COUNTIES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY. 143 



meal, dissolved bones, and bone ash, and 1 cwt. of Peruvian 

 guano per acre. Of swedes about 3 lbs. of seed are given to the 

 acre, and of yellows about 2 lbs. Swedes usually yield 25 to 

 27 tons per acre. About one-half of the yellows and one-third 

 of the swedes are eaten off by sheep, the greater portion of the 

 turnips being cut and given to the sheep in boxes, instead of 

 being left to be eaten on the root. Mr Hall usually plants 

 about 30 acres with potatoes, and for this crop he prepares the 

 land much in the same way as for turnips. About the same 

 quantity of farm-yard manure is given for potatoes as for turnips, 

 and for the former the following mixture of artificial manure is 

 allowed to each acre, viz., 1 cwt. Peruvian guano, 1 cwt. potash, 

 1 cwt. dissolved bones, and 4 cwt. bone meal. The favourite 

 varieties are Eocks and Eegents, and the yield usually varies 

 from 5 to 7 tons per acre. Potatoes are planted as early as pos- 

 sible in March. Wheat on an average yields about 4 quarters 

 per acre, and weighs from 60 to 62 lbs. per bushel; barley from 

 4 to 4 J quarters, and weighs about 54 lbs. ; and oats from 4 to 5 

 quarters, and weigh from 40 to 43 lbs. The varieties most 

 used are White Hunter and Fenton wheat. Chevalier barley, and 

 Sandy oats. Mr Hall keeps six cows tO' supply the farm with 

 milk, and in the months of April and May he buys in about 120 

 two-year olds, which he feeds for the Christmas and January 

 markets. In addition to an abundant supply of turnips and hay, a 

 liberal feed of cake and corn — a mixture of oats and rye — is given 

 all along, beginning with 3 lbs. a day, and increasing gradually 

 till from 8 to 10 lbs. x^er day are reached during the last month. 

 These 120 animals generally average about L.30 in the beef 

 markets; and in addition to these Mr Hall winters about 30 

 six-quarter olds and about 20 calves. He also buys in 200 half- 

 bred ewes, and by these about 300 lambs are usually reared. 

 Both the young stock and the old are fed off on turnips, hay, 

 and cake during winter, and sold partly at Christmas and partly 

 in spring. Besides these, about 300 Cheviot wethers are invari- 

 ably bought in, and fed chiefly on turnips taken on other farms. 

 These also get a little cake and hay along with the turnips, 

 and are sold off in January and February. Mr Hall has been 

 twenty- five years at Tomich, and during that time he has drained 

 the whole of it, some of twice over, in fact, at his own expense ; 

 and in the way of fencing he has done a good deal. He has 

 also improved the farm steading, and built a very handsome 

 dwelling-house, all at his own expense ; and in many other ways 

 he has greatly improved the farm. There are eiglit or nine cot- 

 tages on the farm, and the servants employed are mostly 

 married. 



Invergordon Castle and four or five very fine farms in the 

 neighbourhood belong to Mr li. B. iK. Macleod of Cadboll, 

 whose very valuable and carefully managed estates lie in the 



