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think that any urgency for obtaining more land for small hold- 

 ings has arisen amongst the population in (this district/' Mr. 

 Campbell writes : " I know of crofts unlet though the 

 houses on the same crofts find tenants. I know of farms that 

 cannot be let even though the owners have advertised their 

 willingness to cut them up into small holdings. On the other 

 hand, I know that in crofting districts there is 'always a 

 certain number of cotters or squatters who desire land, but 

 their desire is for land in the immediate vicinity of where they 

 live." 'The principal difficulties in the way of the provision of 

 further small holdings appear to be : 



(1) That unless a whole farm is taken, the remaining portion 

 is depreciated in value, the sporting rental also is depreciated 

 or disappears. 



(2) The expense of the necessary buildings and fences, the 

 existing buildings being more or less useless. 



AYR. There is said to be no demand for allotments. Nearly 

 all married servants have gardens sufficiently large to satisfy 

 their requirements. Small holdings, Mr. Hannah states, are 

 plentiful and are keenly competed for. Mr. Sloan observes 

 that a better class of cottage with small garden is undoubtedly 

 required for the agricultural labourers. 



CAITHNESS. Mr. Miller writes : " There is a difficulty in 

 obtaining small holdings, and the expense as to allotments is 

 prohibitory, as well as {he procedure. The climate and soil 

 as well as the absence of good markets may lead to their non- 

 adoption, except in the close neighbourhood of towns and 

 villages, where the older men might find employment suited to 

 them." Mr. Davidson states that allotments are not in favour, 

 as they will not support a family and hinder the occupier 

 from getting the chance of remunerative pay elsewhere. 



DUMFRIES. There does not appear to be any particular desire 

 for allotments or small holdings. Mr. Waugh writes : " No 

 applications have come before the County Council. Neverthe- 

 less, small farms are greedily wanted and taken." Dr. Gillespie 

 writes : " I have lived in the county all my days, being now 

 70 years of age. Whereas for long ploughmen and cottars 

 cultivated their gardens diligently so as to get a maximum 

 return from them, I observe that many such gardens are now 

 left uncultivated or cultivated in a very perfunctory manner. 

 When small holdings (i.e., of 20 acres and upwards) of a desir- 

 able class are offered to be let, there is invariably a good 

 demand for them. As far as I know, there have been no 

 applications for small holdings where the applicant wishes to 

 equip them with buildings, where these are already provided 

 the holdings are appreciated and sought after. There is a 

 desirable gradation in the size of farms in Dumfries." 



INVERNESS. Mr. Cran writes: "There is no difficulty in 

 obtaining small holdings in high altitudes, but few allotments 



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