124 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



summer for the whole river Don to pass through the works of 

 Messrs. Pirie. I have walked up the dry bed of the river, and 

 wondered if Scottish salmon would ever learn to do the same. Now, 

 happily, this state of matters is improved. 



It would not be difficult to make both weirs easier for fish to 

 ascend, and here, as at Mugiemoss and the cruive dyke, the Board, 

 I hope, may at length succeed in giving salmon a better chance to 

 ascend at normal levels of water. 



As an additional drawback to the obstructions named, the unfor- 

 tunate fish have to contend with gross pollution. The last time I 

 visited the outlet of Messrs. Pirie's works (June 1908), the lade (and 

 I think it is the largest lade in Scotland) was sending forth water of 

 an abominable dirty yellow colour highly charged with suspended 

 matter. The bottom of the river below was coated with sludge, and 

 the discoloration continued down the right side of the river almost 

 to Mugiemoss. The latter mills are also far from guiltless. Hot 

 water spouts out, soot is thrown over, and most objectionable refuse 

 of other kinds is only too obvious. 



There is also an apparent and general disregard for the river's 

 purity on the part of almost everyone in the neighbourhood. It is 

 the place of all others in which to get rid of broken crockery, old 

 boots, tin cans, thread-bare linoleum, and so on. 



For the last two or three years a large sewer has been in course 

 of construction along the north bank of the river from G-randholm 

 Bridge, about 3 miles from the sea, and at the northern extremity 

 of the Aberdeen city boundary, which is regarded with great hopes 

 by those who would see the river purified. This sewer is to discharge 

 directly into the sea, and should have been finished in 1907. Now, 

 towards the end of 1908, it is nearing completion. It will carry off 

 the large amount of domestic sewage and refuse from works of the 

 lower river, but it will not do anything for the gross pollutions from 

 works above Grandholm Bridge. 



Above Stoneywood the river is unmolested as regards any serious 

 obstruction, while no very apparent pollution occurs for over 20 

 miles, past Parkhill, and Pitmedden, Fintry Water, and Keith Hall. 



Below the town of Inverurie a quite unusual arrangement of lades 

 is resorted to in order to supply the North of Scotland Milling Com- 

 pany's works, and the Port Elphinstone Paper Works, with water. 

 No dam dyke of any kind occurs to draw off water. Below Inverurie 

 Bridge the river takes a wide bend, and the lade cuts off this bend. 

 The intake or intakes for at first there are two lades are simply 



