79 

 SCOTLAND. 



DIVISION VI. 



Counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Berwick, Clackmannan, Elgin, Fife, 

 Forfar, Haddinyton, Kincardine, Kinross, Linlithgow, Mid- 

 lothian, Nairn, Peebles, Perth, Roxburgh and Selkirk. 



ABERDEEN. Mr. Ainslie writes : " There is no difficulty in 

 obtaining land in this district. The proprietors would be glad 

 to let or sell land if suitable applicants could be found and a 

 fair and reasonable price offered . . . The Aberdeen County 

 Council advertised some years ago for applicants to take up 

 small holdings or allotments, and very few applied. These were 

 on investigation found undesirable." Mr. Christie (Factor, 

 Strathdon) writing on behalf of Mr. A. Strachan, says : " Small 

 holdings or allotments can only form a partial remedy for rural 

 depopulation, and a poor one at the best. While they might prove 

 successful in the immediate neighbourhood of towns or growing 

 villages, where tradesmen and others might by the cultivation 

 of such allotments, add to their incomes, such holdings would 

 never have the effect of bringing the people back to the land. 

 In upland districts, in our glens and straths, small holdings 

 will not induce young men to return to the country . . . 

 If it were not for the feeling of independence that the posses- 

 sion of a farm or croft creates, men would be far better off 

 financially if employed as servants." Mr. Bruce holds a dif- 

 ferent opinion. He says : "I believe there is a general want 

 of small holdings in Aberdeenshire ; in proof of this I have 

 only to mention the fact that for crofts and small farms the 

 applicants are so numerous that the demand cannot be supplied. 

 I am of opinion that the scarcity of such holdings has materially 

 contributed to the decline of the agricultural population." 



BANFF. Mr. Livingstone writes : " There is great difficulty 

 in getting small holdings or allotments, but I think sanitary 

 laws have a good deal to do with it. New houses were de- 

 manded by inspectors where I can prove that repairs at a third 

 of the cost would have made comfortable homes and all the 

 people wanted at a moderate rent. I am a strong advocate of 

 crofts, say cows-keep for labourers and some farm-servants, but 

 then they should be at least 20 acres so that there could be 

 work for the tenant and proper training of the family, if any." 



Mr. Bruce states that allotments and very small holdings are 

 not desired, but that holdings of 10 to 20 acres, on which a 

 family can be brought up, ought to be encouraged. 



BERWICK. There is a great demand for holdings of 100 to 

 200 or 300 acres, such as a man and his family can work with- 

 out much hired labour, and for these, higher rents are offered 



Small 

 Holdings 



and 

 Allotments. 



