11 06 



STATISTICS OF AGRICULTURE. 



Part IV 



7857 INVERKESS-SH1RE Upwards of 7,000,000 of by far the moat mountainous region in 

 Scotl ind li reaches hrom nea to lea on the main land, and comprehends many islands, which are scat, 

 tered brand wide The hills and moors were formerly covered with fir wood-, the remains of which ate 

 dun up in all the moors in abundance. The climate is rainy, mild on the west coast- hut less so on the 

 east The soil of the vales is loamy or gravelly. i The princi^lecOTcw^ 

 stone 

 for it 

 were first commenced about Inverness by < 



ie ana slate: but lead, iron, marble, &c have been found in different places, rhecountj 



iU native or woods, and for that stupendous national work, the Caledonian (anal impmy 



■e first commenced about Inverness by Cromwell's soldiers. [Bobertson'i General new, lM"., 



The county is remarkable 

 ementi 



1, Property. 



In few hand* i largest, Lord Macdcnald,c£theuieof Sk?e, 

 the onlj nobli roan who resides In the county. "1 be mountain 

 . .is iii limllsj 

 number ofsheep thei -ire lupposed to cany* 



2, Garden* and Orchards. 



(bund In .» f<« places ; and some old peat trees,planfed 



ire still In a bearing state al Beauly, and 

 i piai . -. I here I an excellent Bra I and forest tree 

 nursen at Inverness. 



.{. Woods and Plantations. 



The Scoti ii pine, tor the most part, took possession of the 



toutti ildi I illey, and made choice m a northern ex- 



the birch, the hazel, and the oak. occupied thewarm- 



I] trict; while the older and a few ashes 



. Not only the continental parts had 



■ iraJ mantle, hut the islands of this country appear, 



from the fragments of trees found in the mosses, to hai 



atsomi i I ">. mostly, ifnot wholly, under forests. 



The onh remains of growing wood at pre-ent in the islands are 



.it Portree and 8 ate in Skye, ami a little in the island of Kaasa- 



1 pees d or felled to make room for men, 



largiriB if.- pasturageof cattle, and affording fresh sur&i e for 



corn. At present the Si otch pine covers more surface in this 



dl the other kinds of trees taken together ; and 



te-woods of Inverness-shire exceed the quantity 



of this \wmx1 growing naturally In all the r-st of Britain. In 



Strathspey alone, ii is reported, upon authoritj which cannot 



d into question, that fifteen thousand acres of ground 



■re covered with natural firs- On the south-side of Lochar- 



kaig, of Glengarry, of Glenmoriston, Strathglas, Glenstra- 



faras, and at the head of Lochsheil, as mentioned above, the 



bounds of country under this wood are reckoned by miles, not 



Theoak woods of this county are not so large, nor 



M well taken care of, as they are in Perthshire. 



There are ex'en&ire birch woods, the timber of which is used 

 for fencing and the coarser articles of husbandry, and the bark 

 for tann rig. 



4. J Ave Stock. 



Cattle are of the Skye or Kyloe breed, usually, however, 

 known as the highland breed, and already described. [6796.] 

 tie. ows Meld onlj half the quantity of milk of the breedsof the 

 mties; generally from two to two gallons and a half; 

 but it is rich, and prod ictive of butter of excellent flavour. The 

 diseas s of highland cattle are few. The manner of disposing 

 of cattle i- as follows : When the drovers, from the sou h and 

 interior of Scotland, make their appearance in the highlands, 

 which always happens during the latter end of April, orth 

 beginning of May, they give intimation at the churches, that 

 upon a particular day, ami in a central place of the district, 

 they are ready to purchase cattle from any who offer them fur 

 sale. The drovers are of two descriptions : either those who 

 bu\ by commission for persons of capital, who, being diffident 

 of 'their own skill, or averse from fatigue, choose tnremam at 

 home; or those who purchase cattle on their own account. 

 Much address is used on both sides, to feel the pulse of t 1 e 

 market at these parochial meetings, before the price of the 

 season is mutually settled ; and it may happen, that many such 

 small trysts or meetings tike place in different parts of the 

 high! unas, before the price be finally determined. The anxiety. 

 on both sides Is sometimes so great, that the cattle are given 

 away upon a conditional contract, that if the price rises within 



a limbed time, the seller will receive so much more; but if 

 . cattle fall in value, the drover wl I Ret a reduction. 

 ..,<■■ extensivelj reared, and uenerallj of the Linton or 

 ) .^nw black-raced sort. Ta r are also very 



prevalent* , 



Horses either the native pony or unproved breeds from the 

 low countries farther south- 

 er* are frequent in a wild .state in all the woody and warm 

 glens. 

 5. Political Economy, 



Roads and bridges have b en going forward at the i 

 of Government ever since 171*', and earlier; and the i ale- 

 donian Canal is well known for its magnitude and the excel. 

 lence of it-, execution. Then are various fisheries on the 

 Lakes and coasts; but lew manufactures. 



As one of the obstacle* to improvement, common to this and 

 the other highland counties, and indeed to -very county, the 

 reporter mentions the stubbornness of the common peopl , in 

 adhering obstinately to old and slovenly habits. As men rise 

 mi fears, the reluctance to make any uncommon exertions and 

 particularly to introduce change into any thing, w h'ch relates 



to theil personal accommodation, gradually ROWS upon them. 



