkton the elevation is 

 over 500 feet, and from a little beyond that the ground rises 

 fast, so that we soon pass beyond the wheat land, and come into 

 the elevation where oats and turnips predominate. la these 

 higher parts the ordinary five or six-shift rotation is pursued, 

 that is turnips, with a small patch of potatoes, barley or oats or 

 part of both, grass for two or three years, and lastly oats. Im- 

 mediately to the west of Tealing lie the parishes of Auchter- 

 house and Lundie, in w^hich, as in the higher parts of Tealing, a 

 good deal of land has been reclaimed from moorland within the 

 past thirty years. The soil is for the most part light, sharp loam ; 

 and being as a rule well farmed, produces good crops of oats, 

 barley, and turnips. The five and six-shift rotations are also 

 pursued here, and the latter gains ground every year, owing 

 perhaps partly to the greatly increased cost of labour, and partly 

 to the fact that turnips are less subject to " finger and toe " on 

 land worked in six shifts. In these three parishes last referred 

 to, rent ranges from 20s. to 50s. per acre, the main portion being 

 under 28s. A few tenants pay as little as 15s. per acre for the 

 very poorest and coldest of the land. The Earl of Airlie owns 

 the larger portion of the parish of Auchterhouse, one of his 

 lordship's largest farms in this district being East Mains of 

 Bonny ton held by Mr Alexander M'Kay at a rent of £680. In 

 Lundie the Earl of Camperdown is the principal proprietor. On 

 his lands in this parish extensive improvements have been effected 

 since 1850 in the way of reclaiming, draining, fencing, and build- 

 ing, part being done by the proprietor and part by the tenants. 



Ketracing our steps and proceeding eastwards we pass through 

 the parish of Monikie, in which the Earl of Dalhousie owns a large 

 extent of valuable well-farmed land, and in which a very large 

 sum has been expended on various agricultural improvements 

 during the past twenty-five years. Monikie extends to 9027 acres, 

 and yields a rental of £18,916, or more than £2 per acre. The 

 increase since 1856 amounts to no less than £10,505. The 

 rental in 1683 was £4608 Scots. On the east of Monikie lie 

 the highly cultivated coast-side parishes of Barry, Tanbride, and 

 Arbirlot, extending to 6155, 5506, and 6889 acres respectively, 

 and yielding respective rentals of £15,088, £11,419, and £10,895. 

 Barry lias increased £7057 since 1856, or more than £1 per 

 acre. A very large part of this increase, however, is due to the 



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