COUNTIES OF llOSS AND CROMARTY. 193 



and Mr Mitchell were thoroughly versed in the business of sheep- 

 farming themselves, and Mr Macleod obtained an experienced 

 shepherd from Perthshire to manage his flock. Despite the ex- 

 traordinary opposition of the natives already referred to, sheep- 

 farming, by the laudable efforts of these gentlemen, was fairly 

 established in Eoss and Cromarty by the advent of the present 

 century. By the introduction of this new industry the popula- 

 tion of several glens was considerably reduced, but that sheep- 

 farming has proved an immense benefit to the north of Scotland 

 is too plain a fact to require any discussion here. During the 

 first half of the present century several experienced sheep-farmers 

 from the south of Scotland planted themselves away north 

 among the Eoss-shire hills ; and in the hands of these and native 

 farmers who became enthusiastic in the movement, sheep-farming 

 developed into huge proportions. For some time black-faced 

 sheep only were bred, but about sixty years ago a good many 

 Cheviots were introduced, and found to suit very well. Among 

 the first to breed Cheviots to anv great extent in Eoss-shire was 

 the late Mr Walter Mundell, who went north from Dumfriesshire 

 some fifty years ago, and leased the extensive grazing farm of 

 Inverlaul, now held by his son of the same name. Even before 

 Che^/iots, Leicester tups were imported, and from these and 

 Cheviot ewes a very superior class of cross lambs, commonly 

 called half-breds, was reared. This system of breeding was 

 found very profitable, and during recent years it has become very 

 general. Sheep-farming extended very rapidly during the first 

 forty or fifty years of the present century, and by about 1860 it 

 had almost reached its height. 



The following table shows the number of sheep in Eoss and 

 Cromarty at various periods since 1854 : — 



The decrease during the past seven or eight years is due chiefly 

 to the increased area of hill grazings now under red-deer, but 

 partly also to the fact (to which we may afterwards refer) that 

 several of the farms will not carry so many sheep at the present 

 day as they did some years ago. According to a return in 1857, 

 considerably more than one-third of the total number of sheep in 

 both counties were breeding animals, and since then we are 

 inclined to think the proportion has increased rather than 



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