410 
Sutherland Reclamation. 
The farms have been numbered in the order in which they were 
reclaimed ; their relative position is shown on the plan (Fig. 1). 
Colabol, No. I., is bounded on the east bj the mouth of the 
little river Terry, and on the south by Loch Shin. Achnanerain 
is No. II. ; it lies to the west of No. I., and it also runs along 
the shore of the lake, being only separated from it by fir- 
plantations that occupy the strip of boggy land that forms its 
immediate margin. Achadaphris, No. III., lies to the north of 
No. I. : and further north still is situated Lubvrec, or No. IV., 
bounded along the whole extent of its north-eastern side by the 
upper course of the Terry. 
Operations were commenced by cutting a long, deep ditch in 
the summer of 1872 on the north-east of No. I., running through 
the small bog and carrying its surplus water into the Terry. Belts 
of Scotch fir were planted for protection, and a road of hand-laid 
stones was carried from the highway to the site of the steading, 
at a cost of 2s. 6(/. per lineal yard. The steam-plough com- 
menced work on Colabol in the summer of 1873 ; on this farm 
it encountered few rocks or boulder-stones, but a great number 
of roots of fir-trees ; these were dragged out by the engines, but 
when the roots were large it was necessary to loosen them 
partially by hand-labour — a tedious operation, for occasionally 
over an extra large root as many as six men were employed all 
day in getting it sufficiently disencumbered for the engine to 
pull it out. At the present time such work is done much more 
economically by the use of dynamite ; one or two charges are 
placed in the bog under the root, and at a cost of Qd. the soft 
peat is sent flying in all directions, and the root is sufficiently 
loosened for removal by steam. On this and others of the 
Shinness farms the steam-ploughing was continued through the 
winter, whenever the weather permitted. In this respect, also, 
wisdom has been learned by experience, and it is now considered 
far better to let the engines stand idle and turn the labourers to 
other work than to employ them at a season when the work is 
not only done under difficulties, but often with a bad result. The 
work done by steam in winter has proved both expensive^ and 
unsatisfactory. The hole left where a root has been pulled out 
of ivet peat is more troublesome in after-cultivation, for a while 
at any rate, than the root itself would be. 
The draining of this farm was done after the ploughing ; the 
main drains are chiefly constructed of stones, and empty them- 
selves into wide ditches, cut at a cost of 4Jc?. to 6r/. per cubic 
yard, that carry the water into the river or the Loch. The 
minor drains are mostly 2^-inch pipes 4 feet deep; these cost 
3s. 6f/. to 4s. G</. per chain for digging and filling in on deep 
peat, where the roots made the work difficult. In firmer soil 
