COUNTIES OF ELGIN AND NAIRN. 47 



under wood, and the rest links. Mr Mackessack is one of the 

 most liberal landlords in the country, which is evidenced by the 

 fact, that ^hcD he came into possession of the estate he bouoht 

 up all the buildings belonging to the tenantry, and has since 

 erected all the necessary buildings without charging interest. 

 As a matter of course, he obtains a slight increase of rent after 

 erecting houses and fences. The soil consists of a black and 

 light sandy loam, and is very friable and productive. The farms 

 on the estate range in size from 10 to 400 acres, and are all 

 well provided w4th houses. These are, with a few exceptions, 

 built of stone and lime, and roofed with slates. Most of them 

 have been erected during the past twenty-five years. Nearly all 

 the farms on the property have also been fenced and subdivirled 

 with wire within that period. There have also been a good 

 many miles of stone dykes built, as well as a considerable 

 stretch of hedging planted since 1857. Roads in the parish of 

 Alves are at present uniformly good, and are carefully kept. 

 Partly by the agency of steam and horse ploughs, the proprietor 

 has during the last three years reclaimed about 300 acres of land, 

 which in its former state was worth only about Is. per acre, and 

 will soon be worth 20s. per acre. The cost of reclamation is 

 estimated at from £3 to £5 per acre. Mr Mackessack has 

 expended a great deal, and in fact expends a large sum annually, 

 in draining, for which he charges nothing from the tenants. 

 The average rental over the estate is about 30s., and the 

 extremes 40s. and 20s. per acre. The rents are collected at 

 Candlemas and Whitsunday. Servants are in the majority 

 married, which is mainly due to the good supply of cottage 

 accommodation. Generally speaking, the five-shift rotation is 

 the one adopted, but there is no specific stipulation in the lease 

 whereby tenants could be prohibited from deviating from this 

 course. The regulations merely state that the tenant shall be 

 entitled to labour the arable land of the farm during the 

 currency of the lease as he may consider proper, as long as he 

 goes by the rules of good husbandry, providing that he cleans the 

 land well and labours it under the five-shift system during the last 

 three years of his lease. There are a good many tenants on the 

 estate who hold their farms on leases of fifteen years, but nine- 

 teen years is the ])revailing duration. Cross bred cattle, from 

 shorthorn bull and polled cows, are the predominating breed of 

 .cattle, which along witli a number of bought-in stock are fed on 

 turnips and straw, which is supplemental with about 3 lbs. of 

 cake per head ])er day. The only sheep farm on the estate is 

 that of Kosevalley, occupied by the pro})rietor, on which about 

 1000 half-bred lambs, bought in the month of August, are fed. 

 The usual allowance of extraneous feeding material is about 1 

 lb. of cake per head per day. There are only a few small crofts 



