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By James Macdonald, Special
Reporter for the Scotsman, Aberdeen.
[Premium—Thirty Sovereigns.]
General and Introductory.
The counties of Ross and Cromarty are so thoroughly dovetailed into each
other geographically, and so intimately connected politically, that they
are usually spoken of as one county, and in this treatise we propose to
abide as closely as practicable to this convenient rule. Together the two
form the third largest county in Scotland, and extend in one grand whole
from the German Ocean to the Atlantic; while separately both are cut up,
unconnected, and incomplete.
These combined counties are
bounded by the German Ocean on the east, by the Atlantic Ocean on the
west, by Sutherlandshire on the north and north-east, and on the south by
Inverness-shire. The island of Lewis, which stands away out about 30 miles
from the mainland, forming a huge natural breakwater to check the rolling
waves of the Atlantic, and a few smaller islands, also on the west coast,
belong to Ross-shire. The most northern point of the mainland, at the
mouth of the rivulet Fin (meaning boundary), is in north latitude 58° 7'
20"; the most southerly, near Loch Luing, in 57° 7' 40"; the most easterly
point, Tarbetness, lies in west longitude 3° 45'; and the most westerly,
in the north of Applecross Sound, in 5° 46. The greatest distance in a
straight line from north to south is close on 70 miles, and from east to
west about 67 miles. From north-east to south-west Ross-shire extends 84
miles. According to the census of 1871, the area of the two counties is
about 3151 square miles, or 2,016,375 imperial acres. Cromarty claims
19,247 acres, and Lewis 417,416.
In 1871 the population of
Ross-shire was 77,593, and the number of inhabited houses 15,028. In
Cromarty the population was 3362, and inhabited houses 685; together,
population 80,955, inhabited houses 15,713. The Parliamentary Return of
owners of lands and heritages in Scotland, drawn up in 1872-3, shows that
in Ross-shire there are 324 proprietors of lands of one acre and upwards
in extent, whose total acreage is 1,971,309, and total annual value
L.247,833, 17s.; and that there are 1719 owners of land of less than one
acre in extent, their total extent being 373 acres, and total annual
value, L.21,508, 3s. The total number of landowners is thus 2043; their
total acreage 1,971,682 acres, and their total annual value, L.269,342. In
Cromarty, according to the same authority, there are in all 231
landowners; 217 having each less than one acre. The total annual value of
the lands of these small owners amounts to L.1966, 7s. The 14 owners of
one acre and upwards hold among them 718,184 acres, the total annual value
of which is L.10,268, 1s. The Valuation Roll for 1876-77 shows that the
gross annual value of the county of Ross, exclusive of railways and royal
burghs, is L.252,908, 10s. 9d.; that the annual value of burghs is,
L.14,886, 0s. 6d. (Dingwall, L.6,922, 15s. 3d.; Tain, L.4744, 5s.; and
Fortrose, L.3219, 0s. 3d.); and that the annual value of railways is
L.21,268; grand total, L.289,060. 11s. 3d. The valuation of the county of
Cromarty, exclusive of the burgh, for the year ending 1876-77 is, L.9909,
12s. 6d.; burgh of Cromarty, about L.1900; total, L.11,809, 12s. 6d. The
valuation and area of Cromarty, quoted above, do not include the detached
portions of the county (about 20 in number), which are scattered
throughout Ross-shire. These portions are estimated to extend to about
182,000 acres, of which the Duchess of Sutherland owns 149,800 acres, and
for valuation and all practical purposes they are considered as part of
the county of Ross.
According to the Board of Trade Returns for the present year (1876), the
number of acres under all kinds of crops, bare fallow, and grass, was
124,826 acres; wheat, 6019; barley or bere, 10,461; oats, 29,509; rye,
1192; beans, 86; peas, 146; total, under cereals, 47,413. The acreage
under green crops was—turnips, 17,126; potatoes, 9256; mangold, carrots,
cabbage, &c, 63; tares, &c, 814; total, 27,259. Grasses under rotation
extend to 29,987, and permanent pasture (exclusive of heath and mountain
land, to 19,395; and bare fallow, or uncropped land, to 772 acres. Of the
1,891,549 acres in both counties, exclusive of the area under "all kinds
of crops,bare fallow, and grass," about 600,000 are under red deer, and
1,291549 under sheep, wood, or water, &c.
Ross-shire is divided into 32 parishes,
several of which are small, several very large. The two counties are
united into one sheriffdom, the sheriff principal having three
substitutes. One substitute sits at Dingwall and Fortrose, one at Tain,
and another at Stornoway, in Lewis. They are also politically united, and
the present representative is Mr Alexander Matheson of Ardross. For civil
purposes they are divided into five districts, viz., The Black Isle,
Easter Ross, Mid-Ross, Wester Ross, and Lewis. The burghs of Dingwall,
Tain, and Cromarty are joined with Dornoch, Wick, and Kirkwall in
Parliamentary representation, the present representative being Mr John
Pender. Fortrose is united with the Inverness District of Burghs, which
are represented by Mr Fraser Mackintosh.
There are four royal and parliamentary burghs
in the two counties—Dingwall, Tain, Cromarty, and Fortrose; two seaport
towns—Invergordon and Stornoway; and close on a score of villages, the
more important of which are Alness, Portmahomack, and Ullapool. Dingwall
is the county town. It was created a royal burgh by Alexander II. in 1227,
and has now a population of 2125. The beautifully wooded plain upon which
it stands was once a swampy marsh, but thorough drainage and spirited
agriculture has made it one of the most lovely valleys in the north of
Scotland. The burgh lies snugly among rich clumps of handsome trees at the
entrance of the Strathpeffer Valley, famous all over the kingdom, and even
beyond it, for the healing powers of its sulphurous springs. The scenery
around the "strath" is very fine, the air pure and dry, and for several
years past it has been one of the most fashionable summer resorts in
Scotland. The junction of the Highland and Dingwall and Skye Railway is at
Dingwall, and a short canal from the Cromarty Firth enables small vessels
to reach the town. The town mainly consists of one street, about a mile in
length, and while the majority of the houses are irregularly situated and
unpretentious in an architectural point of view, still there are a good
many very handsome residences, most of which have sprung up within the
past twenty-five or thirty years. Traces of what was once the principal
seat of the Earls of Ross are seen close by, while in the neighbourhood
there is a vitrified fort on a conical hill. The Caithness, Sutherland,
and Ross Rifle Militia have their head-quarters at Dingwall.
Next in importance comes Tain, situated on the
south shore of the Dornoch Firth, and containing a population of 2287. It
was created a royal burgh by Malcolm Canmore, and about the beginning of
the thirteenth century St Duthus, its patron saint, and Bishop of Ross,
constituted it the ecclesiastical capital of Ross-shire. The tower in the
Town House is very ancient, and the bell which hangs in the freestone
spire that surmounts it is about 200 years old. This interesting structure
is now encircled by a very handsome Town's House. On a beautiful level
between the town and the firth stand the remains of a very ancient chapel,
said to have been erected to the memory of St Duthus about the close of
the thirteenth century. It is recorded that in this chapel the wife and
daughter of Bruce took refuge, but the Earls of Ross are credited with
having "dragged them forth and given them up to the English." It is also
said that James V. made a barefoot pilgrimage to this ruin in 1527. Close
by the town's house are the well-preserved ruins of a collegiate church,
founded in 1471, and remarkable for its beautiful Gothic architecture. The
streets are very irregular, but still the town has a cleanly likeable
appearance. Cromarty
has a population of 2180. It is situated at the north-east corner of the
Black Isle, and has very pretty surroundings. Sir John Sinclair and other
sages predicted that Cromarty long ere now would have become one of the
principal centres of commerce in the north of Scotland, and though,
unfortunately, those good predictions have not been realised, Cromarty is
still a little burgh of considerable note. It is well known to have one
of the safest harbours in Europe. Two immense headlands, called the "Soutars,"
form natural breakwaters against the tide in the Moray Firth, and between
these headlands, which are distant from each other only about a mile, the
Cromarty Firth steals away round to the back of the Black Isle almost
unobservedly and quietly even during the roughest seas. Ships once into
this firth are safe from all seas, and often during a storm the firth is
crowded with vessels of various sizes. A fine quay was formed at Cromarty
in 1785. Cromarty is famous in another way. It was the birthplace of Hugh
Miller, and it may well be pardoned for the pride it feels in ranking this
eminent geologist as one of its illustrious sons. A monument to the memory
of Hugh Miller stands in the neighbourhood.
Fortrose is formed of two towns—Rosemarkie and
Chanonry— and has a population of 911. Rosemarkie was created a royal
burgh by Alexander II. A cathedral and bishop's palace once adorned
Fortrose, but Cromwell destroyed both, and sent the stones to Inverness to
be used in the construction of a fort there. Fortrose has still a very
fair trade, and in the sixteenth century it gets the credit of having been
the seat of arts, science, and divinity in the north of Scotland. The
beach here is sandy and very beautiful.
Invergordon is a thriving seaport town, with a
population of about 1157. It is situated on the north-west side of the
Cromarty Firth, and has long been the chief seaport for the eastern
districts of the county. Mr Macleod of Cadboll erected two wooden piers at
a cost of about L.5000. For many years Invergordon was the only town in
the county that could boast of a newspaper, the "Invergordon Times," but
about a year ago the "Ross-shire Journal" was started in Dingwall.
Stornoway, the only town in Lewis, has a
population of about 2498, and is of considerable importance in the
shipping trade. It has been immensely improved of late by Sir James
Matheson, Bart. of Lewis. A lighthouse stands at the harbour mouth.
