208 ON THE AGRICULTURE OF THE 



farm labourers throughout the country is gradually becoming 

 more and more serious, and while so little is done in so many 

 counties to provide for these labourers — what is put within the 

 reach of every other class of the community — a home of his own 

 and the prospects of a comfortable married life, can it be 

 wondered at that men of spirit and enterprise would refuse to 

 remain plodding at the horse's head, while there are other (and 

 to him seemingly better) fields open ? Give the farm-labourers 

 cottages, and the prospects of some day having what they might 

 call a home of their own, and less will be heard of emigration 

 and the limited supply in the labour market. Eoss and 

 Cromarty provide these most reasonable comforts for their farm- 

 labourers, and as a natural consequence those '' anxieties, doubts, 

 and fears," manifested among agriculturists in other parts of the 

 country have never yet disturbed the social atmosphere of these 

 counties. There are very few "bothies," only one here and 

 there, and the unmarried servants (little more than a third of the 

 whole) either live with married men or in the farmer's kitchen. 

 There are no feeing markets, and engagements are usually made 

 from year to year through register offices, or quietly in a private 

 way between the farmers and the servants themselves. Men's 

 wages have advanced from 60 to 80 per cent, since 1850, and 

 women's about 120 per cent. Ploughmen generally receive for 

 the twelvemonths from L.15 to L.18, with from 8 to 11 bolls of 

 oatmeal, 6 bolls potatoes, and in some cases a few hundred yards 

 of " harvest " potatoes ; 1 pint of milk in summer and J pint in 

 winter, free cottage and garden, with allowance to keep a pig and 

 a few hens, and about 2\ tons of coals. Labourers get from 12s. 

 to 18s. a week, with free house and garden, and women about 

 Is. a day, with potato land and some coals ; and in harvest Is. 

 8d. a day. Harvest hands, when not resident on the farm, are 

 usually employed for a month at wages slightly higher than the 

 above rates. 



Suborclmate Industries. 



So much space has already been taken up with the subject 

 proper of this report that only a sentence or two can be added 

 regarding the subordinate industries. Excepting the fishing they 

 are not of very great importance. There are three fishing dis- 

 tricts, Stornoway, Lochbroom, and Cromarty, and along with Skye, 

 Lochcarron forms another. In 1874 the number of boats at 

 Stornoway was 1045 ; the number of fishermen and boys employed, 

 3959 ; the number of fish-curers, 40 ; of coopers, 70 ; the value of 

 boats, L.20,337; the value of nets, L.23,814 ; the value of lines, 

 L.11,314, and the total estimated value, L.55,465. At Lochbroom 

 in the same year the number of boats was 656 ; of fishermen and 

 boys employed, 2815 ; of fish curers, 10 ; of coopers, 4 ; the value 



