108 ON THE AGEICULTURE OF THE 



on the estate is either the five or six course shift, and the estate 

 generally is farmed on the most advanced principles. Almost 

 all the cattle kept are crosses, and are bought in when young, 

 and fed off as two or three year olds. The estate is well pro- 

 vided with labourers' cottac^es. A few have been built since 

 1850, but the majority of them was erected previous to that. 

 The farm servants are mostly married. There are a few crofters, 

 wdio eke out the produce of their small holdings by working on 

 the neighbouring farms. Since 1850 the whole of the avail- 

 able land has been planted. Leases on the estate are almost all 

 of nineteen years' duration. 



Three grandsons of the late Mr George Middleton, who came to- 

 Cromarty from Yorkshire about the beginning of the present cen- 

 tury, occupy three large farms on the Cromarty estate. Davidston,. 

 now occupied by his son, of the same name, was leased for 

 many years by the late Mr Jonathan Middleton, son of Mr 

 George Middleton. The farm has a northern exposure, but still 

 the soil is good, and naturally dr}" and fertile. Its arable area 

 was greatly increased by Mr George Middleton, while the late 

 Mr Jonathan also added a considerable breadth. The farm is 

 now worked on a six-shift rotation, to suit the cultivation of 

 potatoes, which have been found to be most remunerative for 

 several years back. Mr Middleton "soils" a good many cattle 

 (i.e., feeds them in the house during summer on cut grass and 

 cake), and has thus the command of a very large quantity ot 

 farm-yard manure of the very finest quality. In addition to a large 

 dose of this dung, potatoes and turnij)s get from 7 cwt. to 9 cwt. 

 per acre of artificial manure ; while about one-half of the turnips 

 are eaten ofi the land by sheep. Only as many cows as 

 supply the farm with milk are kept, but a great many cattle 

 (chiefly Caithness stirks) are bought in, as the markets are found 

 to suit, and fed off both in summer and winter. Several iiun- 

 dreds of Cheviot lambs are bought in every autumn, and fed off' 

 on grass, turnips, and cake. Eosefarm, another desirable farm 

 on the Cromarty estate, and almost adjoining Davidston, is 

 leased bv Mr Alexander Middleton. The soil on this farm is 

 mostly good black loam; but some patches here and there want 

 " body." The five-course rotation is generally followed, though 

 a small portion of the farm is worked in six shifts, to admit of a 

 few potatoes being grown. ISTo cattle are bred here either, but a 

 good many are grazed and fed off' at Christmas and about Feb- 

 ruary, the byres being again filled during the spring with lean 

 animals, as feeders for the following winter. About 1000 Cheviot 

 lambs are bought in every autumn, and part are disposed of the 

 following spring, and part retained and fed off" on turnips and 

 grass and cake as withers. Very nearly one-half of the whole 

 turnip crop is eaten off the land by sheep. The general custom 