Ross-shire embraces all the varieties of
Highland scenery; and more than that, it can boast of not a few of the
most charming characteristics of the finest agricultural districts both in
Scotland and England. In the Highlands, or western division of the county,
wood, water, heath, and mountains mingle together in perfect grandeur;
while in the eastern or lower lying districts, green fields, thriving
hedges, rich plantations, and handsome houses tint the landscape into
delightful harmony. The scenery in Easter Ross, and around Dingwall and
Strathpeffer, is really very fine. Almost all the arable land lies on the
east coast; and the main body of the county, lying to the west of the fine
agricultural border on the east, is extremely mountainous and wild. The
hills and mountains are chiefly in clumps or chains, and in in many cases
they reach to a great height. Ben Wyvis is probably the finest mountain in
the county, though other two or three exceed it in elevation. Ben Dearg,
Ben Alton, and Ben Sloich are each close on 4000 feet high, while Ben
Wyvis is only 3700. The west coast is exceedingly rugged and winding. In a
straight line the west coast of Ross-shire measures only about 70 miles;
while by following the indentations, the length extends to something like
400 miles. The number of lochs and small lakes in the two counties is
extraordinary. A large number are small, but still a few are of a
considerable size. Chief among these may be mentioned the beautiful Loch
Maree, which extends to some 18 miles in length, and which is surrounded
with as delightful mountain scenery as is to be met with anywhere in
Scotland. The mountains rise on both sides almost perpendicularly, and are
fringed at the base with rich plantations of larch and fir. The tops of
the mountains arc bare and water-worn; but "about half-way down [says a
recent writer], the combined beauty and sublimity of the scenery are such
as to strongly affect the dullest imagination; and when we come in sight
of the little island towards the lower end of the loch, the picture may be
said to be complete—a picture which, we venture to say, puts fairly into
the shade the much-vaunted beauties of the Trossachs and of Lochlomond."
The majority of these lochs are well stocked with fish of various kinds;
and on the whole, very few counties equal Ross-shire in the facilities it
affords the lovers of the "gentle art." The rivers are numerous, while the
small streamlets and mountain torrents can be counted in scores. The
principal rivers on the east coast are the Carron, the Conan, and the
Alness; the latter two drain a great portion of the southern division of
the county, and fall into the Cromarty Firth; while Carron drains a
considerable extent of the northern end, and empties itself into the
Dornoch Firth at Bonar Bridge. On the west coast the largest rivers are
the Ewe, another Carron, and the Broom. The river Ewe flows out of Loch
Maree, falls into the sea at Loch Ewe, and is considered one of the best
angling streams in Britain. Salmon and sea-trout are abundant; and it is
recorded that the former average about 16 pounds in weight. On the other
rivers generally the supply of salmon and trout is very good, and the
quality of the fish is excellent. The large majority of the lochs and
rivers are reserved by their owners, or let to angling tenants; but still
there is abundance of fishing at the command of the tourist.
Ross and Cromarty stand supreme with respect
to grouse-moors, and deer forests. The latter are numerous, and some of
them very large; the total breadth under deer, as already stated, being
about 600,000 acres. Several of these forests carry excellent covers of
deer, and afford grand sport to their owners or tenants. Complaints,
however, are occasionally heard that the animals are not coming up to the
former standard of weight, but are small in size, and always lean. An
authority on the subject says, "this might be cured by the infusion of
fresh blood, which is known to be the backbone of all good breeding." The
grouse moors are not only numerous, but also large, and very productive,
though, of course, the destructive disease which raged with such virulence
in 1874, thinned the stock of birds dreadfully.
A premium is presently offered by the Highland
and Agricultural Society for a report on the woods and forests in
Ross-shire, and therefore many notes on the subject here would be out of
place. It may be remarked, however, that the breadth under wood in the
county is very great, and that many thousands of acres have been added to
it during the past ten or twenty years. Wood seems to thrive exceedingly
well in the county, and is found to be a most remunerative speculation.
One instance of this may be given. A plantation on the estate of Tulloch
was recently disposed of, and the sum realised was equal to a rent of L.2
per acre for each of the forty years the wood occupied the ground. The
benefits conferred on a cold late district by plantations are well known
to be very considerable; and in these days of dear labour and high prices
for wood, the landed proprietors in some of the other counties in the
north of Scotland would do well, both to themselves and to the community
generally, were they to copy the good example shown in the way of planting
by the proprietors of Ross-shire. There is one little point, however, that
the proprietors of Ross-shire would do well to look at, in the interests
of their valuable plantations. That little lively creature, the squirrel,
is well known to be a destructive enemy to young trees. It gnaws away at
the "leaders;" and in this way a single squirrel has been known to kill
or greatly damage no fewer than a dozen young trees in one day. Several of
the young plantations of Ross-shire are swarming with these creatures; and
in their own interests we would advise the landed proprietors to combine
together and exterminate them. Singly, very little could be done, but were
the owners of all the plantations in the county to unite in their
destruction, their little foes would speedily disappear.
The island of Lewis has been aptly described
as an immense peat, with notches of the moss cut away here and there, to
afford a sure foundation for the inhabitants, and also produce food for
their bodily wants. It lies from 58° 11' to 58° 31' north latitude, and
from 6° 9' to 7° 8' west longitude. The Flannel Islands, belonging to
Lewis, lie in 7° 39' west longitude. The highest hill is 1850 feet above
sea-level; a few hill tops are nearly this height, and there are a few
more from 1000 to 1600 feet; but the largest extent of surface of the
island is under 600 feet. The arable land, and the best pasture round the
sea-shore, seldom rises beyond 200 feet above the sea. Lewis is divided
into four parishes—Stornoway, Barvas, Lochs, and Uig. Stornoway is the
smallest in extent, containing only 67,650 acres, but it is by far the
most important of the four, embracing, as it does, not far short of the
half of the whole population of the island, and standing equally near the
same position in respect of rental. Naturally, the land is divided into
three sections. At the north-eastern end there is a large extent of mostly
flat land (the highest hill here being 800 feet), with a considerable
depth of gravel under the moss and between it and the solid rock. This
section forms a triangle, the base of which is a line drawn from Bayhead,
Stornoway, across by the east end of the Barvas hills to the mouth of the
Arnal river on the west coast, the perpendicular being a line from Arnal
to the Butt of Lewes. The town of Stornoway stands on the south corner of
this triangle, and the Butt of Lewis on the north corner. Lewis Castle and
grounds, so greatly admired by all, stand just outside the base line where
it started at Bayhead. The finest grazing and arable laud in the island is
in this section; and more than half of the population live on it. The
middle section of the island runs from sea to sea, and lies between the
two parallel lines from Stornoway to Arnal on the one side, and from the
northern corner of Loch Erisort to the east corner of Loch Roag on the
other side. Much of this tract of land is also flat, but still it contains
a good deal of land with an undulating surface, and two ranges of low
hills, the highest peak of which is about 1000 feet. The rock comes very
close to the surface in some parts of this section; in others it is bare
altogether, while in the hollows it is covered with moss to a great depth.
On the south edge of this division stands the only inland crofter township
in the island; and along the north side there is a large population from
Callarnich to Arnal. The west and south-western portion is very rocky and
hilly; and here are the highest hills and wildest scenery in the Lewis.
There are also some large fresh water lochs, as well as the extensive
salt-water lochs of Roag, Erisort, Shell, and Seaforth. On the west side
of this section are a number of rocky islands, large portions of the
surface of which are covered with the richest, natural grasses. Cattle and
sheep thrive better on these islands in winter than on any other part of
the Lewis. Opposite this division, and between Lewis and Skye, are the
Shiant islands, on which are first-class natural grasses, which winter
several hundreds of Cheviot sheep as well as any of the runs in the lower
parts of the county. With the exception of these islands, and some other
pieces of good grass and mixed pasture, round low hills, knolls, and loch
sides, the greater part of this section is covered with black heath and
boggy pasture, and a good deal is simply bare rock. There is very little
land here on which the plough could work; but owing to the suitableness of
the sides of the sea lochs for the home of the fisherman-crofter, about
one-fourth of the crofters in the island live along the sea-shore on this
section. In a word, it may be said that the distinguishing features of
Lewis are its large extent of moss and moor, its immense number of lochs,
and the thousands of crofters that live on it.
While Ross and Cromarty rank very high among
other Scotch counties in regard to their sporting importance, they also
occupy a most creditable position in an agricultural point of view. The
county of Ross surpasses almost all other counties in Scotland in one
feature—it has within its bounds one of the best purely arable districts
in the kingdom, and also as large and as fine a purely pastoral range as
is to be found anywhere in the northern counties of Scotland. In the
eastern division "nature has done much to enrich the soil and adorn the
landscape;" and the long-sustained and united exertions of an intelligent,
enterprising, liberal class of landlords, and of a painstaking energetic
race of tenants, have made that part of the county a formidable rival to
the Lothians and to the plains of Morayshire. Easter Ross proper has long
been well known as a perfect garden of richness and fertility. The climate
is good, the soil excellent, and the prevailing system of farming of the
most advanced description. Away in the western districts again we find
purely pastoral farming flourishing at an equally prominent stage of
advancement. The range under sheep is immense, the pasture in many parts
very good, and the system of management pursued quite abreast with the
times—if not indeed in advance in some points. That the past quarter of a
century (the period over which this report extends) has contributed very
largely to the attainment of this prominent position these counties now7
occupy there can not be a doubt; and of this more anon.
Probably nothing has been more instrumental in
bringing the counties of Ross and Cromarty to what they now are, than the
improved means of conveyance both by sea and land. Without proper outlet
no county, however rich its natural resources, can do much in the way of
developing its industry, or at least could benefit to any great extent by
attempts at improvement; and like most of the other northern counties,
Ross and Cromarty were for a very long time greatly handicapped in this
respect. The districts immediately round Cromarty and Invergordon have for
many years been benefited by an outlet by sea, but the further inland
parts lay neglected for many years. Even to Inverness-shire, its nearest
neighbour, the county of Ross seems to have remained almost a stranger for
many hundreds of years. Little more than a century and a half ago the
magistrates of Inverness, anxious to know something of their hitherto
unknown neighbours at Dingwall, despatched a deputation of their number to
"explore the town interview the inhabitants, and report." In the course of
"a few days" the deputation returned with the news of their expedition;
and we believe their formal report is engrossed in the Council Records of
Inverness. Dingwall is now about an hour's ride from Inverness. Verily we
live in changed times!
