THE PLANTING OF THE SAND DUNES AT CULBIN. 23 



splendid orchard, the beautiful lawn, all shared the same fate. 

 In the morning after the first night of drift, the people had to 

 break through the backs of their houses to get out. They 

 relieved the cattle and drove them to a place of safety. A lull 

 in the storm succeeded, and they began to think they might still 

 have their dwelling-houses, though their lands were ruined for 

 ever. But the storm came on with renewed violence, and they 

 had to flee for their lives. To add to the horror of the scene, the 

 sand had choked up the mouth of the river Findhorn which now 

 poured its flooded waters amongst the fields and homesteads, 

 accumulating in lakes and pools until it rose to a height by 

 which it was able to burst the barrier to the north and to find a 

 new outlet to the sea, in its course sweeping to destruction the 

 old village of Findhorn." 



The luckless proprietor was ruined. The estate was sold in 

 1698 to Duft" of Drummuir, the grandson of Adam Duff, the 

 ancestor of the Dukes of Fife. He did not retain it long. Some 

 thirty-five years later he became involved in financial difficulties 

 and the Culbin estate was sold on behoof of his creditors, bring- 

 ing a sum of ^looo. The largest part of it is now included in 

 the estate of Moy. To the east of Moy lies the estate of 

 Binsness, and to the south the small property of Kincorth. 

 Between Brodie and Moy are situated the low woods of the 

 estate of Dalvey. They have been produced by natural seeding, 

 are about 1800 yards wide, and form with the Moy planta- 

 tions a barrier between the Maviston and Culbin Sands. It 

 looks as if the large sand-hill at Maviston, which, having left 

 Brodie, is now encroaching on the Dalvey Woods, resents being 

 separated from the main body in this fashion and is taking 

 revenge. Kincorth, Dalvey and Moy, all present features of 

 considerable interest to the forester; but in recent years the 

 experiments at Binsness have been attracting most attention, and 

 may be described first. 



The estate comprises some 558 acres. In 1667, it fetched 

 a rental of ^^391, 17s. 2d. Scots, which, with the additional 

 payment in kind which was then customary, would probably 

 be equivalent to over ^1000 sterling at the present time. 

 After several changes of ownership it was sold in 1865 

 for ^660. Grigor says of it at that time, " It possesses no 

 plantations whatever ; and its arable lands have been abandoned 

 to desolation." 



