COUXTIES OF EOSS AND CEOMAETY. 107 



cottage accommodation, which Mr Fletcher has abeady done a 

 gi^eat deal to supply. A very good class of both horses and 

 cattle is kept in the district, and altogether the farming of ]\Ir 

 Fletcher's estates is quite abreast with the times. Yery large 

 quantities of lime, chiefly taken from Banffshire, have been used 

 on the estates within the past few years. 



Mr Fletcher holds two of the largest farms on the estate in his 

 own hands, the home farm of Piosehaugh, extending to 550 acres, 

 and Muirhead of Ethie, the annual valued rent of which is L.500. 

 The home farm of PtOsehaui:,di is under the management of Mr 

 Lawson, and is a model of neatness and regularity. The stock 

 of cattle is one of the finest of the kind in the county. The cows 

 hitherto bred from have been crosses of the best description, 

 while the sires used have been selected, almost regardless of 

 expense, from the finest shorthorn herds of the day. The Piose- 

 hauo'h cross bullocks have been famed all over the north for 

 several years, and at Inverness and elsewhere they have carried 

 away many well-contested honours. A few shorthorn cows have 

 recently been introduced, for the purpose of rearing pure bred 

 bulls for the use of the tenantry. The improvements now going 

 on on these estates are under the able superintendence of Mr 

 Ptobert Black, factor to Mr Fletcher. 



The estate of Flowerburn, a very desirable little possession, 

 with a rental of about L.960, is divided chiefly into small farms, 

 the rentals of which average from L.20 to L.195. Several little 

 improvements have been effected on this estate since 1850. Mr 

 Fowler's small estate of Eaddery has also been considerably 

 improved of late ; and during the past eight or ten years, the 

 rental has increased from about L.900 to L.1048. 



Leaving the parishes of Avocli and Hosemarkie, we enter 

 Cromarty ; and here Lieut.-Colonel G. W. H. Ross is. almost sole 

 proprietor. The Cromarty estate extends to about 7946 acres — 

 4:112 arable, 2625 in pasture, and 1209 under wood. The soil is 

 principally loam, but clay abounds iu some parts, and moorish 

 soil in others. The average rent per acre is about 33s., and the 

 extremes range from 10s. to 60s. per acre. Since 1850 the 

 rental of the estate, by reclamations and other improvements, 

 has been raised from L5144: to L.6128. Tlie land reclaimed was 

 previously under wood, and is of a moorish character. The pre- 

 sent value of the new land is about lOs. per acre, and before 

 reclaimed it was worth only about half-a crown per acre. The 

 reclamations cost abuut L.20 ])er acre, and will be fairly remune- 

 rative. The lanns on the estate are mostly large — from lUO to 

 600 acres. The houses are good and substantial, and have 

 almost all bi'iii built since 1<S50. Most of the fencing was done 

 before i85U, while the gieater part of the other imi)rovt' nients were 

 etlucted shortly after tliat date. The svsteni of rotation pursued 