Regular communication between Ross-shire and
the south by sea was established in 1839, when the steamship "Duke of
Sutherland " began to trade in the Moray Firth, sailing between Leith,
Inverness, and Invergordon, and calling at all the intermediate ports,
going and coming, which occupied about a week. Some time after that two
steamers began to sail from Invergordon once a week, but since the
extension of the Highland Railway into the county there has been scarcely
any regular communication by sea. A steamer sails from Leith to Cromarty,
Invergordon, and Inverness, through the Caledonian Canal to Liverpool once
a fortnight. In 1862 the Highland Railway was opened into Invergordon, and
two years later or thereby it was extended to Tain and Bonar Bridge; and
now it runs right through to Wick and Thurso, allowing the blood of
commerce to circulate freely from Land's End to John O'Groats. The
benefits conferred on the whole north by the efficient railway
communication it now enjoys have been almost incalculable.
Population, &c. The following table shows the
population at various periods since the beginning of the present century:—
It will be seen from these figures that, while
the population has increased largely during the present century, the past
twenty-five years have diminished that increase very considerably. The
attractions for emigration, the extension of sheep-farming and deer
forests, the absorption of crofts by large farms, and the high rate of
wages in the southern counties of Scotland, have all been mentioned as
active agencies in bringing about this decrease; and doubtlessly they have
all had something to do in the matter. The number of inhabited houses in
1851 was 15,941 in 1861 15,728; and in 1871, 15,713—decrease, 228. The
parliamentary constituency in 1855-56 was 879, and in 1875-76, 1580. The
present population is equal to only about one person for every 25 acres;
and the average number of persons to each house is from 5 to 6. The most
ancient inhabitants of Ross-shire, as of Scotland generally, were known by
the name of Caledonians, but whether they were Celts of the Cymric (or
Kymric) or Erse branch is still an undecided fact. History tells us that
the Scots, that hardy race of Celts that peopled the "Emerald Isle," when
it was known, not as Ireland, but as Scotland, emigrated to this country,
and after the third century occupied the western coast of Scotland, from
the Firth of Clyde to the northern boundary line of Ross-shire. Like those
of almost every other county in Scotland, the early inhabitants of Ross
and Cromarty were frequently disturbed by ambitious and warlike invaders.
The Romans, in their wild depredations in Caledonia, seem to have stopped
short before reaching the northern straths of Ross-shire; for, with the
exception of the discovery in a mound near Tarbet-ness of a few Roman
coins, a rusty sword, and a few other articles of Roman fashion, no traces
have been found of their having been in the county at all. From the few
Scandinavian names that occur in Easter Ross, such as Tain and Dingwall,
it is evident that the Norsemen, who had taken possession of the county of
Caithness, had penetrated into Ross-shire and planted their abodes in the
richest parts of the county. The Danes also invaded the county, but
neither they nor the fierce men of the north were able to retain their
hold for any length of time. The natives rose in rebellion as one man and
drove the invaders from the county. For his heroism in these conflicts
Munro of Ferindonald had all the lands lying between Dingwall and Alness
water bestowed upon him by Malcolm II. On Cromarty Hill Wallace is said to
have fought and won an important battle against the English, while the
conquering hand of Cromwell left its print at Fortrose, where, as already
stated, he destroyed a fine cathedral. Probably the most important of all
the battles known to have been fought in the county was that between the
armies of the gallant Montrose and the Commonwealth, which was fought in
1650 at Craigcaomeadharn, in the parish of Kincardine. Here Montrose
sustained a dreadful defeat, and having been captured, he was conveyed to
Edinburgh and executed. Much as the county suffered from the battles which
were necessitated by the ambitious interference of foreigners, probably
quite as much bloodshed was caused, and as much damage done to property,
by unfortunate feuds which were every now and again breaking out among the
native rival clans. For several hundreds of years, however, the social
atmosphere of Ross-shire has been clear and tranquil; and since the
beginning of the sixteenth century the county has been gradually moving
onwards in the van of progress. Just about the time the Danes and Norsemen
were perpetrating their wild outrages against the untutored natives of the
East, a band of monks from Iona, and headed by St Malrube, with more
peaceful purpose landed on the west coast among the Applecross Hills; and
at Boat Cove, in that district, they founded a monastery, which, says a
recent writer, "shed the first genial rays of Christianity over the
heathenism of the West." The centre of the Christian colony then formed is
still distinguished by a stone cross; while it is said by some that the
remains of an old burying ground, which are seen in one of the small
islands of Loch Maree, mark the spot where the good St Malrube lived and
died. From this they argue that Loch Maree took its name from St Malrube.
It is more probable, however, that the name of this magnificent sheet of
water was derived from a St Maree, who came direct from Iona and took up
his residence in one of the small islets at the north end of the loch.
Since the advent of the present century the
social condition of the people throughout the counties generally has
improved very much indeed. The working class are better fed, better
housed, better educated, and better remunerated for their labour; and, on
the whole, it must be said that the working population of Ross and
Cromarty is in a very satisfactory and comfortable condition. The
educational machinery in several of the districts on the west coast and in
Lewis was for long very inferior and incomplete—a Gaelic teacher, with a
salary of L.15 or L.20 a year, being the only educational luminary some of
the parishes could boast of. The Education (Scotland) Act, however, has
supplied all these wants, and, with such liberal encouragement as is now
given by Parliament, education in the Highlands should soon reach a very
different degree of quality from that at which it has for so long-been
stationary. A large number of very fine new schools have been built
throughout the counties during the past two or three years, and a whole
host of highly certificated teachers have been introduced. The landlords
of Ross and Cromarty are thoroughly intelligent, liberal minded, practical
men, many of them enthusiastic agriculturists; while the farmers,
generally speaking, are shrewd, independent, industrious, and painstaking.
A good deal of southern blood has been infused into the eastern districts
during the past fifty or sixty years, by far the majority of the larger
arable farms in the counties, as well as a good many extensive sheep runs,
being held by gentlemen hailing from the south or southeastern counties of
Scotland. The natives are quiet, easy-going, kind-hearted, contented
people, of high moral character, and very fair intelligence. Gaelic, broad
Scotch, and the purest of English are all heard in curious confusion in
every district of the county. In Easter Ross the labouring classes only
speak Gaelic, but on the west coast the Celtic language still stands
supreme. Many hundreds of the natives in fact cannot speak a single word
of English, though the young people have for a few years been regarding it
as an essential branch of their education to become acquainted with the
English language. The Gaelic schools, of course, have been undermined by
the Education Act, but still, so fondly do some of the more clannish of
the inhabitants lean towards the language of their own early youth and of
their forefathers, that a good many of the old Gaelic teachers have been
reinstated in small temporary schools, old grain barns and the like.
Ross-shire has a large battalion of Rifle Volunteers, while Stornoway and
Cromarty have each an Artillery battery. The two counties also contribute
largely to the Caithness, Sutherland, and Ross Rifle Militia.
Climate.
When the high northern latitude is taken into
account, the climate of Ross and Cromarty must be regarded as most
wonderfully mild. It varies a good deal in the different districts, being
dry and mild on the east coast and very moist on the west. The mean annual
temperature over the whole of both counties which has been put down at
46°, varies very little, but the duration of summer heat on the east coast
is greater than on the west coast; where, on the other hand, the winters
are slightly warmer, but, in the northern parts at least, marked by
heavier falls of snow than on the east. The mean temperature in the Lewis
of the four months—November, December, January, and February—is about 39°,
and that of the other eight months about 49°. The rainfall in the west
usually ranges from 35 to 70 inches, in the Lewis from 30 to 50 inches;
and in the east from 20 to 30 inches. This remarkable difference in the
rainfall between the east and west coasts is easily accounted for. During
eight months of the whole year the winds blow from between the points
south-west and north-west, and consequently have to travel over the
Atlantic Ocean. In their course over such an immense tract of water they
become charged with moisture, which, on striking against the rugged hills
of the west, they discharge in the shape of rain. The higher floating
clouds that are carried on the westerly winds are attracted by Ben Wyvis
and the other more elevated summits in the county, and are led away along
the mountainous range into the wilds of Sutherland; and thus the moisture
that comes with the westerly winds is spent among the hills on the west
before reaching the lower levels of the east. Again, the winds that play
right into the east coast have only a limited stretch of water to pass
over, and thus they bring very little moisture with them. These easterly
winds, however, blow over the coldest regions of Europe, and though they
are much drier they are considerably colder than the westerly winds, which
are raised in temperature by their passage across the Atlantic. The
easterly winds are invariably bitterly cold, and when they prevail in
spring the young crops frequently sustain heavy damage by their blasting
influence. It is the proverbial mildness of these westerly winds that
accounts for the temperature on the west coast being higher during winter
than on the east. In the districts of Balmacarra, Strome Ferry, and other
parts on the south-western borders of the county, snow seldom if ever
falls, and when it does it never lies for any length of time. Here it
rains almost always, as may be seen from the fact that the rainfall at
Loch Alsh in 1875 reached the enormous depth of 6 feet 9 inches.
In Easter Ross the climate is probably as
favourable for agricultural purposes as in any of the more southern parts
of the kingdom. The exposure in the main is southern, the soil chiefly a
rich kindly loam with good subsoil, while its proximity to the genial
waters of the ocean renders the atmosphere around it humid, mild, and
equable. The climatic characteristics of Easter Ross and of the better
parts of Morayshire are very similar, and seed-time and harvest usually
begin and end about the same days in both districts. The soils, too, have
many similarities, though there is probably not so much stiff unmanageable
clay in Easter Ross as there is in the "Laich o' Moray." Harvest in Easter
Ross usually begins about the second or third week of August, though of
course exceptionally wet or dry seasons cause considerable variation in
the exact date of commencement. On some of the earlier farms it began in
1876 about the 17th or 18th of August, and was completed about the 16th of
September. Complaints were made towards the end of the eighteenth century
that the climate of Ross and Cromarty was gradually becoming worse. About
the advent of the present century it was argued that garden, fruit, and
grain crops were well-nigh a fortnight later of ripening than some twenty
or thirty years previous to that. In his admirable survey of the counties
drawn up in 1808, Sir George Mackenzie records a statement he had heard
that during the first half of the eighteenth century it was no uncommon
thing for new meal to be exposed for sale at Contin Fair, which was held
on the 1st of September, and adds— "If our corn looks ready for the sickle
then we reckon ourselves very fortunate." He also says that about 1796 he
had ripe peaches sent to his shooting quarters from the open wall in the
month of August; while he adds—"I have not had them well ripened since
till the middle of September, sometimes later, and often not at all."
