COUNTIES OF ELGIN AND NAIEN. 55 



origLually sprung fiom the Spynie and Inchbroora stocks, and 

 with judicious purchases, when a chance of obtaining good 

 blood occurred, he gradually improved his stock, and was in 

 possession of a very superior herd before it was disposed on 

 18th October 1882. One of his best and most remunerative 

 purchases was that of cattle which were obtained from the far- 

 famed Peepy herd in England, where he also secured from 

 other famous sources other animals of considerable merit. 

 There are no sheep farms on the estate, and there are only two 

 crofters, one of whom is a labourer and the other an old 

 residenter. At least 100 acres of pasture and moor have 

 been planted since 1850. 



Resuming our westward journey, we enter the parish of 

 Forres, which has a total area of 5963-370 acres. The rental 

 in 1866-67 was £5831, 18s., and in 1881-82, £7840, 7s. 

 The parish is triangular in form, and contains great diversity 

 of soil. In the lower half rich highly cultivated alluvium 

 abounds, and is superincumbent on a rich gravelly subsoil. 

 About the centre of the parish there is a good deal of sandy 

 soil, while in the upper district it varies from poor sand to 

 light loam. It is as a whole highly productive when well 

 managed. Mr Fraser occupies two farms — Netherbon and 

 Oreeshop, in this parish, and Woodside, in the parish of Kinloss. 

 The former extends to 220 acres arable, with a few acres pasture. 

 The soil is of a clayey nature resting on a subsoil of gravel. It 

 is a fair depth on about 140 acres, and on the remainder, which 

 stands on a distinctly lower level, is very shallow. The six- 

 shift course is pursued on the best land, but the poor land is 

 worked separately. The farm of Greeshop covers an area of 115 

 arable acres. The soil on it is alluvial, and about four-fiftlis of 

 it fair in deptli. It is wrought on the same system as Xetherton, 

 except that potatoes follow grass, and then wheat. The two 

 farms may, for the sake of brevity, be described together. Land 

 is kept four years in grass, then turnips, and next oats sown out 

 with grass seeds. When the season is not too dry, good crops of 

 both oats and turnips are obtained. On good land, two grasses 

 are taken, followed by wheat, which is laid down with a mixture 

 of manure from the burgh of Forres and farm-yard manure. 

 Land for potatoes is dunged before ploughing in autumn, and 

 when planting, guano, muriate of potasli, and dissolved bones to 

 the value of 70s. are given per acre, which is sown broadcast on 

 the drills. The next croj) is turnips, and by the liberal treat- 

 ment which the land has received with the two previous crops, 

 4 cvvt. per acre dissolved bones, along with farm -yard manure, 

 produce a full crop. Barley sown with grass seeds finishes the 

 rotation. Mr Fraser has renewed his lease of Greeshop, and 

 110 particular rotation has been specified. Loth farms were 



