82 THE AGRICULTUEE OF THE 



district does not exceed from 28s. to 32s. The soil on Mr Fraser's 

 holding is a light loam on a gravelly bottom, and over the 

 lower half of the parish the land is of a shingly nature;. Large 

 proportions of a hard blackband of heath running over a number 

 of farms have been reclaimed by the tenants during the past 

 thirty years. The prescribed mode of tillage on the Cawdor 

 estate is the five-course shift, from which, however, many 

 farmers would gladly deviate. Barley is the favourite cereal 

 generally, as it is most adapted to the peculiarities of 

 the climate. In ordinary years it yields at the rate of from 

 32 to 36 bushels per acre, and weighs from 54 to 56 lbs. per 

 bushel, but it has not exceeded 28 bushels per acre and 53 lbs. 

 in weight for a few years past. The land for the root crops is 

 prepared in the usual way, and turnip sowing is generally 

 finished by the 10th of June. The manurial dressings for these 

 consist of dissolved bones, superphosphate, and guano, to the 

 amount of from 2J to 4 cwfc. per acre, irrespective of a small 

 allowance of farm-yard manure. Farm-yard manure, however, is, 

 as a rule, nearly all required for the barley crop in spring, and 

 hence only a small quantity is available for the root crop. The 

 general quantity of turnips obtained per acre varies from 15 to 

 20 tons. There have not been many noteworthy improvements 

 effected on this farm during the past twenty- five years, so far 

 as land is concerned ; but over £2000 have been expended by 

 the tenant, exclusive of £1000 by the landlord, in erecting 

 new farm buildings. No meliorations are allowed for the 

 tenant's outlay at any period of the lease. About forty years 

 ago this farm was rented at less than half the present value, the 

 present tenant's father, who was formerly occupier of it, having 

 since then reclaimed more than one half of the holding from woods, 

 bogs, and gorse. Cross-bred cattle from polled cows and shorthorn 

 bull constitute Mr Fraser's herd. Of thirty cows twenty-four 

 are used purely for breeding purposes ; most of them suckle two 

 calves, while six or seven are kept as dairy cows. The feeding 

 stock are generally fattened on pulped food, containing a 

 mixture of straw and chaff and artificial food. Besides this, 

 they get an allowance of cake morning and evening, which is 

 increased as the animals mature for the market. They weigh 

 from 6J to 7 cwt., and are tied up late in autumn and sold off 

 when two years old. The farm horses of the country have 

 improved immensely within the past twenty-five years. Better 

 stallions of the Clydesdale breed have been travelling Nairn- 

 shire during the past fifteen years. The horses of the 

 upper district are a small and light class, but generally work 

 from 65 to 75 acres a pair. The " bothie " system for servants 

 is much in use in this county, there being a universal scarcity 

 of cottages for married men. If there had been sufficient 



