Sutherland Reclamation. 
45^ 
the subsoil is clay and sand, in others the rock is soft and 
brittle, yielding to the pick ; the general character of the soil is 
poor and barren. Trenching with pick and spade was tried by 
contract at prices varying from I.*, up to 2s. Gd. per rod of 
6 square yards ; but the men declined to contract, and it was 
carried on by day- wages to a depth of 12 to 15 inches. An 
enormous number of boulders were found below the surface. 
After using all the stones required for complete drainage and 
for building dykes to enclose the fields, large heaps or cairns 
are still left in all directions. The drains are from 3 to 5 feet 
deep, and were put near together to absorb the stones. 
The cost of reclamation, draining, and fencing, has been 
about 33Z. per acre, exclusive of 1500/. expended on offices and 
servants' houses. The land is still unlet ; it is cropped on 
a five-course shift of 1st, oats ; 2nd, turnips and p.otatoes ; 
3rd, here and oats ; 4th, young grass ; 5th, pasture. The quality 
of the oats is reported to be good ; and turnips and grass do well. 
KiLDONAN KeCLAMATIOXS. 
It will now be clearly seen that, while the problem of the 
application of steam-power has been vigorously worked out 
at the Shinness farms, reclamations upon a smaller scale have 
been carried on at the same time by manual labour on several 
parts of the estate. After giving a fair trial, however, to 
each system. His Grace has such a decided preference for the 
use of steam-power, that he has undertaken the reclamation of 
still larger areas, placing the whole management of the under- 
taking in the hands of !Mr. George Greig, and giving him 
authority to expend annually upon the work a sum not ex- 
ceeding 10,000/. per annum. In the spring of 1877, Mr. Greig 
recommended the formation of an arable farm at Achintoul ; 
his recommendation was approved of, and the work Avas at once 
commenced. Since then, four other sites in that neighbourhood 
have been selected, and work has begun upon them, giving a total 
area of 2000 acres, in five detached farms in the parish of Kil- 
donan, situated in the vicinity of the Kinbrace Station on the 
Sutherland and Caithness Railway, about 30 miles north of 
Dunrobin. 
The general features of the country may be gathered from the 
accompanying sketch-map (Fig. 11, p. 460). It Avill be seen 
that two streams — one coming from the north and the other from 
the west — join a little south of the station to form the Helmsdale 
river ; parallel to the northern stream may be seen the railway 
and the high-road to Forsinard ; another high-road runs parallel 
to the western stream. 
