AGRICULTURE IN SCOTLAND — 1 79 1- 1 796. 9 1 



per boll, Amsterdam weight, Avhen not maintained in the 

 family.' Mr Donaldson mentions that ' beef and mutton 

 which, twenty years before, could have been purchased at 

 id. or i^d. per lb., sold for 3d. to 46. per lb.' Roads in 

 the county were still managed under the statute of 1669. 

 There were good roads on both sides of the Spey, and the 

 roads in the Speyside district were better than those in 

 the low country. Much inconvenience was felt from the 

 want of bridges over the Spey at Fochabers, and over the 

 Findhorn at Forres. Black cattle in the county had 

 originally been of ' a poor and contemptible quality.' At- 

 tention being directed to their improvement, it had been 

 attempted through the introduction of the Dutch and Lan- 

 cashire breeds, ' which, being crossed with each other and 

 with the country cattle, produced a mixed and clumsy 

 breed.' Dissatisfaction being the result, attention at the 

 date of the report ' was only paid to rearing the true Scotch 

 breed, and bulls had been purchased from the Isle of Skye 

 and the western coast, by which means the stock best 

 adapted to the soil and climate was daily increasing and 

 improving. In Strathspey and the high country, the breed 

 remained unmixed, and preserved their handsome form, 

 but, from the scantiness and coarseness of pasture, their 

 size was comparatively small. Since the introduction of 

 sown grasses and turnips they were considerably raised in 

 bone.' Horses had been considerably improved, both in 

 size and shape, and a pair brought about ^30 stg. There 

 were few sheep in the low country. In Strathspey the 

 sheep Avere black-faced. 



At the same date, Mr Donaldson wrote a report on 

 Nairnshire and Eastern Inverness-shire. These 

 districts were, as respects agriculture, in a less advanced 

 condition than Morayshire. Mr Donaldson says that, 

 on the great majority of the farms, no stated or regular 

 rotation of cropping was followed ; and almost the whole 

 county being unenclosed, the tenants were still accommo- 

 dated with natural pasture for their cattle, either on the 

 bents along the shore, or on the moors near the base of 



