THURSO TO HELMSDALE. 41 



Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland," with pro- 

 per emphasis and correctness. 



If "the K'ing serpent went forth" from Caithness 

 "to carry its youth and vigour into other lands/' it 

 left something more than its cast-off skin to the 

 county. The open winter, combined with good 

 grass and turnips, has made it quite a rich store- 

 house of shorthorn crosses, and big, fine-woolled 

 half-breds for the feeders and breeders in the south; 

 and a Howard steam plough is working well at Barro- 

 gill Castle, within a few miles of John o'Groat's. 

 Mr. Smith, of Olrig, has a flock of " Shrops," arid 

 crosses them for early lambs with his half-bred 

 ewes ; but with this exception, the sheep-farming of 

 the arable part of the county may be said to consist 

 in breeding half-breds, and turnipiug Cheviot hoggs 

 from its mountain ranges or from Sutherlandshire. 

 Leicesters came in with the late Mr. William Home 

 of Scouthal, more than forty years ago; but the 

 want of draining and sufficient enclosures was 

 against them. 



We found their first traces on the Crown lands at 

 Scrabster, which are held by Mr. Hay. Sir George 

 Sinclair's farm, which is close to Thurso, carries a 

 large number of half-breds, and its present tenant* 

 Mr. Donald M f Kay, also rents other farms, for 

 turniping the Cheviot hoggs of his Skelpick flock* 

 Another well-known Sutherlandshire flockrnaster, 

 Mr. Patterson, occupies the Rattar Farm of the late 

 " Shirra Traill," in connection with his Bighouse 



