80 ON THE AGPJCULTUEE OF THE 



George Mackenzie wrote liis survey almost all these have been 

 drained and brought under cultivation. The old land has also been 

 drained over and over again, and this, combined with extensive plant- 

 ing, has made the climate of the east coast warmer, more equable, 

 and drier than it had ever been before. It would be no uncommon 

 thing now to have new meal ready for the market by the begin- 

 ning of September, or even a little earlier than that ; while in a 

 moderately warm year open-air peaches might be had for the 

 table about the end of August. Snow seldom lies to any great 

 depth or for any length of time on the east coast ; and it is only 

 on rare occasions that the crops suffer any damage during the 

 harvest operations. The whole of the harvest work is often 

 finished about the third week of September, and thus a long, open 

 autumn is available for the " ora" work of the farm. Plouo-hino- 



o o 



is often commenced about the middle of September, and before 

 the winter is fairly set in the whole of the stubble land, or at least 

 the greater part of it, is invariably in the black furrow. Winter 

 is an easy time with the Easter Koss farmers, and in an ordinary 

 year there is less stir and bustle in spring than in most of the 

 other counties in the north of Scotland. The land is usually in 

 working order very early in spring, and with such a long autumn 

 and such an open winter ic is only what might be expected that 

 the work of the farm is usually well advanced by the time the 

 snowy months have passed away. The greater proportion of the 

 wheat break is sown in autumn, and this of course also tends to 

 lessen the work in spring. On the Cromarty lands, in the Black 

 Isle, in the Contin district, and in Mid-Eoss, which lie northwards, 

 the climate is not quite so warm as in Easter Eoss proper, and 

 harvest is usually from a week to ten days later of being begun. 

 The breadth of arable land on the west coast is very small, but on 

 what does exist the harvest is generally about a fortnight later. 

 The crops -grow well in bulk, but the mean heat during summer 

 being less than on the east coast they do not flower so satisfac- 

 torily as they do there, and are much slower in arriving at 

 maturity. The heavy rains of the west also interfere very much 

 with the drying of the grain after it has been reaped. The 

 climate of the west coast does not suit wheat or barley, and con- 

 sequently little bat oats are grown in these parts, the earliest 

 varieties of course being preferred. The soil on some parts of the 

 west coast is found to be admirably adapted for barley, but the 

 amount of sunshine usually enjoyed in these parts is much too 

 little for this variety of grain. Snow falls heavily among the 

 higher hills on the west coast, and when the wind happens to be 

 high during a fall of snow the drifting is indeed terrific. Im- 

 mense wreaths collect in the sheltered places, and occasionally 

 considerable loss is sustained by flock owners by numbers of their 

 sheep being smothered in tliese snowy accumulations. 