Having been long accustomed to a certain course of employ- 

 ment, of gratification, < i lodging, of dress, and of food, they 

 resist strenuously the relinquishment of any of these habits; 

 they move on in the current of human life mechanically, like a 

 wheel, without any apparent alteration in their morion, unless 

 it be accomplished" by some external force ; and, if left to them- 

 selves, t e. never change their course. This propensity te 

 rem tin the same nun, and to retain the same customs, is more 

 unconquerable among the illiterate and ignorant, than among 

 the learned or enlightened part of mankind. It. means of so- 

 cietv, of conversation, and of reading, the Inter acquire an 

 enlargement of the mind, to which the Former are strangers ; 

 and it they be accustoms a to reflecton what they hear and see, 

 they ire always more open to conviction. When that mulish- 

 n- ss of the disposition, which, whether in the rich or the pour, 

 tlir uncultivated oi the refined, is still the child of ignorance, 

 take-, fast hold of the mind, it becomes so obstinate, that it can 

 seldom or never be removed. Its universality would Lead to 

 the opinion, that it is an original principle in we human frame; 

 its progressive influence, which increases with age, and the 

 apologj which such men urg« in tl eir own defence, that their 

 J.ith. rs did such things before them, would imply that it is the 

 i tl it of imitation. 



The reporter, notwithstanding the above sentiments, goes on 

 to state that he considers that the prosperity of the world would 

 b • more promoted hj <h - steadiness and obstinacy of men living 

 in error, t an it would be by a spirit of fickleness, and a desire 

 of change. It might easily be shown that the real meaning of 

 such a sent ment is, that those who are already prosperous, 

 that is, those who have already a sufficient share of the good 

 things of life, will stand least chance of losing what thej have, 

 while things remain as the v are. The prosperity of the world, 

 it unfortunately happens, has hitherto been too frequently un- 

 derstood to mean the prosperity of those only who .ire alreadv 

 prosperous. This state or things is in the natural course of 

 the progress of society from darkness to light : but it will pass 

 awaj in its turn, and the time will come when the prosperity 

 of a people will really mean what the words import W I en 

 this time arrives, what the reporter would probably call fi< tie- 

 ins., and a desire of change, will be found to have had some 

 share in bringing it to pass. 



785a ARGYLLSHIRE. 2,433,000 acres ; the eleventh part of Scotland, and the thirtieth of Great 

 Britain, and nearly the whole of the Scottish kingdom from A. D 503 to the subjugation of the Picts in 

 843. The surface of the country is rough and mountainous: in the northern parts " Alps piled on Alps 

 hide their heads in the clouds." The climate is moderately mild, very moist in the vales and on the coast, 

 but cold and severe on the elevations. The soil of the vales is generally light ; the minerals are copper, 

 had, iron, coal, strontian, freestone, granite, limestone, marble of several different colours, slates, &C-, but 

 the two first are not worked at present. There are numerous bays, inlets, and lakes, in some of which 

 excellent fish is caught The county is in no respects remarkable in an agricultural point of view; it 

 furnishes immense quantities of cattle and sheep to the graziers and feeders of the south ; and there are 

 some oak coppices and artificial plantations. {Smith's General Vievo^ 18MX Edin. Gax. 1827.) 



1. Property. 



In the hind-, of 166 owners. Farms of the smaller size 



reckoned bi seres, the i trgest bv miles. One, supposed to be 



t in Britain, is < ighteen or twentj in len tit, bv three 



..j (bur miles In evi ral contain from tu<. to sis squ ire 



units: n Inverness shire, the breeding of cattle 



, ind next iha p. 



2 Improvements. 



Have been made bj ^t of the proprietors : some plans of 



esarestsen bi the reporter. One Is circular, and con- 

 sists ci li beds; but the elevation Is of that mongrel 

 Uothtc, which is displayed In most of the modern high and 

 rh.ite nis. Xtat fa-sban or ArevlesfaJre plough (2618.) was in- 

 vented in this counts i" tin i porter. 



.j. Woods nnil Plantations 



There are about 30,000 acres of coppice, chl 

 and base)* which, befog now valuable for the hark, and th ■ 

 poles to be uM.*d as spokes for wheels, i-> beginning to be en- 



closed from the sheep by stone walls. The Duke of A rgyle is 

 the chief planter, and his larch plantations are of great extent, 

 and contain an immense quantity of valuable timber. The 

 oldest and largest of the trees at Inveran are supposed to have 

 been planted by the Marquess of Argjle between the years 1650 

 and 1660. Those of the next largest size and aye were raised 

 from the sied bv Archibald Duke of Areyle (called a tr.-e- 

 monger by Walpole), in 174G or 1717. These consist chietly 

 of larches, New England pines, spruce and silver lirs. 



4 Live Stock. 



('attic, the west highland breed ; the best in the districts of 

 Argyle, Lorn, Ilay, Colonsay, and Mull. 



>■ ;>, till lately, much neglected. 



Horses, a hardy native breed, larger than the pony. 



5. Political Economy. 



Roads as in Invemess-shire. A canal from the coal works in 

 Campbelton to the sea: (few manufac'iures. An agricultural 

 society at Kin tyre. 



7859. The HEBRIDES, including BUTESHIRE, consist of nearly 300 islands, eighty-six of which 

 arc inhabited, and contain 2,037,760 acres of rocky, hilly, ami, in some islands, mountainous country, with 

 a severe, unsteady, moist climate, and a soil generally light Almost all the minerals are found with 

 which the continental part of Scotland is furnished. Slate, lime, granite, marble, and freestone, are in 

 great abundance ; and coal has been found in vai iou I places, though it has not been successfully worked. 

 Steatite, or soapstonc, from which porcelain is manufactured ; fullers' earth, and a great variety of other 



