98 ON THE AGRICULTURE OF THE 



four (counting Eoss and Cromarty as one) of the sixteen counties 

 included in the above statement, have more than doubled their 

 annual valuation — Aberdeen coming first, Ayr second, Ross 

 and Cromarty third, and Argyll fourth. 



As a rule, as will be seen from the table already given, the 

 increase in the valuation of Ross and Cromarty has been gradual ; 

 and the subjects contributing most to this increase in their order 

 are arable farms, grazing farms, shootings and deer forests, houses, 

 crofts, fishings, harbours, &c. Prior to 1855 (the first year of 

 the Valuation Act) no correct rental of these counties existed ; 

 and any statistics for earlier years are taken from the income- 

 tax abstracts, made up by the surveyors of taxes, which, though 

 correct as regards land, shootings, fishings, &c., are scarcely 

 reliable as to house property. The following table, however, 

 Vvdll show the gross increase in both counties from the various 

 sources since 1850, as correctly as can possibly be ascertained, 

 burghs included : — 



1850-51. 1874-75. Increase. 



Ross. Cromarty. Ross. Cromarty. Ross. Cromarty. 



Land, . . L.125,600 L.6,310 L.181,838 L.9,132 L.56,283 L.2,822 

 Houses not ") 



occupied \ 10,824? 1,000? 37,095 2,272 2,671 1272 



with lands, ) 

 Fishings, ; ' 1,570 167 6,011 380 4,441 213 



"^e^rier^^K 1,612 6 2,029 44 417 38 



Shootings ^ 



and Deer I 6,640 ... 34,059 50 27,419 50 



Forests, . J 



L.146,246 L.7,483 L.261,032 L.11,878 L.114,786 L.4,395 



From this table it will be seen that, of the estimated increase of 

 L.114,786 of rental in the county of Ross, the contributions from 

 the various subjects are as follows : — 



Land, . . 48 per cent. 



Shootings, . 24 „ 



Houses, . . 23 per cent. 

 Fishings, . . 3 „ 



Other subjects, 2 per cent. 



The percentage of increase on each of the individual subjects in 

 the county of Ross would be — 



Shootings, . 413 per cent. 

 Fishings, . 282 „ 



Land, ... 44 per cent. 

 Harbours, . . 25 „ 



In order to give some idea of the increase since 1855 (the first 

 year of really reliable statistics) in the valuation of arable farms 

 grazing farms, and crofts respectively, we shall select the follow- 

 ing specimen parishes : — 



