COUNTIES OF EOSS AND CEOMARTY. 121 



These estates had all been very much improved by their respec- 

 tive owners before coming into the possession of Mr Stirling. 

 The arable land, particularly on the Fairburn estate, had been in- 

 creased by hundreds of acres ; many new steadings had been 

 built, the farms all squared up, and an immense stretch of 

 wire and other fences erected, while almost every acre of land 

 unsuitable for reclamation was planted. On the Fairburn estate 

 there are upwards of 1200 acres of excellent planting, the main 

 portion of which was planted by the present laird of Brahan and 

 his mother. The system of rotation oq Mr Stirling's estates is 

 chiefly the five shifts. A good many cattle are reared and 

 grazed in the district, and in this respect it forms one of the few 

 exceptions to the general rule of Eoss-shire, which is the buying 

 in and feeding of cattle, not rearing and grazing. A vsry large 

 portion of the turnip crop is eaten off the land by sheep, chiefly 

 Cheviot hill hoggs. The largest and most expensive of all the 

 improvements effected within recent years by the Seaforth 

 family was the draining of the bog of Arcan, on the Fairburn 

 estate. Mr John Mitchell, provost of Dingwall, whose experience 

 in land improvements is very extensive, had the planning and 

 superintendence of this gigantic undertaking ; and, on its com- 

 pletion some twenty years ago, he reported upon it to the High- 

 land and Agricultural Society. This report — a complete and 

 very interesting one — will be found in seventh volume of the third 

 series of the Transactions of the Society, at the 108th page; and 

 therefore lengthy reference to the subject here would be super- 

 fluous. A great extent of land, in what was called the Bog of 

 Arcan, lies at such a low level, that originally it was continually 

 in a wet marshy state, and frequently completely submerged by 

 the overflowing of the Conon; and notwithstanding the care and 

 skill employed in the undertaking by Mr Mitchell, and the money 

 expended, large portions of the lower lying j^arts of the bog 

 again began to be almost useless in consequence of flooding and 

 back-lying water ; and some ten years ago an attempt was made 

 to redrain the land. First of all, a large culvert, about 3 feet in dia- 

 meter and about a mile long, was constructed from a convenient 

 point in the bog away seawards, and discharging itself into the 

 Conon. The construction of the culvert was a matter of very great 

 dilUculty, and the expenditure for this part of the work alone 

 amounted to between L.700U and L.8000. Branch drains were 

 cut from the culvert throughout the whole of the marsh, and in 

 this way close on 500 acres, that formerly were almost useless, 

 are now bearing the richest grain and root crojis of all kinds. 



Lying alongside Urray is the j)arish of Contin, a very exten- 

 sive parisli containing some veiy fine arable land, and a large 

 extent of hill grazings. The principal proprietors in these 

 pariahes are Sir A. G. K. Mackenzie of Coul, Bart., ^Ir A. J. 