Whatever may have been the cause of that decline, or what its duration, we
do not know; but there is not the least doubt that since the advent of the
present century the climate at least of the east coast has improved very
considerably. Originally the eastern districts of Ross and Cromarty were
intersected with numerous small lochs and swampy bogs, but since Sir
George Mackenzie wrote his survey almost all these have been drained and
brought under cultivation. The old land has also been drained over and
over again, and this, combined with extensive planting, has made the
climate of the east coast warmer, more equable, and drier than it had ever
been before. It would be no uncommon thing now to have new meal ready for
the market by the beginning of September, or even a little earlier than
that; while in a moderately warm year open-air peaches might be had for
the table about the end of August. Snow seldom lies to any great depth or
for any length of time on the east coast; and it is only on rare occasions
that the crops suffer any damage during the harvest operations. The whole
of the harvest work is often finished about the third week of September,
and thus a long, open autumn is available for the "ora" work of the farm.
Ploughing is often commenced about the middle of September, and before the
winter is fairly set in the whole of the stubble land, or at least the
greater part of it, is invariably in the black furrow. Winter is an easy
time with the Easter Ross farmers, and in an ordinary year there is less
stir and bustle in spring than in most of the other counties in the north
of Scotland. The land is usually in working order very early in spring,
and with such a long autumn and such an open winter it is only what might
be expected that the work of the farm is usually well advanced by the time
the snowy months have passed away. The greater proportion of the wheat
break is sown in autumn, and this of course also tends to lessen the work
in spring. On the Cromarty lands, in the Black Isle, in the Contin
district, and in Mid-Ross, which lie northwards, the climate is not quite
so warm as in Easter Ross proper, and harvest is usually from a week to
ten days later of being begun. The breadth of arable land on the west
coast is very small, but on what does exist the harvest is generally about
a fortnight later. The crops grow well in bulk, but the mean heat during
summer being less than on the east coast they do not flower so
satisfactorily as they do there, and are much slower in arriving at
maturity. The heavy rains of the west also interfere very much with the
drying of the grain after it has been reaped. The climate of the west
coast does not suit wheat or barley, and consequently little but oats are
grown in these parts, the earliest varieties of course being preferred.
The soil on some parts of the west coast is found to be admirably adapted
for barley, but the amount of sunshine usually enjoyed in these parts is
much too little for this variety of grain. Snow falls heavily among the
higher hills on the west coast, and when the wind happens to be high
during a fall of snow the drifting is indeed terrific. Immense wreaths
collect in the sheltered places, and occasionally considerable loss is
sustained by flock owners by numbers of their sheep being smothered in
these snowy accumulations.
The following table shows the rainfall at
various points throughout the two counties in 1875:—
Geology—Soil.
A complete technical account of the geology of
a county is not absolutely necessary in connection with a survey of its
agriculture. So largely, however, is soil influenced and regulated by the
rocks which underlie it that we shall offer a few sentences regarding
these, avoiding technicalities as much as possible. Speaking generally, it
may be said that all over the east coast, including the Black Isle, Mid
Ross, and Easter Ross proper, the prevailing formation is what we may call
Hugh Miller's Old Red Sandstone. That illustrious geologist was not only
born amidst the Old Red in its most perfect form, but also learned in
after years to make practical use of its blocks. It was around the little
northern burgh which gave him birth that he made his first geological
observations; and in the racy, fascinating sketches which he has given to
the world of his painstaking researches, he has provided an account of the
geology of the northern counties generally, and of Ross and Cromarty in
particular, that will suffice for all time coming. While the Old Red is
undoubtedly the prevailing formation on the east coast, it is greatly
broken up and intersected in several districts by irregular blocks of
granite-gneiss, quartz, hornblende, and other rocks of the primitive
layers. Large unshapely masses of conglomerate occur here and there all
over the east, diversifying the soil and lending an irregular rugged
appearance to the surface. The Old Red is probably found in the most
perfect form in the Black Isle, which in fact consists mainly of a series
of sandstone ridges intervened by extensive valleys covered with rich
fertile soil. The ridges are composed of hard red sandstone, intermixed
here and there with impure granite conglomerate. The two higher ridges
were for many years (by some even yet) regarded as belonging to the New
Bed Sandstone formation, but important discoveries of fossils which Hugh
Miller made at Cromarty have assigned for them an everlasting place among
the ridges of the Old Red. At the eastern termination of these ridges, and
to the north-east of the village of Avoch, a large granite ridge has been
upheaved from below the sandstone formation, making the configuration of
the neighbourhood extremely irregular. The sandstone formations stretch
away into the lower parts of the parishes of Contin, Fodderty, and
Dingwall, and is covered in some parts with a strong reddish clay. In the
higher lying parts of these, and, in fact, in all the parishes running
back into the hills, the prevailing formation is gneiss mixed with its
subordinate rocks. In the neighbourhood of Strathpeffer there is a good
deal of dark calcareo-bituminous schist, soft and foliated, and mixed with
beds of shale and substance resembling coal, but which has been found to
be a "slaggy mineral pitch." The parishes of Alness, Logie, and Kilmuir
Easter rest almost entirely on sandstone, with here and there unshapely
heights of granite conglomerate, gneiss, and coarse quartz rock. Ironstone
also exists in considerable quantities among the gneiss rocks, and a
sample dug from the Alness district was analysed and found to contain 75
per cent. of iron. In Urquhart and Logie Wester the Old Red abounds very
largely; and here, as in several other parts of the counties, freestone is
quarried extensively for building purposes, both at home and in
neighbouring counties. On the higher lands of Nigg a good deal of granite,
gneiss, and schistose limestone is mixed with the sandstone; and to
Rosskeen, Tain, and Edderton similar remarks may be applied. In Fearn and
Tarbat the sandstone strata are more complete, and the surface and soil
more uniform than in most of the other parishes. Unfortunately very little
limestone is found to exist among the rocks on the east coast, though it
is very abundant on the west. One small vein only has been found. Starting
at the Soutars of Cromarty, it runs through the district in the direction
of Tarbat Point, and is visible among the precipitous sandstone rocks
which bind in the Moray Firth at Geanies. This vein is very small, in some
places not more than 10 or 12 inches thick, but, nevertheless (to
appropriate a remark of the late lamented Mr Kenneth Murray of Geanies),
it may be regarded as "the mother of the beautiful white clover that grows
so richly in Easter Ross."
In Kincardine granite and whinstone abound,
while with few exceptions the formation among the hills on the west is
gneiss, mixed or alternating with mica schist, quartz rock, ironstone, and
mountain limestone; the latter exists in great abundance, and is
extensively used for agricultural purposes. The Old Red, however, is not
altogether wanting even on the west, for at Apple-cross, Lochcarron,
Gairloch, and Lochbroom considerable quantities of it are seen. Iron was
at one time quarried in the Gairloch district; but the only fuel at hand
was the natural wood, and when it became exhausted the work was abandoned.
True to the general characteristics of Old Red
Sandstone districts, the surface of Ross and Cromarty is diversified and
irregular. Around Tarbatness, for instance, where the strata are pretty
complete and unbroken by trap upheavals, the surface is flat and bare, and
the soil light and fertile; while in the Black Isle, in the parish of Nigg,
and in other parts where there are marks of trap eruptions and heights of
hard conglomerate, the surface is very irregular and uneven—in the words
of Dr Page, "here rising in rounded heights, there sinking in easy
undulations; now swelling in sunny slopes, and anon retiring in winding
glens or rounded valley-basins of great beauty and fertility." The soil
which usually overlies the Old Red Sandstone is light loam, almost
approaching clay, and invariably the subsoil is composed of sand, gravel,
and friable clay, these in fact being the debris of the formation.
