136 ON THE AGEICULTUHE OF THE 



graded crofts and farms, the latter rauging from 30 to 300 acres, 

 and the former from 5 to 20 acres. The advantages of gradation 

 were fully recognised by Mr Matheson, and in this respect his 

 property is a perfect model. The new farms and crofts were all 

 laid out according to a pre-arranged plan, and before being 

 handed ov^er to the tenants were fully supplied with roads, fences, 

 and houses. As already stated, about 50 miles of private roads 

 were made ; and in enclosing and subdividing farms and crofts, 

 92f miles of stone dykes and 62h miles of wire fences were 

 erected. The stone dykes are 5i feet high, exclusive of the cope, 

 above the surface of the ground. There are three courses of 

 through bands in the height of the dyke, 6 feet apart, and 

 bedded in lime. The cope is also bedded in and pointed with 

 lime, while all the dykes along the roads, and the most of those 

 forming: divisions between farms, are harled on both sides with 

 lime. The wire fences are from 3 feet 10 inches high with 6 

 wires to 4 feet high with 7 wires. According to the position and 

 the required strength of the fences the wires , are from jSTo. 2 to 

 Xo. 6 of bright wire, galvanised wire, and galvanised strand wire. 

 The wire fences along roads have iron standards Ih inch by f 

 of an inch 6 feet apart, and the subdividing fences have posts of 

 larch from 6 to 7 feet apart, with the bark taken off. The ex- 

 treme straining pillars are Ih inch square with double stays, 

 and at every 80 yards there are intermediate straining pillars of 

 the same size. The wdiole of the ware fences are painted with 

 Carson's anti-corrosive paint, which, on account of its durability 

 and cheapness, is also used extensively in painting outside wood- 

 w^ork of buildiugs and farm implements. 



In addition to the 4000 acres reclaimed, a considerable extent 

 of old land was redrained and remodelled and fenced, and now 

 there are upwards of 5000 acres under cultivation on the Ardross 

 east coast estates. There are in all 27 farms, paying from L.50 to 

 L.800 of rent, and on the majority of these complete new stead- 

 ings and dwelling-houses have been erected by Mr Matheson, 

 while most of the others have been repaired and extended. The 

 farm steadings are all furnished with thrashing-mills, some 

 being driven by steam, some by horses, and others by water. 

 The dwelling houses as a rule are handsome and commodious. 

 The crofters' dwellings and office houses are neat and convenient. 

 A large number of labourers' cottages have been erected of late, 

 and now the supply of these cottages on the Ardross estates is 

 complete. The number of resident labourers is quite sufficient 

 for all the w^orks on the estates, and care is being taken that this 

 shall continue so. The farms were all subdivided to suit the five- 

 shift rotation, and almost without exception this course of crop- 

 ping is adhered to. The soil, generally speaking, consists of 

 heav}^ brown loam lying on a clayey subsoil, and is found to pro- 



