COUNTIES OF liOSS AND CROMARTY. 109 



of the district is to feed half or three-part bred sheep, but Mr 

 Z\Iiddleton found that the turnips and grass which grow on his 

 farm are not rich enough in feeding equalities for sheep of these 

 varieties, and consequently he has taken to Cheviots. The late 

 Mr Jonathan also had this farm for several years, and reclaimed 

 nearly one-half of it from moor and wood ; while his son, Mr 

 Alexander Middleton, who has been tenant of the farm for about 

 twenty years, has also reclaimed about 100 acres. Mr Middle- 

 ton also leases the farm of Poyntzfield, on the estate of that name, 

 and in the parish of Eesolis. The exposure here, as at Rosefarm, 

 is northern, but the soil is very fair. The system of rotation 

 pursued here, and the working of the farm generally, is exactly 

 the same as at Eosefarm. When Mr Middleton became tenan": 

 here, about ten years ago, the land was in very bad order; but 

 since then he has redrained the whole of it, erected some six 

 or seven miles of wire fences, limed the whole farm, and reclaimed 

 about 30 acres from waste moor land, all at his own expense. 

 The 30 acres reclaimed were previously covered with small whin 

 bushes, and Mr Middleton's first step was to tear out the wiiius 

 with a gTubber. The land was then ploughed and drained, and 

 well limed ; and now that it has passed through one rotation, it 

 has the appearance of being good useful land. It was under 

 oats last season, and yielded about 5 quarters per acre, though 

 the bulk the crop had in the stook would have led one to expect 

 even a higher return. The compact, neatly laid off farm of Far- 

 ness, which adjoins Davidston, and to which is attached the 

 small farm of Peddieston, is lield by Mr Thomas Middleton, 

 anotlier of ]\Ir George Middleton's grandsons. Tarness is worked 

 by four pairs of horses, on five shifts — two years grass, oats, tur- 

 nips, and ^yheat sown out with grass seeds. Mr Thomas ]\Iid- 

 dleton entered this farm fourteen years ago, and since then he 

 has built a very handsome dwelling-house, and encircled it by a 

 magnificent garden ; removed the farm-steading from an incon- 

 venient site to the centre of the farm, making it considerably 

 larger than before; has erected about 1000 yards of stone dykes, 

 and between GOOO and 7000 yards of wire fences; made nearly a 

 mile and a half of service roads ; drained a considerable part of 

 the farm ; trenched-ploughed the whole of it, and S(|uared u]) 

 several of the fields. For the erection of the dwelling-house, a 

 forehand rent (about L.SiO) was returned to him ; and for the 

 stone dykes erected he receives meliorations at the end of the 

 lease, to the extent of about L.200. The soil on Farness is 

 good black loam, and yields excellent crops of wheat, oats, and 

 turnips. Wheat usually yields about 4 quarters per acre, and 

 oats from 5 to G quarters. The turnips are manured with 

 about 25 loads of farm-yard manure and 8 cwt. of siqierficiiil 

 manure, including about 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda. Mr Middle- 



