COUNTIES OF EOSS AND CROMAETY. 81 



The following table sliows tlie rainfall at various points 

 throiK'hout the two counties in 1875 : — 



West Ross. 



Eainfall in No. of Days on 



Inche.s. which -01 or more R'il. 



LochAlsh, 71-18 162 



Strome Ferry, 55-01 117 



Duncraig, 31-60 



Applecross Gardens, . . . . 47*89 216 



Strathconan, 46*44 228 



Gairloch, 38-59 194 



Loch Vraon, 51*95 



Loch Broom, 56*70 



Braemore, 53*70 



Stornoway, 26-10 



Lewis Castle, 45*19 238 



Bernera, in Lewib, . . . . 48 90 



Butt of Lewis, 33-77 2U6 



East Ross. 



Dingwall, 30-23 173 



Cromarty, . . . . . 16*89 



Invergordon, ..... 24*41 130 



Feam, 22-84 166 



Ardross Castle, .... 35*24 203 



Springfield, near Tain, . . . 24*80 167 



Tarbatness, ..... 16*84 



Gcolofjy — Su'd. 



A complete technical account of the geology of a county is 

 not absolutely necessary in connection with a survey of its 

 agriculture. So largely, however, is soil intiuenced and regulated 

 by the rocks which underlie it that we shall offer a few sentences 

 regarding these, avoiding technicalities as much as possible. 

 Speaking generally, it may be said that all over the east coast, 

 including the Black Isle, Mid Eoss, and Easter Ross pro])er, the 

 prevailing formation is wdiat we may call Hugh ^Miller's Old lied 

 Sandstone. That illustrious geologist w\as not only born amidst 

 the Old lied in its most perfect form, but also learned in after 

 years to make practical use of its blocks. It was around the 

 little northern burgh which gave him birth that he made his lirst 

 geological oljservations ; and in the racy, fascinating sketches 

 which he has given to the world of his painstaking researches, he 

 has provided an account of the geology of the northern counties 

 generally, and ot lioss and Cromarty in ])articular, that will 

 sutlice for all time coming. While the Old lied i.s imdoubtedly 

 the prevailing formation on the cast coast, it is gi*eatly bruki-n up 

 and intersected in several districts by irregular blocks of granite- 

 gneiss, ([uartz, hornblende, and other rocks of the primitive layer.-* 

 Large unshapely masses of conglomerate occur here and ihcreall 

 over the east, diversifying the soil and lending an irreguhir rugged 



V 



