172 ox THE AGRICULTURE OF 



can do no more here, however, than by a few facts and figures 

 indicate their wide extent and great value. 



There are no coal-beds in either county. There are small 

 quantities of iron and lead, but not enough to make mining pro- 

 fitable. For a short time many years ago iron was quarried in 

 Edzell and lead in Glamis and Glenesk. Both counties contain 

 some limestone, and in various parts of Forfar it has been 

 worked pretty extensively for agricultural and building pur- 

 poses. The stone quarries are numerous. In Forfar a great 

 many freestone quarries are worked regularly, and employ a 

 large number of men. The stone, mostly belonging to the 

 sandstone formation, is, as a rule, of good quality but various 

 texture. It endures the influence of weather admirably. The 

 ancient round tower of Brechin is built of Forfarshire freestone, 

 and although that strange erection is supposed to have stood 

 since the ninth century, the weather has made little or no 

 impression upon its mason work. In some parts the slate vein 

 formerly referred to has been worked. At Carmyllie there is a 

 famous and very extensive pavement quarry, from which very 

 large quantities of beautiful stone are shipped from Arbroath 

 to many parts of the United Kingdom. The stone, a greyish- 

 blue sandstone, is of very fine quality. At this and other 

 quarries machinery is extensively used in cutting and dressing 

 the stones. The proprietors of pavement quarries are finding 

 concrete a rather formidable opponent. 



Forfarshire contributes more than one-half of the total pro- 

 duction of linen in Scotland. As early as 1727 it had the lead 

 with 595,821 J yards, valued at £13,980, 10s., and all along it 

 has not only maintained but even improved its position. In 

 1822 the number of yards of linen produced was estimated at 

 22,629,553. Mr A. J. Warden, in 1867, stated the number of 

 flax, jute, and hemp factories in Forfarshire to be 108, with 

 7715 nominal horse power, 278,56-1 spindles, 11,329 power 

 looms, and 46,571 persons employed. Of these works, Dundee 

 had 72, while there were 18 in the Arbroath district, 6 in 

 the Montrose district, 6 in Forfar, 4 at Brechin, and 2 at 

 Carnoustie. In that year the total number of similar works in 

 other parts of Scotland was 89, with 77,237 nominal horse 

 power, 109,015 spindles, 8580 power looms, and 30,624 persons 

 employed. There are a great many other works throughout 

 Forfarshire, such as iron foundries, implement factories, tan- 

 neries, tobacco manufactories, breweries and distilleries, flour 

 and meal mills, sawmills, &c. The manufactories of Kincardine 

 are not extensive. There are several tanneries, breweries, and 

 distilleries, and a few woollen and linen factories. 



Kincardine has little or no shipping, but that of Forfar is 

 extensive. At Dundee shipbuilding was carried on largely 



