COUNTIES OF ELGIN AND NAIRN. 79 



to twelve purchased cross cattle are tied up immediately after 

 harvest, and are sold in January, weighing from 5 to 6J cwt. 

 each. They are fed on turnips and straw, with draff, burned 

 ale, bruised oats, and rye. Mr Malcolm has a stud of very 

 superior horses, which work at the rate of 70 acres a pair. 

 There is a good deal of carting done in driving feeding stuffs 

 from the distillery and manure from the tow^n of Nairn. Wages 

 for servant men vary from £10 to £15 for six months. They 

 have risen about SC) per cent, since 1850. More cottages are 

 required. Tradesmen's bills have also risen very greatly. Kents 

 have advanced greatly during the past thirty years. In many 

 cases they are too high, especially in unfavourable seasons, such 

 as have been experienced for sometime; but fears are entertained 

 that insufficiency of capital has something to do with the results 

 being unfavourable. Barley is the most profitable cereal. 



Househill Mains, tenanted by William H. Kelman, extends 

 to 160 acres. It is beautifully situated, and systematically and 

 skilfully wrought. About half the farm consists of haugh land, 

 lying on the right bank of the river Nairn. The nature of the 

 soil varies from fine mould to sandy loam, and the climate is 

 mild and early. The farm steading, which was erected a few 

 years ago by the proprietor. Colonel James A. Grant, C.B., in 

 the most modern and approved style, is situated about the 

 centre of the farm. Mr Kelman adopts the five-shift rotation, 

 and grows potatoes on part of his lea ground. Crops yield 

 pretty equally in a good season. Barley gives from 4 quarters 

 to 5 quarters, weighing about 57 lbs. ; oats, 5 quarters, weighing 

 43^ lbs. per bushel. In the autumn the digging and ploughing 

 of the land for turnip crop are the leading items of labour; and 

 after tlie ground is thoroughly pulverised in spring with repeated 

 grubbing and harrowing, it receives from 20 to 25 loads of dung 

 per acre, and from 6 to 8 cwt. of artificial manure. The latter 

 is a composition of 2 cwt. dissolved bones, 1-^ cwt. bone meal, 

 2 cwt. superphosphates, | cwt. sulphate of ammonia, and a 

 small quantity of guano. Mr Kelman limed part of his farm 

 this year, giving it about 5 bolls per acre to the lightest land. 

 If the land is clean, he ploughs down the dung for the root crops 

 in autumn. Among the improvements effected on the farm 

 since it came under the tenancy and management of ^Ir Kelman, 

 perhaps a new thrashing machine put in by Mr K, (J. ^Morton, 

 Errol, Perthshire, is the most notalde feature. Attached to this 

 niachine, and driven by the same steam-engine, are a chaff and 

 straw cutter, root-i)ul])er, corn-crusher, and corn-blast, all of 

 which have been furnished bv the same engineer. TLe thrasliiuiir 

 n)achine, though seemingly intricate in its construction, is very 

 simj)le and edicient in its working. The corn-blast attached to 

 the mill is a very ingenious affair. The grain as it leaves the 



