196 ON THE AGRICULTURE OF THE 



north, are sold by reputation at the Inverness wool fair for 

 delivery in September. Mr Gordon begins to clip about the 

 20th of June, and immediately afterwards he dips the wethers in 

 a mixture of his own manufacture, the ewes and lambs being 

 dipped at weaning time. Again, about the middle of November, 

 the whole stock is dipped for the winter. 



Between Camashie and the Meag on the south are the farms 

 of Carnock and Scardroy, occupied by Messrs Maclennan, and 

 carrying a fine stock of Cheviot ewes and wethers. Passing 

 down the glen from these farms we reach Mr Balfour's shooting 

 lodge of Dalbreck, the home farm of Strathconnon, and a number 

 of tidy little crofts with neat comfortable-looking cottages. The 

 braes on both sides are covered with thriving plantations of fir 

 and larch, the former predominating. Between this and Scatwell, 

 about six miles further east, there are several small farms 

 covered with Black-faced stocks, the land being black and rocky. 

 On the south side of the Meag, where it joins the Conon,. 

 Scatwell House, the residence of Mr Mackenzie of Scatwell, nestles 

 beautifully in a picturesque romantic corner. 



Another sheep farm on the Strathconon estate is Cashachan^ 

 occupied by Mr John Gordon, Balmuchy, and rented at L.215. 

 This farm lies on the Auchinalt Hill, and in lower parts the pas- 

 ture is good, while higher up the surface is very steep and rocky. 

 A Cheviot ewe stock is kept here, and the weak ewes and lamlos 

 are drafted down to Balmuchy in December and January, and 

 fed on grass for two or three months, and then returned to- 

 Cashachan. In addition to this breeding stock Mr Gordon buys 

 in about 600 three-part bred hogs on the 12tli of August, and 

 feeds them on Balmuchy on grass, turnips, and cake, sending 

 them, after being clipped, about the 1st of May, to the Edinburgh 

 market. When fat, they usually weigh from 60 to 70 lbs. a 

 head. The Cheviot wether lambs from Cashachan are sold off in 

 August, and the ewe lambs are wintered at Balmuchy and on 

 pasture taken in the neighbourhood. Turning back towards Mr 

 Balfour's home farm we proceed down the Conon, till the fine 

 arable valley of Contin is reached ; and just as we enter this 

 valley another extensive sheep farmer comes across our path — Mr 

 Peter Eobertson, the enterprising tenant of Achilty. 



Mr Eobertson has a sheep run of about 1000 acres attached to 

 Achilty ; and in addition to this he holds the grazing farms of 

 Garbat, on the Duchess of Sutherland's Strathpeff'er property, and 

 of Langwell and Glasstullich on Her Grace's Coigach estate. 

 These farms are far ahead of us yet, but for convenience we shall 

 notice them here. Garbat lies on Ben VVyvis, and on the higher 

 grounds there is good green pasture, but the greater portion of 

 the farm is covered with snow for five or six months of the year. 

 Mr Eobertson entered the farm in 1872, and took over at valua- 



