72 ON THE AGRICULTUEE OF THE 



being about 600,000 acres. Several of these forests carry excel- 

 lent covers of deer, and afford grand sport to their owners or 

 tenants. Complaints, however, are occasionally heard that the 

 animals are not coming up to the former standard of weight, but 

 are small in size, and always lean. An authority on the subject 

 says, " this might be cured by the infusion of fresh blood, which 

 is known to be the backbone^of all good breeding." The grouse 

 moors are not only numerous, but also large, and very produc- 

 tive, though, of course, the destructive disease which raged with 

 such virulence in 1874, thinned the stock of birds dreadfully. 



A premium is presently offered by the Highland and Agri- 

 cultural Society for a report on the woods and forests in Eoss- 

 shire, and therefore many notes on the subject here would be out 

 of place. It may be remarked, however, that the breadth under 

 wood in the county is very great, and that many thousands of 

 acres have been added to it during the past ten or twenty years. 

 Wood seems to thrive exceedingly well in the county, and is 

 found to be a most remunerative speculation. One instance of 

 this may be given. A plantation on the estate of TuUoch was 

 recently disposed of, and the sum realised was equal to a rent of 

 L.2 per acre for each of the forty years the wood occupied the 

 ground. The benefits conferred on a cold late district by plan- 

 tations are well known to be very considerable ; and in these 

 days of dear labour and high prices for wood, the landed proprie- 

 tors in some of the other counties in the north of Scotland would 

 do well, both to themselves and to the community generally, 

 were they to copy the good example shown in the way of planting 

 by the proprietors of Eoss-shire. There is one little point, how- 

 ever, that the proprietors of Eoss-shire would do well to look at, 

 in the interests of their valuable plantations. That little lively 

 creature, the squirrel, is well known to be a destructive enemy to 

 young trees. It gnaws away at the "leaders ;" and in this way 

 a single squirrel has been known to kill or greatly damage no fewer 

 than a dozen young trees in one day. Several of the young 

 plantations of Eoss-shire are swarming with these creatures ; and 

 in their own interests we would advise the landed proprietors 

 to combine together and exterminate them. Singly, very little 

 could be done, but were the owners of all the plantations in the 

 county to unite in their destruction, their little foes would 

 speedily disappear. 



The island of Lewis has been aptly described as an immense 

 peat, with notches of the moss cut away here and there, to 

 afford a sure foundation for the inhabitants, and also produce 

 food for their bodily wants. It lies from 58° 11' to 58° 31' 

 north latitude, and from 6° 9' to 7° 8' west longitude. The 

 Flannel Islands, belonging to Lewis, lie in 7° 39' west longitude. 

 The -highest hill is 1850 feet above sea-level; a few hill tops are 