Speaking generally, the soil of Ross and Cromarty corresponds closely to
what might be looked for above their geological formation; but as it is
not the underlying formation alone that regulates the soil, it is only
natural to expect several deviations from the general rule. On the Black
Isle the soil varies a good deal. On the centre ridge, on what was once
Mulbine Common, the soil is very light and gravelly, and on many parts the
underlying rocks come very close to the surface. Dry seasons do much
damage here; in fact, in a very dry year, such as 1868, almost every well
along the top of the isle becomes dry. In the basins between the ridges,
and along the coast the whole way round, the prevailing soil is rich black
loam and fine clay, lying on sand or gravel on the lower flats, and on
firm clay on the slopes. A hard irony pan divides the soil from the
subsoil in some parts, but where it could possibly be done this has been
cured by substantial trench ploughing. A good deal of the land facing the
Cromarty Firth lies on a bed of stiff reddish clay, reaching in some
places as much as 100 feet in depth. On the land sloping south-west
towards Dingwall and Conan, the soil is principally a light sandy loam on
an open bottom, very fertile and easily cultivated. On the land around
Dingwall, and between the town and Conan, there is a deep deposit of loam
with a large admixture of clay, very suitable for the growth of wheat, but
demanding great care in the cultivation. If well manured, timely
cultivated, and well seeded, it seldom fails to yield a good crop. The
soil on the lower parts of the rising land in this district is clayey
also, but the admixture of it being smaller, the land is more easily
cultivated than on the level below, and is suitable for the growth of all
kinds of crops. The higher cultivated land is mountain clay or moorish
soil. The former becomes good soil with long continued good treatment, but
the latter is very difficult to improve. In the Contin district the soil
varies from strong clayed loam to light friable mould. In the valley of
Strathpeffer, also, the soil varies a good deal. On the higher land on the
north side of the valley the soil is excellent reddish loam, with a very
little clay amongst it. On the low land on the same side the soil is mossy
mould on a blue clay subsoil. On the high land on the south side the soil
is a soft fibrous red clay, while on the low land on the same side the
soil is composed chiefly of moss and gravel. The land on the farm of
Fodderty in this valley affords a very striking illustration of what we
hold to be a curious fact, viz., that, speaking generally for the northern
counties of Scotland, the soil as a rule is heavier and richer on land
with a northern and north-eastern exposure than on land lying to the south
or south-west. Mr Arras, the enterprising tenant of Fodderty, finds that
while turnips grow a much heavier crop on the north side than on the
south, grain varies still more. On the north side barley yields 5½
quarters per acre, and weighs about 56 lbs. per bushel; while on the south
side the yield is seldom much over 4 quarters, and the weight usually
about 54 lbs. Wheat and oats show almost a like difference, oats even a
little more in weight. Between Dingwall and Alness the soil varies a good
deal. Close to the Firth some of it is very rich loam, while on the
heights a short distance inland light shingly loam prevails. On the
Ardross property around Alness, the soil varies from light black loam to
heavy brown loam nearly 2 feet deep, lying on arenaceous clay. Between
Alness and Invergordon, and throughout the parishes of Kilmuir, Easter and
Logie Easter, the soil is mainly light, sharp loam, lying on clay or
gravel, and here and there very close on the sandstone rock. While some
patches are very light and shingly, on the other there are a good many
fields of heavy rich black loam. The west end of the parish of Nigg is
covered to the depth of nearly 2 feet with light drifting sand, which on
being removed, is found to overlie a deposit of the very richest of black
loam. Tradition tells us that previous to the 17th century, the west end
of Nigg was one of the most fertile and best cultivated parts of
Ross-shire, and that like Culbin, near Forres, and Morichmore, near Tain,
the whole was buried by drifting sand in one single night. Loam
predominates through the remainder of the parish, but here and there
strong clay takes its place. The soil on the bank land in some parts
varies from 3 to 4 feet of the finest of alluvial loam lying on the red
sandstone, and unless in exceptionally bad years, it never fails to yield
excellent crops. The soil in the adjoining parish of Fearn is also of very
fine quality and much of the same texture as in the better parts of Nigg.
On the estate of Allan, and about the farm of Cullis, the soil is mainly
strong adhesive clay, with a slight admixture on the rising parts of
vegetable loam. In the parish of Tarbat the prevailing soil is light
fertile loam, lying chiefly on the Old Bed Sandstone, but some of it also
on gravel and boulder clay. A good deal of inferior land lies in the
parish of Tain, the soil being light and scarce, and resting on a firm
impenetrable irony pan. What of the soil is good consists chiefly of mixed
loam lying on clay. Throughout this parish, and in fact here and there
over the whole of the arable land in both counties, numerous large
water-worn granitic boulders are found embedded in the soil. These
boulders belong to the primitive formations, and, like the many huge
pieces of granite of similar shape that are occasionally found in the
Lothians of Scotland, must have been carried thither from the hills by
icebergs during the glacial period. Along the coast from Tain to Edderton
the soil is very light, and lies mostly on a sandy bottom. About
Invercarron and Bonar Bridge there are a few fields of very fine alluvial
land, yielding rich returns of all kinds of crops. On the small pieces of
arable land that do exist on the west coast, the soil is not heavy but
wonderfully fertile. As already stated, the whole of the island of Lewis
was originally covered with moss, and the greater portion of the flatter
parts is still in the same condition, except on the sea coast and borders
of sea lochs, where the crofts and farms are situated. In the course of
centuries the moss close to the inhabited parts of Lewis has been cut away
for fuel, and now there are considerable tracts on both sides of the
island cleared of it. It is on the gravelly, strong subsoil thus laid bare
that agriculture is chiefly carried on, the exceptions being where pieces
of moss or sand near the seashore are wrought for crops.
The Farming and Social Customs of Olden Times.
All things are judged by comparison, and
therefore before proceeding to detail the farming of Ross and Cromarty, as
now carried on, it might not be out of place to devote a few pages to the
systems of agriculture that prevailed from fifty to a hundred years ago.
The ancient agriculture of Ross and Cromarty is fully described in Sir
John Sinclair's "Statistical Account of Scotland," and in "A Survey of
Ross-shire," drawn up for the Board of Agriculture by Sir George Stewart
Mackenzie, Bart., about the year 1808, and published in 1810. Much,
however, as is given in these admirable volumes, we are able to supplement
them with a few original notes on the "golden past." We have been favoured
with an old interesting manuscript, written at various times during his
life, by the late Mr John Wallace, who died two years ago at the advanced
age of ninety-three years, and who was for a very long time an extensive
farmer in the parish of Rosskeen. We subjoin the following extracts from
this manuscript:—
Farming Customs.
"My father, John Wallace, had the farms of
Culrane and Gushack for thirteen years, from 1779 to 1792, at a rent of
140 bolls, part barley and part meal; and duties of money, peats, and
hens. At that time he had no 'coup' (box) carts, and neither mattock nor
spade. For driving the manure to the land he had a kind of cart and a
basket of wicker-work. The wheels of the cart were constructed of three
sticks, six inches in diameter, which were crossed and fixed in the centre
by an axle that turned with the wheels on 'tum'lers,' as they were called.
Stones as well as manure were conveyed in these carts, and they would
carry a heavy load. The wicker-basket cost one shilling, and would last
for two years. For carrying home peats, and leading corn, he made a very
simple cart of two long shafts, with cross sticks in the bottom, and
standing rungs with top rails. As soon as the crop was put in, these carts
were taken off the 'tum'lers' and put into some shed until the peats
should be ready for carrying home, when they were used again. All the
carriage of corn, meal, and potatoes was done in bags on horseback. Going
to the mill, seven or eight horse would be tied in a row, the one to the
other's tail, with halters made of horse-hair. A boy led the first horse,
while two men were employed in keeping the bags from falling. My father
had three ploughs, and six oxen to each plough. The ploughs were made by
himself almost entirely of wood, all the iron used being a strong culter,
a sock, and a large hook fixed at the point of the beam, with a 'stepple'
and a few-nails, which were required to fix the clading (or mould-board)
of deals. When the oxen were strong, the ploughs would work as well as any
made for many years after, and would turn over a deeper furrow. The
harrows were made of birch, with five rungs across through the ' bills.'
He had no grapes, only two large forks; and in place of a mattock, he had
a croman or half-mattock, like a pluck for turnips, but much larger. For a
spade, he had a large wooden shovel, mounted with iron at the point and up
both sides. The dung was allowed to lie in the byres for a week, and then
it was carried to the ' midden' on a wheelbarrow, or sometimes on a
two-handed barrow, such as used by masons. Women took part in all the farm
work, except ploughing, thrashing, and carrying bags. Neither clover nor
turnips were grown, but there would be about sixteen bolls of potatoes.
The work in summer, after sowing the barley, about the 20th of May, was
first to cut peats, and then to make ' middens' for next year's barley.
These 'middens' were made of soil cut from the outlying land, mixed with
the manure of horses and cattle. Horses or cattle got very little corn;
but when any of the cattle were weak about end of spring or beginning of
summer, they got sheaves of oats in the morning. At that time there were
very few large farms. On the farm of Millcraig [Mr Wallace himself
occupied Millcraig and Nonekiln for many years up till 1851] about 1760
there were eight tenants and ten ploughs, with sixty animals; now three
ploughs are sufficient. On the farm of Nonekiln I saw seven tenants and
nine ploughs; three ploughs are now sufficient. On Rosebank I saw three
tenants and four ploughs; two ploughs are now sufficient. In my young days
the large farm of Newmore was occupied by Mr Alexander Ross or M'Findlay
and his two sons, the rent being X.80 and 80 bolls of grain. He and his
sons were altogether of the old school. He had eight horses carrying home
his peats, the carts used being the 'rung carts' with the ' tum'lers.'
There was not so much as a pin of iron about the harness of the eight
horses. For shoulder-chains and 'hems,' birch wands were used instead of
iron. I remember well to have seen a pair of horses passing Nonekiln with
furniture from Strathcarron to Inverness, and to have observed that there
was not a single link or pin of iron about the horses or the cart. The
traces (the draught chains) -were made of deerskin, and were very tough
and strong. The collars used on horses at that time were made of ropes of
straw twined threefold. These would last about a year; but when made of
loch rushes, four feet in length, they would last two years. The farmers
made the harness themselves. In short, they made everything. There was no
need for saddlers, but weavers were numerous, and they got plenty of work
to do. There was only one merchant in the parish of Rosskeen, and it was
from him my father bought his first spade. I wondered much at it, as it
was the first spade I had ever seen."
Servants' Wages.
"Married men for the twelve months got L.4,
six bolls of meal, two days to cut peats, straw for a stirk, land for
potatoes for their own manure, land for sowing two pints of linseed, and a
small garden. Women in the half-year got ten shillings, a pair of shoes,
and land for linseed. Shearers got eighteen pecks of oatmeal by measure."
Diets of Servants.
"At breakfast, 'brochan' and peasemeal bread;
at dinner in summer, whey and bread; and in winter, potatoes and bread; at
supper, sowens or 'brochan.' There was cabbage for dinner once a-week; and
next day porridge, made of what remained of the cabbage, was taken with
butter at breakfast. My father always fed a cow, to be killed in winter;
and as long as it lasted, the servants got broth, and sometimes beef.
During winter and spring there was always plenty of home-made ale; and the
servants occasionally got ale, butter, and curds; but porridge was seldom
seen. The servants got three feasts in the year, the one on Old New
Year's-day, another when the barley was sown, and another when the
shearing was finished."
Clothing and Social Customs.
"The clothing was very simple and plain. The
men wore black knee-breeehes and bright blue coats, made by their wives.
