THE EARN 95 



mills. Below each obstruction fish have to stop till the condition 

 of water-flow permits them to continue the ascent. This is a 

 serious thing when the great majority of the fish become fairly 

 heavy with spawn. Carefully considered suggestions have been 

 made from time to time for the modification of all those dykes, but 

 up to the present these have not been acted upon, and the salmon 

 fishing suffers in consequence. 



As a result of the many obstructions, and, I think, as a result of 

 nothing else, fishing in the upper reaches is practically confined to 

 September and October. Without any doubt all this beautiful river 

 would fish well throughout the greater part of the season if it only 

 had a chance, and I should imagine that with rents as they now are, 

 salmon angling might very easily be more remunerative than the 

 small mills or the cruive fishing. It is noteworthy that wherever 

 in Scotland the owner of cruive fishing rights has also the whole 

 interest in the angling above, the cruive dyke has been abolished or 

 rendered harmless. In this way, for instance, all the cruives in the 

 County of Sutherland were removed many years ago ; the Ugie 

 cruives are kept open, the Beauly cruives are kept open, and so on. 

 I have no doubt a time will come when the Earn cruives will also 

 be opened up. The general interest demands it. There is little 

 hardship if compensation in good angling is secured to the holder, 

 or otherwise if compensation in hard cash is forthcoming from those 

 who will obtain the good angling. 



With regard to the product of the Earn, at present it has to be 

 further realised that a dry or a wet season make all the difference 

 between a bad and a good autumn fishing in so far as the water 

 above Dupplin is concerned. A flood may let fish over Dupplin and 

 have fallen away before they can ascend Strathallan, or they may 

 ascend Strathallan and be unable to get over Colquhalzie, and so on. 

 Only stage by stage can they ascend the river. Under these cir- 

 cumstances the results in the reaches near Crieff are liable to great 

 fluctuation. Striking a somewhat rough mean in the fluctuations 

 which I know have existed recently, I estimate that the annual 

 produce to the rod is about 330 fish, of which Dupplin Eeserve 

 Water has by far the greatest share. Lord Kinnoull has very 

 kindly allowed me to publish this Eeserve Water Catch for the last 

 six years : 



1903 - . 98 1906 - - 115 



1904 - - 103 1907 - - 151 



1905 - - 154 1908 - 80 



