COUNTIES OF EOSS AND CROMARTY. 171 



structures surrounded with beautiful gardens and rich clumps of 

 trees. The smaller farmers, of course, have less pretentious 

 residences, but still they are both comfortable ancl lively in 

 outward appearance. The supply of labourers' cottages is 

 probably as complete in these counties as in any other county in 

 the kingdom. Many of these cottages are of humble pretensions, 

 but on the other hand a large number are new, commodious, 

 and comfortable. Generally speaking, the farm-steadings are 

 quite suited to the requirements of the advanced system of 

 agriculture now pursued. A large percentage of the farm- 

 steadings is entirely new within the past twenty-five years, 

 while with few exceptions the whole of the others have 

 been enlarged and repaired. The main feature in the improve- 

 ments on farm buildings within recent years is the increased 

 accommodation provided for the feeding of cattle. Covered 

 courts are quite the order of the day in old as well as 

 new steadings, and on the most of the larger farms court 

 accommodation is indeed very large. Probably over the 

 counties generally the greater number of thrashing mills are 

 driven by water ; but still a large number is driven by horses, 

 and in Easter Eoss especially the propelling power on many of 

 the larger farms is steam. From a little knoll on Oadboll 

 Mount no fewer than eighteen steam stalks can be counted. Of 

 these several have stood for upwards of twenty-five years, while 

 a few have been erected recently. At the farm of Balmuchy a 

 fine new steam-mill was fitted up by Mr E. G. Morton, Errol, 

 Perthshire, in 1873, and so satisfactorily was it found to work 

 that since then Mr Morton has erected other four on the same 

 principle in the neighbourhood. The mill is fitted up with all 

 the modern appliances for thrashing, dressing, and bruising grain. 

 A special feature is an arrangement for working either of two 

 drums — a comb drum, an easy perfect working piece of 

 machinery, or a common English crush-drum used for preparing 

 thatch. The apparatus for bruising oats or barley and crushing 

 Indian corn is very simple in construction, and can be worked 

 along with the mill without necessitating much additional 

 propelling power. It is not to be supposed, however, that there 

 is no room for improvement in the buildings of the counties. 

 The steadings on a good many of the small farms are rather old 

 and dilapidated, but with the present rate of progress these relics 

 of the past will very soon be numbered among " the things that 

 were." 



Roads. — Generally speaking, both Eoss and Cromarty are well 

 supplied with roads. In these counties, as in most others in the 

 north of Scotland, a very, large sum of money was expended in 

 improving the ])arliameutary roads and bridges by the commis- 

 sioners appointed under an enactment of George III. for the re- 



