of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 5 



down stream face of the dyke near the left bank, but it is so 

 blocked with the loose stones above and below as to be inoperative. 

 This dyke should be made water-tight, and a more suitable fish- 

 pass introduced. The most suitable position for such a pass is, in 

 my opinion, about 7 yards nearer the centre of the dyke than the 

 present slap. The dyke is sufficiently low at this point to make 

 ascent easy through a simple but well-defined gap ; and the rocks 

 slightly to the left below the dyke could be readily utilized by a 

 junction with the weir so as to cause a good lead up for fish. 



Since the date of my visit I have been informed that a pass in 

 this dyke has been constructed. 



The Tarff water I found to be seriously interfered with. The 

 three dykes are in the neighbourhood of Kirkcowan. Mentioned 

 in order of ascent of the river, they are the Tarff Saw Mill Dyke, 

 Milroy's Wool Mill Dyke, and Armstrong's Wool Mill Dyke. 

 All are serious obstructions. The drainage area of the Tarff is 42*5 

 square miles. 



The Tarff Saw Mill Dyke is an irregular concrete structure. 

 There is no fish-pass, nor are there hecks on the lade. At the 

 date of my visit the whole stream (which was then low) was pass- 

 ing down the lade. The water in the pool above the dyke was, 

 however, lipping the crest of the weir. 



Milroy's Wool Mill Dylce is a low structure compared to the last, 

 but is really a much more serious obstruction. A deep pool exists 

 immediately above the dyke, and the natural bed of the river is 

 rocky at this point. The dyke is built on the rocks below this 

 pool and is rendered water-tight by cement. The bed of the Tarff 

 below the dyke was quite dry, since the crest of the d}dve, which 

 has no pass, was some 10 or 12 inches above the level of the 

 pool above the dyke. It follows that even with a pass and six- 

 inch slap in the crest of the dyke no water would have been 

 flowing down the river. The natural channel is towards the right 

 bank, but, as I have indicated, the abstraction of water constitutes 

 a serious difficulty. The left bank at the time of my visit was 

 being built up so as to enclose and strengthen the end of the dyke 

 near the lade entrance ; this being done, I was informed by Mr. 

 Milroy, to prevent the destructive action of floods. The lade was 

 without hecks. 



Armstrong's Wool Mill Dylce. This dyke is fully half a mile 

 above the mill, and is about 3 feet high. It is a cement-faced 

 structure similar to the Tarff Saw Mill Dyke. At the date of my 

 visit the water in the pool above was finding its way in a thin 

 stream down the weir. From the great length of the lade it follows 

 that a coirespondingly long stretch of the stream is deprived of water, 

 and I noticed that in this stretch several cascades and rapids occur, 

 and that at two places all sorts of rubbish, including waste chaff, 

 from Kirkcowan seem to be emptied freely over the steep left 

 bank. The dyke has no pass, nor are there hecks on the lade. The 

 mill stands a considerable height above the stream, and power is 

 chiefly developed by means of a turbine. The manager informed 

 me that the drop of the water at the turbine and bye-washes was 

 21 or 22 feet. The outflow enters the upper part of the deep pool 

 referred to in describing Milroy's Dyke. I noticed also an impure 



B 



