AND METEOROLOGY OF THE YEAR RELATIVE THERETO 317 



order; quality not so fine ; crop was light — not over 1 ton. No meadow hay. 

 Potatoes, yield about average — say 7 tons, quality fine ; very little disease. 

 Turnips are variable ; some tields fine, some very light ; brairded irregularly, 

 owing to the drought; not very much second sowing ; average weight, 15 tons. 

 Damage by insects not more than usual. Hessian fly showed in most fields 

 of barley and wheat, but has not affected samples of grain. No injury by 

 weeds. Pastures were of stunted growth all season, chiefiy owing to very 

 dry weather, which lasted from 1st June till 10th August. Stock throve 

 well ; were free from disease. Clip of wool very much of an average. The 

 drought was general over all the district. 



Ross-SHiRE (Tain, Cromarty, and Invergorden Districts). — Wheat, 32 

 bushels ; quality not quite so good ; straw shorter. Barley, 28 bushels ; 

 quality not nearly so good ; straw very short. Oats, 32 bushels ; very 

 irregular; straw exceedingly short. Harvest ten to fourteen days earlier. 

 Hay one-third less ; quality good ; not quite 1 ton. Meadow hay, none 

 grown. Potatoes better — about 8 tons ; no disease ; one or two new varieties, 

 but not enough of them to justify giving an opinion. Turnips, about 18 

 tons swedes, 14 tons yellows; brairded very well ; only one sowing ; quality 

 as good as last year, but not quantity. Crops injured very slightly ; a little 

 Hessian fly. Crops injured by weeds greatly ; couch greater, owing to drought. 

 Pastures not average growth ; quite average quality. Stock throve well. Per- 

 fectly free from disease in cattle ; a considerable death in sheeji, after being 

 put on turnips. Clip of wool, average. 



SuTHERLANDSHiRE. — Wheat, none grown. Barley, about 4 bushels less 

 than last year, caused by the dry weather in June and July ; the straw bulks 

 about one-third less. Oats similar to barley. Harvest about ten days 

 earlier than usual, and in some districts two weeks earlier. The hay crop 

 was of fair quality, both as regards ryegrass and clover ; the quantity was 

 below the average, and not better than last year. Meadow hay same as 

 above. Potatoes are not grown for the market ; the crop was good, except 

 where destroyed by early frosts. The turnip crop brairded well, and there 

 was very little second sowing required ; it is a heavier crop than last year, 

 and quite out of proportion to the amount of shaw. No injury by insects, 

 unless in very exceptional cases. In some places turnips got choked with 

 weeds, when heavy rains came on early in August ; this, however, was not 

 general, and only applies to late sown fields. Less grass, owing to drj^ 

 weather ; hill pastures were good. Cattle did not improAe rapidly ; sheep on 

 hill farms throve well. Cattle and sheep free from disease. A good clip of 

 wool ; weighed better than last year, and rather above the average. 



Caithness-shirk. — Wheat, none grown in the county. Barley is litUe 

 grown, the hardier variety " bere " being more reliable ; of this the crop is 

 good ; weight fully 1 lb. per bushel over last year ; produce, 36 bushels ; seed 

 sown, 4 bushels. Oats a very good crop, especially on the better lands ; the 

 produce 36 bushels, or perhaps 2 bushels more, and the weight 1 lb. per 

 bushel over the previous crop ; straw also abundant, at least 15 per cent, 

 over average ; thrashes well to bulk, and proportion of light corn less than 

 last year. The harvest up to the end of July promised to be unusually early, 

 but August was generally cloudy, without much sun ; harvest, however, was 

 begun about the usual time, and was an extremely favourable one throughout. 

 Hay rather a light crop, mostly from want of clover ; weight about 1 ton. 

 Meadow hay, not much grown. Potatoes a remarkably good crop, and 

 quality excellent, being only grown for home use in the county ; weight per 

 acre not ascertained, but an equally good crop has seldom been grown in the 



