COUNTIES OF ELGIN AND NAIRN. 25 



iQ 1882-83, £6581, 15s. The villages of Garmouth and King- 

 ston occupy the north-eastern corner of the parish, while the 

 larger proportion of it is under cultivation. There is a good 

 deal of wood and natural pasture. The land along the bank of 

 the Spey, from Craigellachie to the sea, consists of rich alluvium 

 and sandy loam, resting on a subsoil of gravel. The rent runs 

 from 10s. to £2, 10s., and is an average of about 26s. per acre. 

 The farm of Xewton is pleasautly situated about a mile from 

 Garmouth and near the river Spey. Its extent is 250 acres, of 

 which 20 acres consist of rough pasture. The rental in 1866-67 

 was £185, 12s., and now it is £250. Under the regulations of 

 the Duke of Eichmond and Gordon's estate, the tenant of 

 Newton has adopted the best system of farm management. He 

 believes in the six-shift rotation, viz., oats and wheat, turnip, 

 barley, and three years' grass. On land adapted for the rearing 

 of both cattle and sheep, no other course could be more profit- 

 able. The six shift keeps down expenses both in labour and 

 manure, and gives power to keep a good stock in summer, 

 specially of sheep, which have paid all along in this part of the 

 couDtrv. The seven-course shift would shorten farmers of 

 turnips, vrhich never fail to yield well on this farm and locality. 

 As a rule, good crops of all kinds are obtained in this district. 

 In preparing land for turnip, the tenant ploughs his stubbles in 

 autumn from 8 to 10 inches deep, thus giving it full benefit of 

 the winter frosts ; and if the month of February is suitable, he 

 cross ploughs it, and is always careful to avoid working it in n, 

 wet or raw state. He finds it most beneficial to let the land, 

 after cleaning, rest for a fortnight before drilling it, which 

 insures a braird, and suits better in every way than opening up 

 the soil in too fresh condition. The tenant disapproves of light 

 manures, and says " they exhaust both the land and the pocket."' 

 He principally uses bone manure. For the potato crop the land 

 is prepared similarly to that for turnips, and from 12 to 16 

 loads of manure, direct from the farm-yard, per acre, is spread 

 in the bottom of the drills. The tenant does not approve of 

 sowing artificial manure in the bottom of the drills for potatoes. 

 Cattle on Newton are chiefly crosses with a few polled animals. 

 About half the wintering stock is bred on the farm, and the 

 other half bought in. Not later than September, 20 two- 

 year-old stots and queys are housed and fed on turnips and 

 straw, and when within two months of selling oil' some grain 

 and cake are given, increasing the latter until the animals an^ 

 disposed of. At the new year the queys weigh about 5 cwt., and 

 the stots are usually sold ofT in April, when they weigh from ()Jt 

 to 7 cwt. From 7 to 8 scores of Cheviot ewes, bought in in the 

 fall of the year, aie kept, and a crop of lambs taken, which are 

 sold off at weaning time, when the ewes are fattened, and as soon 



