COUNTIES OF ROSS AND CROMAETY. 163 



followed by these crofters is rather curious. Of the crofters on 

 Sir Kenneth's estate only about 100 pursue a regular rotation, 

 and that rotation is a four-course shift — one year's grass, one 

 green crop, principally potatoes, and two grain crops, cliiefiy 

 oats. The majority of the crofters follow what they call a four- 

 course shift, but then they have three-fourths of their land under 

 oats, all manured with about 30 loads per acre of sea-ware and 

 cows' manure, and one-fourth under potatoes ; the three crops of 

 oats coming in succession. A few follow a three-course rotation — 

 two successive crops of oats and barley manured as above, and 

 one of potatoes ; and others, where crofts are small, and who 

 have only one cow and one stirk or two cows alone, pursue a 

 two-course rotation — one crop of oats and barley and one of 

 potatoes. Only a very few turnips are grown. In some 

 exceptional cases, where part of the croft is wet and insufficiently 

 drained, oats are sown year after year for more than a dozen of 

 years, the land being heavily manured every year with sea-ware. 

 Again, the dry portion of the croft is cropped with potatoes for 

 ten or fifteen successive years, and manured every year with 

 cows' manure and guano. About one-fourth of the crofters use 

 from 1 cwt. to 1^ cwt. of guano for their potato shift, which is 

 generally about 1 acre in extent. The guano and cow dung are 

 found to suit very well together, the potatoes grown by their 

 manuring being generally drier and of finer quality than those 

 grown by sea- ware or even dung alone. During the past eight or 

 ten years better crops of oats are grown on account of seed 

 haviuc: been introduced from Caithness throus^h vSir Kenneth's 

 west coast manager, Mr Donald Mackenzie ; while the potatoes 

 have also been improved both in quantity and quality by the 

 crofters having been supplied with fresh seed at intervals during 

 the past dozen years by their liberal and indulgent landlord. Sir 

 Kenneth. Before the Caithness seed was introduced a quarter 

 of oats grown on these crofts would scarcely return a boll of 

 meal, and the weight per bushel seldom exceeded 35 lbs. Now 

 the average weight' per bushel is close on 40 lbs., and the yield 

 per acre varies from 2 to 3 (]uarters. One cow is kept for every 

 acre of arable land, and when this ratio is exceeded oats have to 

 be given to the cattle in spring without being thrashed, in order 

 to keep the animals alive. In an open winter the cattle are 

 kept out on the liills with very little straw till the beginning of 

 February, and from that time till the 1st of May they get straw 

 and hay regularly. Almost all thesis crofters sit under leases of 

 twelve years' duration, and pay rents varying from L.4 to L.S, the 

 average being abuut L.5. 



Numerous as these crofters are on the west coast of tlu' main- 

 land of Koss-shire, the island of Lewis is uniloubtedly the 

 stronghold of the fisherman-crofter. In the Lewis there are no 