The young men generally wore similar attire, but some had kilts. Even the
larger farmers wore broad blue bonnets, and no hats were to be seen. About
1792 some favourite sons began to get trousers, and by 1850 breeches had
almost disappeared. In my father's time no farmers' wives had prints or
cotton gowns Their gowns were of their own making, chiefly wincey. The
wives wore a small tartan shoulder-plaid, and it was considered to be
decent and matron-like for a farmer's wife to have a clean white towel
tied on her head above the 'mutch' or cap. No young ladies covered their
head until married. Their hair was their pride. It was all combed down
their shoulders, and when at work was tied at their back with tape. At the
marriage ceremony the bride was always covered with a scarlet plaid; and
if she had not one of her own, she got the loan of one. The gatherings at
marriages were usually very large, and there was music and dancing on four
nights; on Thursday night, at the feet washing; on Friday night, after the
marriage; on Saturday evening and part of the day; and again on Tuesday,
at what was called the 'home wedding.' "
Memorable Years.
Under this heading Mr Wallace has a number of
very interesting notes on great events of national as well as local
importance. Referring to the remarkably wet year of 1782, which was called
the "Black Year," he says, "there was scarcely a dry day during the whole
spring, while summer and autumn were also very wet. The crop was late and
miserably poor, in fact the greater portion of it never ripened at all. Mr
Calder, the minister of Rosskeen, was paid in grain, and all he got that
year was 16 bolls of barley from my father, and those 16 bolls scarcely
made 8 bolls of meal. Many cattle died in the spring, but none of the
inhabitants succumbed to the hardships of the famine. I was told, however,
that many deaths would have occurred had it not been that cargoes of white
pease (which had been intended for the troops engaged in the American war,
but which on the announcement of peace were sent northwards) came to
Ross-shire, and the pease distributed among the more needful. My father
was present at the distribution. The following year was as singularly dry
as 1782 was exceptionally wet. The crop was very early, some of it having
been stored by the end of August; but, owing to the inferior quality of
much of the seed of the crop of 1782, the general yield was very poor.
Many farmers fell in arrears, and some of them never got over it." The
year 1792 was quite as remarkable in Ross-shire, though from a different
cause. A few years before this sheep-farming was begun in the county of
Ross, and the natives believing that this innovation would compromise
their comforts and privileges, began about this year to display formidable
opposition to the movement. Mr Wallace says:—"The native farmers,
tradesmen, and labourers, resolved to gather the whole stock of sheep in
Sutherland and Ross and drive them over the southern borders into
Inverness-shire. Accordingly, the arrangements for the outrage against
sheep farmers were made known by proclamation at the church doors. A mob
of people met, and having collected above 10,000 sheep, they were
proceeding with their flock along the heights of the parish of Alness,
when they learned that Colonel Sir Hector Munro of Novar was on his way
from Fort George with a company of the 42d Highlanders to suppress their
depredations. The sheep gatherers dispersed immediately, but a good many
were apprehended and tried in the Circuit Court at Inverness. Two were
transported, but the others got off with imprisonment. The commencement of
this affair was as follows:— Captain Allan Cameron and his brother
Alexander Cameron took the farms of Tyrish and Culcraigie, along with the
extensive grazing of Gildermorry on the heights of Alness. The cattle of
the Ardross tenants had previously been grazed all summer on Gildermorry,
and having wandered back to their old pastures, the Camerons poinded them,
and enclosed them in a large fank which they had built for the purpose.
That day the Ardross tenants were hearty at a wedding at Strathriesdale,
but on hearing what had happened to their cattle they proceeded in a body
to Gildermorry, where an ugly fight took place between them and the
Camerons. And thus the feeling against the introduction of sheep-farming
waxed into wrath and displayed itself as already noticed." The year 1800
seems to have been a very dry year, scarcely a single drop of rain having
fallen during the whole summer. Mr Wallace says:—"The crop was not half an
average one in bulk, but so far as it went it was good. Barley brought
50s., oatmeal 48s., and potatoes 40s. per boll." The year 1811 was very
wet, and the greater portion of the crop dreadfully damaged. Mr Wallace
got 54s. per boll for his barley that year. The crops of 1816 and 1817
were also bad, oatmeal being about 40s. per boll, while in 1836 Mr
Wallace's whole crop would scarcely pay his rent.
Mr Wallace's notes give a pretty good idea of
how farming was carried on, and how people lived throughout the counties
generally, about a hundred years ago, and now we shall add a few sentences
regarding the state of matters during the first fifty-years of the present
century. Previous to the advent of the present century no regular system
of rotation seems to have been observed, while not a single turnip, and
only a very little wheat, were grown. Barley, oats, and potatoes were
almost the only crops cultivated. The acreage under grain was small, and
even on the larger farms there were only three stacks,—one for the laird,
one for seed and sale, and one for family use; the barn being filled first
of all. In these days there were no direct roads through the counties, and
no convenient means of getting grain or anything else exported to distant
markets. The implements in common use on the farms and crofts were very
little, if any, improved till well into the present century, while the
ancient and unprofitable system of over-stocking farms with cattle and
horses was totally abolished only some forty or fifty years ago. Sir
George S. Mackenzie states that he has frequently seen on a Highland farm
two working animals for each acre, and gives the following interesting
particulars regarding one notable case:— "Thirty acres were occupied by
two men, who had large families. They possessed the land not in run-rig,
but in common. Both exerted themselves in cultivating the fields, and they
agreed respecting a particular but very irregular rotation of crops, and
divided the produce equally between them. They paid about fifteen
shillings per acre. On this farm were kept ten horses and six head of
cattle, besides young beasts. The land was remarkably full of weeds of all
sorts. After the cattle had done ploughing they were turned upon the field
on which they had been working, in order that they might feed upon the
weeds which had been turned up. I never observed that they got any sort of
food during the day, except a small quantity of oats just before they went
to work. At night the horses and cattle were turned to some patches of
waste ground to pick up a miserable pittance of grass. During the summer
months the animals were sent to graze on some bare hills; the horses being
brought down when the peats were ready for storing, and sent back as soon
as the fuel was got home. When the corn was ready to be taken from the
fields the whole stock was brought home and allowed to range on the
stubbles. No grass seeds were ever sown; the whole farm was under wretched
crops of oats and barley. Three or four, and not unfrequently five crops
of oats followed each other in succession; and when barley was sown with
manure three or four crops of oats followed. No greater quantity of
potatoes was planted but what was barely sufficient to answer the home
demand. During the winter the horses and cattle were fed on straw, but
sparingly. The straw was always very short, and from the system of
management just described it will readily be believed that the quantity
was not very great, and hardly enough to keep six black cattle and ten
horses alive during seven months of the year." The cattle reared in those
days were West Highlanders of an inferior class, and the niggardly way in
which (over the whole north) they were usually fed during winter was
simply shameful. About a hundred years ago, in fact, the provender
available for cattle during winter was so very limited in quantity and
inferior in quality that it was regarded as no mean achievement for
farmers to be able to feed their cattle during the snowy months, so that
when spring came they might have sufficient physical firmness left to
enable them to walk to the hill grazings without first undergoing special
treatment for the journey! As mentioned by Mr Wallace, those animals that
were so weak as to be unable to walk to the hills were fed for a week or
two on sheaves of oats. Feeding, as the term is now understood, was
unknown then. We were told an anecdote the other day of an English lady
having come to take up her residence in Easter Ross about the beginning of
the present century, and having got so awfully horrified at discovering
that the only kind of beef to be had in the county was that of old cows,
that she immediately repacked her "goods and chattels," and betook herself
to the more genial south, where she might feast on the "roast beef of Old
England."
The ancient farm horses of Ross and Cromarty
were the broad low-set "garrons," while the native sheep was of the Kerry
breed, little, and very slow in growth. About the year 1764, Sir John
Lockhart Ross of Balnagown began to turn his attention to sheep-farming,
took one of his sheep-farms on his estate into his own hands and stocked
it with Blackfaced sheep, which he purchased at Linton market. Strong
opposition was shown to Sir John in this scheme, but though he suffered
heavy losses at the outset he persevered, and by the lessons he taught and
the encouragement he held out to others, that extensive system of sheep
farming which has made Ross-shire so famous was fairly inaugurated. The
rise and progress of the movement deserves more than a mere passing
notice, but that had better be done while treating of sheep-farming as a
special subject.
During the first fifty years of the present
century it is not too much to say that the agricultural and social customs
of Ross and Cromarty were completely revolutionised. Large tracts of land
were reclaimed, draining and fencing were executed extensively, new
dwelling-houses and farm-steadings were built, roads were made, improved
farm implements were introduced, threshing-mills brought into the country,
a regular and systematic course of cropping was adopted, artificial
manures introduced; the barley, oats, and potatoes of the olden times
supplemented by wheat, turnips, and clover; better horses, better cattle,
and better sheep were bred; and, in short, almost every trace of the
primitive simplicity and rude barbarities of the feudalistic times were
abolished for ever.. We cannot, of course, go into detail on these
gigantic changes, but we may transcribe from the report on the parish of
Tarbat in Sir John Sinclair's "Statistical Account of Scotland" the
following remarks regarding the introduction of modern husbandry into
Ross-shire:—"In the year 1798 the farm of Meikle Tarrel in the parish was
taken on a nineteen years' lease by a farmer [Mr George Mackenzie] who had
studied the most approved mode of agriculture in East Lothian. The farm,
which then consisted of about 250 acres of arable land, was occupied by
several small tenants, whose lands were in a state of wretchedness, and
their house afforded accommodation for neither man nor beast. This farmer
brought with him horses and implements of husbandry of the very best
description from the south, as also farm servants of his own training.
