COUNTIES OF K03S AND CRO^IAETY. 167 



out of the land the utmost it is capable of producing. On the 

 richer soils, and where abundance of manure is to be had, a four- 

 course shift with only one year's grass is followed, but the area 

 of land suitable for such a trying rotation as this is rather 

 limited. On the lighter land a six-shift rotation is followed — 

 1st, turnips; 2d, barley; 3d, grass ; 4th, grass ; 5th, grass ; 6th, 

 oats and wheat. The extent of land adapted for the growth of 

 beans is very small, but where it is sufficiently strong for this 

 crop a four-course shift is usually pursued, and part of the turnip 

 break set apart for beans. On a few farms a seven-course 

 rotation is adopted chiefly to suit the cultivation of potatoes. 

 In this rotation there are two root crops in the seven years, but 

 potatoes and turnips are so alternated in the break that turnips 

 are never repeated on the same ground without an interval of 

 at least five years. The lighter land is allowed to remain under 

 pasture as long as it retains sufficient grass, and then it is 

 broken up with turnips and laid down again into grass. Of all 

 these systems there are numerous modifications, but these have 

 already been noticed in detailing the farming customs, and need 

 not therefore be repeated here. 



Itcjit—Holf a century ago the large majority of rents were 

 paid in kind, chiefly grain ; but in very few cases is this 

 antiquated system still adhered to. On the estate of Ealnagown 

 there are still two tenants who pay rents in kind, but when their 

 present leases expire the arrangement will be done away with. 

 With very few exceptions rents are payable at Martinmas and 

 Whitsunday, though under old leases a few tenants pay their 

 rents in three instalments — at Candlemas, Martinmas, and Whit- 

 sunday. This ancient arrangement, like the grain rents, will die 

 with the leases uoder which it now exists. The rental per acre 

 of the arable land varies very considerably ; in some parts it 

 does not exceed 10s. per acre, while in the finer districts, such as 

 iSTigg, Fearn, Dingwall, &c., it reaches as much as 40s. per acre ; 

 on a few farms even four or five shillings more than that. With 

 such an immense stretch of waste land and mountain ranges, an 

 average rental per acre over the whole county of lioss gives no 

 idea whatever of the real value of its arable land. Last year the 

 average value per acre for the whole county, including shootings, 

 but exclusive of fishings, houses, <fcc., was 2s. IJd., the highest 

 rented land being in the parish of Fearn, of which parish the 

 average was los. per acre, and the lowest in the parish of Lochs 

 in Lewis, where the average per acre was only 7hd. In the 

 Black Isle the arable land varies from 10s. to 35s. per acre, the 

 greater breadth ranging from 25s. to 3Us. per acre. In ]\lid-llos3 

 the larger farms vary from 20s. to 40s., the majority being from 

 28s, to 35s.; and in Easter lioss the average is a little higher, the 

 extremes being 10s. and 43s. In the parishes of Xigg and Fearn 



