126 . ON THE AGPJCULTUEE OF THE 



spreads the whole year's dung on lea for wheat, and finds that 

 turnips thrive well in this way. The ground in preparation for 

 turnips receives a good winter furrow, and is afterwards wrought 

 with grubber and harrows. Mr Adam has for a few years sown 

 the artificial manures outside the marker when drilling, and thus 

 the land receives only one drilling. The plants come away 

 quite as well in this way as when twice drilled. From 100 

 to 200 head of cattle are usually kept on the farm, and nearly 

 all the grass is pastured. Mr Adam rears a good many, and 

 havino- discovered that the soil is more suitable for the Q;rowth 

 of young stock than for feeding, he does not feed on a large 

 scale. A good deal of feeding stuffs is used, however, during 

 winter along with turnips. All the turnips that can be spared 

 along with the outrun are eaten off by sheep taken in for the 

 winter. The horses on this farm, and in the district generally, 

 have been considerably improved of late by the introduction 

 of really good sires from the south, but further improvement is 

 still desirable. The majority of the servants in the district are 

 married, and cottage accommodation is more complete than inmost 

 other j)arts of the north. Eents generally, in the neighbourhood, 

 have risen about 25 per cent, during the past twenty-five years. 



In the parish of Todderty, adjoining Dingwall on the west, lies 

 the beautiful valley of Strathpeffer, the scenery and climate of 

 Avhich are equalled by few spots in the kingdom. The estate of 

 Strathpeffer belonging to the Duchess of Sutherland, Countess of 

 Cromarty, takes up the most of this parish, and stretches down 

 from the foot of Ben Wyvis in the direction of Dingwall. The 

 Duchess also owns the properties of N'ew Tarbat, in the parishes 

 of Kilmuir Easter and Logic Easter, and Coigach, in the parish 

 Loch Broom, and also small patches of land in the parishes of 

 Tain, Kincardine, and Dingwall. For convenience, these estates 

 shall be noticed here. Since 1867 the Duchess' Restates have 

 been under the efficient management of Mr William Gunn, and 

 during the j)ast eight or ten years a large amount of money has 

 been expended on improvements of various kinds, such as build- 

 ings, fencing, draining, road-making, and planting. Nearly all 

 the farms having been gone over, attention is now being directed 

 to the improving of the dwellings of the many crofters that live 

 on the estates. The system adopted in this work, and which 

 is found to suit very well, is to give an allowance of timber, lime, 

 and glass gratis, and slates at interest, the tenants themselves 

 doing the labour. 



The Strathpeffer estate has an arable area of over 2000 acres, 

 700 acres of wood and young plantations, and 2000 acres of hill 

 pasture, which embraces the south-west side of Ben Wyvis, and 

 which grows pasture of fair quality. The stock of sheep on this 

 pasture is chiefly Cheviots, with a few of the Black-faced breed 