This was the first introduction of modern husbandry into this part of the
country, from which the introducer obtained the name of Farmer George. In
bringing his system into practice he had at first to contend with many
deep-rooted prejudices. Even the proprietor could not then understand how
his interests were to be forwarded by encouraging his tenants. In the
first place, a dwelling-house was to be built, as also a set of suitable
offices, houses, and a thrashing-mill and garden, &c, enclosed. All this
was done at the farmer's own expense, without any assistance from the
proprietor, and at an outlay of L.1500. The soil being good, and the new
system bringing it into favourable operation, the farmer soon began to
reap the reward of his expense and labours, and in the seventh year after
his entry he had the satisfaction of obtaining for his wheat and oats the
highest price in Mark Lane—circumstances which dissipated the opposition
of prejudice, and raised up a spirit of imitation." Almost simultaneously
with Mr Mackenzie, Mr George Middleton came north from England, and began
farming in the parish of Cromarty. Mr Middleton, whose grandsons now farm
so extensively in Ross-shire, erected the first thrashing-mill used in
this part of the country, and exported the first wheat. Among the others
who took part in the early improvement of the agriculture of Ross and
Cromarty may be mentioned Mr Mackenzie of Allan Grange, Captain Munro of
Teanich, Mr Rose of Glastulich, Mr Cockburn Ross of Shand-wick, Mr
Mackenzie of Hilton, Sir Hector Munro of Novar, Mr Macleod of Geanies,
Lord Seaforth, Major F. Mackenzie of Fod-derty, Mr Mackay of Rockfield, Mr
Reid of Kinnairdy, the Rev. Mr Mackenzie of Fodderty, Mr Archibald Dudgeon
(a native of East Lothian), and Captain Rose of Bindhill.
Progress of the Past Twenty-five Tears.
Probably the second twenty-five years of the
present century saw quite as much improvement effected in the counties of
Ross and Cromarty as the past twenty years have seen—much, indeed, as that
has been. As already hinted, the spirit of improvement began to dawn about
the advent of the nineteenth century, and by the end of the first quarter
a wonderful amount had been accomplished; in fact, by 1825, the better
favoured parts of the counties could boast of agriculture of the highest
description. A faint idea will be had of what condition some of the better
farms were in about that time, when it is mentioned that at a sale which
the late Mr Dudgeon had at his farm of Arboll in 1824, he obtained L.84
for an entire horse, L.52, 10s. for a son of that horse, L.52, 10s. for a
saddle mare, L.25 for a Highland fat cow, L.50 for one Highland bull, and
L.40 for another; while be refused L.100 for a riding pony, and L.75 for a
six-year-old ox that had been feeding for three years. Wheat was unknown
at the beginning of the century, and by 1825, or thereby, it had become
the staple product of several districts. Advanced, however, as the
agriculture was in these times on a few of the finer farms, there was
still much room for improvement throughout the counties generally, and it
was during the next twenty-five or thirty years that the rougher and
probably the larger part of that much-needed improvement was effected.
While in its virgin state the land, or at least the main portion of it,
was wet and swampy, and before it could be cultivated with profit it had
to be thoroughly drained, and many hundreds of acres of it trenched at a
cost per acre of from L.10 to L.20, and in some cases even L.25; and, in
addition to all this, a complete new set of houses had to be built, roads
had to be made, fences erected, and other odds and ends carried out, so
that the cost of early improvements in Ross and Cromarty was indeed very
high. The landlords and tenants, however, were fully aware of the natural
richness of their country, and undaunted by the immense outlay, they
laboured on industriously until they had accomplished their end—the
raising of Ross and Cromarty to a prominent position among the best
cultivated counties in the kingdom. Some of them may have lost money by
their laudable exertions; but if such was the case, they at least had the
satisfaction of leaving their beautiful country better than they found it.
Those who commenced farming, or obtained the possession of land about
1850, found the counties in a very different state from that in which they
were discovered by Mr George Mackenzie and Mr George Middleton when they
settled at Tarbat and Cromarty respectively, exactly fifty years prior to
that. But even at 1850 all that was desired had not been effected. There
was still a corner of the web to weave, and how thoroughly that work has
been accomplished we hope, further on, to be able to show.
Details of the reclamations and other
improvements of recent years will be given afterwards; and here a general
resume only shall be offered. The agricultural returns when first taken up
in 1854 were rather incomplete, and in Ross and Cromarty, as in several
other Highland counties, all holdings rented under L.20 were excluded from
the returns. Correct comparison with twenty-five or thirty years ago is
therefore not very easily obtained. It has been calculated that about
twenty years ago there were close on 6000 tenants in Ross and Cromarty
paying under L.20 of rent, and that their arable areas averaged about 3
acres, which would give an area of 18,000 acres of arable land not
included in the Agricultural Returns. This may be accepted as pretty
nearly correct, and accordingly the arable area in Ross and Cromarty in
1854, on holdings paying L.20 and upwards of annual rent, was 69,919
acres, and on small holdings 18,000—total, 87,919 acres. Compared with the
present day the figures stand thus—
Arable area in 1854, - 87,919
Arable area in 1876, - 124,826
Increase in 22 years, - 36,807
Taking it for granted that the three years
immediately preceding 1854 were as industrious in the march of improvement
as an average of those years that have since elapsed, we may safely put
down the number of acres reclaimed since 1850 at 41,830. This we believe
to be a much greater breadth of land than that brought under cultivation
in any other county in Scotland in a quarter of a century; and in addition
to the reclamation of these many thousands of acres, and all the other
improvements necessary for the proper cultivation of the new land, a very
great deal has been done since 1850 in the draining, squaring up, and
fencing of old land. In fact, it may safely be said that during the past
twenty-five years every acre of arable land that did not happen to be
naturally dry enough for cultivation has been thoroughly re-drained, some
of it even twice over. For some years back great attention has been paid
to fencing, and almost every arable farm is now tolerably well provided
with fences. Wire fences predominate, but stone dykes and hedging also
exist extensively.
In the long run hedges probably form the best
fence, and also . afford the most shelter, but they are slow in growth and
troublesome to keep. Dykes are substantial, but expensive; and on the
whole it is easy to suppose that wire would gain the most favour. It is
cheap, easily moved about, and can be erected in a marvellously short
space of time. Of course, the large addition that has been made to the
arable land during the past twenty-five years has necessitated the
erection of a good many complete new sets of farm-houses; and, in addition
to these, great improvement has of late been effected on the buildings on
the old land.
The systems of cultivation have also improved
very much, while better crops of all kinds are now grown. The supply of
farm-yard manure has increased, taking value and bulk together, nearly
thirty fold during the past twenty-five or thirty years, while probably
ten times as much artificial manure is used now as there was even fifteen
or twenty years ago. When these valuable stimulants were first brought
into this country a great deal of talk and discussion was occasioned by
the high-sounding reports which were circulated as to their wonderful
fertilising powers. Guano was used extensively in several counties north
of the Tay before it reached Ross and Cromarty; and it was no uncommon
thing to hear those farmers who invested in it talked of as extravagant,
venturesome men. About the year 1844 the late Mr George Middleton, Fearn
(one of the ablest and most enterprising tenants Ross-shire could ever
boast of), and Mr Sim, Scotsburn, better known in later times as of
Drummond, agreed quietly together to invest in a ton of guano, keeping
their speculation in the dark lest they should be made sport of for their
adventurous conduct. The guano did its work most admirably, and greatly
astonished all who witnessed its wonderful effects. Small quantities of
bones had been used previous to 1844, but it was the grand success of this
quiet unostentatious experiment that gave artificial manure the first
decided hold in Ross-shire. The quantity of these fertilisers that is now
used in Ross and Cromarty every year is almost incredible. The percentage
of the arable land under turnips and potatoes is a little over sixteen,
and while very few give less than 4 cwt. to every acre under green crop a
good many exceed 7 cwt. The average all over would probably be about 5½
cwt. And beyond all this, a good many farmers speculate heavily in
top-dressing, some of them going even the length of an outlay of from L.1
to L.1, 5s. for every acre on the farm, apart from green crop land, for
top-dressing alone.
During the first fifty years of the present
century the ancient primitive-looking implements of the farm gave way
gradually to a new and more improved set; and now we find in Ross and
Cromarty the most modern agricultural implements of all kinds. The
introduction of these improved implements has not only economised labour,
but has secured better cultivation; while the native labourers
themselves—an industrious, quiet, contented lot of people—have in return
for their greatly ameliorated condition learned to execute their work with
better taste and more care than when driving the "rung" carts or "tum'lers,"
and fed on "sowens" or "brochan." Steam power also came to the aid of the
labourers some four or five years ago; and now it is employed extensively
in farm work. Through roads have been of a high class for many years, but
since 1850 a great deal has been done in the way of constructing and
improving local or service roads.
Probably the last twenty-five years have done
more in the improvement of the live stock of the farm than of any other
branch of agriculture. By the introduction of superior sires the general
standard of farm horses has been raised very considerably, while among
cattle the improvement has been still greater. In a word, it may be said
that Ross and Cromarty are not breeding but feeding counties. Eighty or a
hundred years ago a great many black cattle of a very inferior stamp were
reared in both counties, and sent away into more southern parts to be fed.
Even yet on the smaller farms and lighter land a few cattle are bred; but
throughout the counties generally, feeding is the order of the day. The
extension of the Highland Railway into the counties gave a great impetus
to cattle-feeding, and since then this important branch of farming has
been one of the leading features of their agriculture. It is certainly
within the mark to say that for every bullock fed some forty or fifty
years ago, ten are now prepared for the beef market. On two of the largest
farms in Easter Ross in 1837 only from 5 to 10 acres of swedes were sown,
and even those small plots were considered symptoms of extravagance. Mow
about three-fourths of the turnip break on the better farms of both
counties are sown with swedes, while a few go even the length of
four-fifths. And while the number of cattle fed every year has increased
tenfold within the past forty or fifty years, that of sheep has increased
an hundredfold. These are high-sounding statements, but nevertheless they
are correct. A great many pigs are also kept on most farms, and on some
upwards of 100 are fed off every year.
