COUNTIES OF ROSS AND CEOMAETY. 159 



L.15 a-liead for a fine lot of thirty -Ihree three-year old Highland 

 bullocks at the farm. The Lewis cattle are sold off, partly at the 

 Stornoway market, which is now held three times a year (instead 

 of twice, as formerly), and partly to dealers who traverse the 

 island, buying up the cattle for the Stornoway butchers. A 

 large number both of cattle and sheep are purchased annually by 

 Mr Samuel Xewell, Skipton, Yorkshire, who leases two farms 

 in the parish of Stornoway, and these are sent either to Skipton, 

 Glasgow, or Falkirk Tryst. About 1500 cattle leave the island 

 annually, and in addition, between 200 and 300 are slaughtered 

 in Stornoway. It will thus be seen that about one out of every 

 seven or eight of the Lewis cattle is converted into money every 

 year. 



The Board of Trade Eeturns for 1875 state the number of 

 sheep in the Lewis as follows: — 



One year-old and upwards, . 43,414 



Lambs, ..... 18,063 



Total, . . . 61,477 



Considerable difficulty is usually experienced in obtaining correct 

 returns from the crofters, and therefore these figures can hardly 

 be guaranteed. The princijjal sheep farms are Park, in the 

 parish of Lochs ; Lynshader, in Uig ; Galson, in Barvas ; and 

 Gress, Tolsta, Coll, and Aignish, in Stornoway. Besides these 

 there are eleven farms uj)on which sheep stocks of from 350 to 

 700 head are kept along with cattle, and a few others upon which 

 there are from a few scores to one or two hundred sheep. The 

 breeds kept are Cheviots, Blackfaced, and crosses ; and for a few 

 years past half-bred and grey-faced lambs have been tried on two 

 farms. Tha farm of Park, extending to ujDwards of 70,000 acres, 

 is rented by Mr P. P. Sellar, at a rent of L.778, 2s. On the 

 best of the land he keeps a hirsel of ewes, and on the more 

 moderate parts a stock of wethers are grazed. Mr Sellar leases 

 a large extent of sheep grazings in the mainland of the county, 

 and from these he brinc^s the wether ho^s to Park in the nionth 

 of April, retaining them there till they are two years and five 

 months old, when they are removed in the month of September 

 for feeding. Mr Sellar also rents land from year to year in the 

 neighbourhood of Stornoway, and here he winters hoggs and Din- 

 monts, and lambs, and the weaker portion of the Park ewes. ^Fr 

 Mackenzie, Lynshader, leases some of the finest grazings in 

 the island, and pays a rent of L.425. He is more a breeder of 

 Highland cattle than a sheep farmer, but still he keeps a very 

 fine flock of Cheviot sheep, and sends away from three to four 

 hundred'well-condilioned sheep every year. Clalson is the next 

 largest sheep farm. Mr Smith, from Caithness, entered this 