The extent and character of the agricultural
improvements of recent years having been briefly indicated, it will now be
interesting to turn to the Valuation Roll, from which we are able to give
a few interesting and thoroughly reliable statistics. The following-table
shows the total valuation of both counties (exclusive of railways and
royal burghs) at various periods since 1674:—
Such an immense increase as L.102,252 during
the short period of twenty-five years must be regarded as very
satisfactory indeed, and as reflecting the highest credit on the landed
proprietors and tenant-farmers of both counties. In fact, as we shall
endeavour to show presently, the counties of Ross and Cromarty have put
almost all the other counties in Scotland into the shade with respect to
increase of valuation. The following table shows the position Ross and
Cromarty occupy, in comparison with the fifteen Scotch counties (excluding
Lanark and Edinburgh, the agricultural value of which is greatly
intermixed with other interests) that exceeded their total valuation in
1815 :—
It will thus be seen, that while in 1815 Ross
and Cromarty were behind all these fifteen counties in valuation they have
now surpassed Wigtown by more than L.37,000. And what is a much greater
feat, they have outstripped the whole of the fifteen excepting Aberdeen
and Ayr, in the ratio at which the valuation has increased during the past
sixty years. During that period four (counting Ross and Cromarty as one)
of the sixteen counties included in the above statement, have more than
doubled their annual valuation—Aberdeen coming first, Ayr second, Ross and
Cromarty third, and Argyll fourth.
As a rule, as will be seen from the table
already given, the increase in the valuation of Ross and Cromarty has been
gradual; and the subjects contributing most to this increase in their
order are arable farms, grazing farms, shootings and deer forests, houses,
crofts, fishings, harbours, &c. Prior to 1855 (the first year of the
Valuation Act) no correct rental of these counties existed; and any
statistics for earlier years are taken from the income-tax abstracts, made
up by the surveyors of taxes, which, though correct as regards land,
shootings, fishings, &c, are scarcely reliable as to house property. The
following table, however, will show the gross increase in both counties
from the various sources since 1850, as correctly as can possibly be
ascertained, burghs included:—
In order to give some idea of the increase
since 1855 (the first year of really reliable statistics) in the valuation
of arable farms grazing farms, and crofts respectively, we shall select
the following specimen parishes;—
The greatest percentage of increase in these
parishes is on the Balnagown estate, in the parish of Fearn, on which the
increase since 1855 is no less than 109.40 per cent. The least is on the
estate of Shandwick, in Nigg, on which the increase is only 9 per cent. As
regards large grazing farms, we shall take the parish of—
These figures speak so plainly that comment is
unnecessary.
The gross and acreage rentals of a county are
two very different things. An increase in the former, during a certain
period, can be ascertained to within a fraction; but of an advance on the
latter only an approximate idea can be given. The immense increase that
has taken place during the past twenty-five years in the gross rental of
the counties of Ross and Cromarty is due chiefly to the increased arable
acreage, and the growing demand for shootings and fishings; but still the
advance has been swelled considerably by an increase on the acreage
rental. That increase varies in different parts of the counties. On the
arable land in some parts of the counties, the increase has been as much
as 50 per cent.—in a few cases even more; in others, not more than 20 per
cent.; but taking the counties as a whole, it may be stated with safety at
from 25 to 35 per cent. The increase in the rental of grazing farms varies
greatly. In a few cases it has been doubled since 1850; but of the
majority of farms, the parish of Glenshiel, already quoted, may be taken
as a fair specimen. A very pertinent question here would be, Have the
altered circumstances of the agriculture of Ross and Cromarty, since 1850,
warranted this large increase in the acreage rental? Speaking broadly, we
are inclined to answer in the affirmative. A great deal more capital is
required to farm a holding of, say 150 acres, now than in 1850; that is to
say, the amount of grain, beef, &c, which that 150-acre farm is capable of
producing, or rearing, for the market in a year, costs the tenant more now
that twenty-five years ago. But, on the other hand, the advance in the
revenue from a year's yield of grain, beef, &c, is even more than
commensurate to the increased cost of produce. In other words, on a
150-acre farm, the balance between what it costs the tenant to produce a
full crop of grain, beef, mutton, &c, and what he receives for that crop,
is larger in proportion now than in 1850. This is due, partly to the
increased price that a quarter of grain and a pound of beef command in the
market now, as compared with twenty-five years ago; and partly also to the
fact that the improved system of husbandry pursued at the present day
enables a farmer to bring more grain, beef, &c., out of an acre of land
than it was possible for him to have done, by the appliances at his
command, previous to 1850. And it is by the swelling or lessening of this
balance that rent must really be regulated. The popular mode of
book-keeping among farmers (of which, even as it is, there is too little),
by which rent is placed in the costs' colunm is against all principles of
true political economy. The first duty of an intending offerer for a farm,
is to calculate what it would cost him to produce on that farm a full crop
of grain, beef, &c, including his own living, and what that crop would
bring back in the shape of money; and then regulate the rent he could
afford to the landlord for the use of the land, according to the balance
between these two sums. In a few cases, this balance between the cost
price and the selling price of the product of the farm is too small to
warrant the rent now exacted. Speaking for the country generally, the
extraordinary increase in the labour bill during the past few years has
completely upset the whole calculations of many a shrewd, thoroughly
practical farmer, who may have happened to enter on a farm, or a new
lease, ten or fifteen years ago; and indeed it need be no matter for
surprise that in the counties of Ross and Cromarty, as in every other
county in Scotland, there are a few farmers who pay a higher rent for
their land than it is really worth. But on the whole, we are decidedly of
opinion that more money is being made off farming in Ross and Cromarty now
than some twenty or thirty years ago; and that, taking the counties as a
whole, the farming community is living more comfortably, and more
respectably, than during any former period of our history.
It has been remarked that more capital is
required to farm an acre of land now than some twenty-five years ago. The
percentage of this increase is not very easily ascertained, but there can
be no doubt that it is above 200. Thirty or forty years ago, it was quite
common to hear of a farm being stocked and carried on with about L.3 per
acre; in fact, about twenty-five years ago, a farm of 150 acres, in Easter
Ross, was taken on lease by a tenant with a purse of L.200, and all along
he has been doing very well. The sum required to the acre now, of course,
depends very much upon the nature of the soil, and the class of stock
intended to be kept; but, generally speaking, about L.12 per acre is quite
sufficient capital for any ordinary farm in this part of the country. The
farm of Fearn, extending to 510 acres, is at present to let, and it is the
general opinion of the farmers in the neighbourhood, that the purse of the
incoming tenant would require, at the very least, to be equal to about
L.8000. To stock and carry on a farm, however, of, say from 100 to 150
acres of ordinary land, from L.8 to L.9 per acre would be quite
sufficient.
Details of Reclamations and of different
Systems of Farming.
The many and extensive agricultural
improvements that have been effected in Ross and Cromarty during the past
twenty-five years, deserve more than a mere general notice, and therefore
we shall add a few notes, which we collected on a recent tour through both
counties. And while going into detail, we shall also indicate, as briefly
as possible, the various systems of farming pursued in the different
districts. For convenience, the immense tract of land to go over had
better be divided into the following districts: first, the Black Isle;
second, Mid Ross; third, Easter Ross; fourth, Wester Ross; and fifth, the
Lewis.
The Mack Isle.
This extensive tract of land is embosomed in
two curiously bent arms of the sea, the Moray Firth and Beauly Firth on
the one side, and Cromarty Firth on the other. The soil throughout the
peninsula, as already stated, varies a good deal, but still it contains a
large breadth of very fine land. Crossing from Inverness at Kessock ferry,
we enter the parish of Knockbain, in which there are several very fine
farms. The largest proprietors in the district are—Mr J. F. Mackenzie of
Allangrange; Mr C. Mackenzie of Kilcoy; the Right Hon. Henry J. Baillie of
Redcastle; and Mr E. Maclean of Drynie.
The Allangrange estates extend to 3074½ acres,
of which 2102 are arable; 547½ are pasture and waste land, and 425 under
wood. The present rent is L.1891, 18s., and in 1850 it was L.1317, 10s.
8d.; increase during the past twenty-five years, L.574, 7s. 4d. The soil
varies a good deal, and consists of peat, clay, sand, loam, and gravel,
with here and there a pretty strong pan. The farms on the estate vary from
40 to 230 arable acres, while there are a large number of crofts ranging
from 2 to 30 acres in extent. Since 1850 eight farm steadings have been
built, and seventeen new slated dwelling houses and cottages. All new
houses are slated, and are substantial and commodious. Old houses are
chiefly thatched. Fencing is now nearly complete on the principal farms,
wire being the most extensively used. During the past twenty-five years
about 712 acres have been reclaimed by trenching, ploughing, and draining
where necessary. The land thus brought under cultivation was previously,
for the most part, waste moorland, intersected here and there with small
patches of arable land. These reclamations, which will in course of time
be remunerative to the estate, were done chiefly by the proprietor, but in
some cases the tenants assisted handsomely. In addition to these
improvements the greater portion of the old land has been redrained since
1850, and a considerable amount done in the way of squaring up farms and
fields. In many cases the tenants on improving leases held waste land at
1s. 6d. per acre, and the holdings were profitable to them,—the
proprietor's share of the profits coming in only at the expiry of the
leases. Ordinary leases run from fifteen to nineteen years, but there are
also life-rent leases, and life-rent leases to original holders and
fifteen years to their successors. The incoming tenant gets possession of
the grass, manure, fallow, and houses and gardens at Whitsunday, and of
land under grain crop at the end of harvest, he having the option of
taking the grain crop at its valuation. The ancient custom was for tenants
to build on the system of meliorations; but now building is chiefly
executed by the proprietor, the tenant paying either an increased rent or
a percentage on the outlay. When a tenant builds at his own expense some
special agreement is entered into. The rent per acre on farms held under
ordinary leases varies from 15s. to 28s. per acre. Under old leases rents
are collected at Candlemas, Martinmas, and Whitsunday, but under new
leases at the latter terms only. The prevailing system of rotation is the
ordinary five shifts,—two years grass, two grain crops, and one green
crop. Most of the tenants keep cross cows, and rear their own cattle from
these and shorthorn bulls. The home-bred stock, which are supplemented
when the markets suit the buyer, are kept on for grazing, and are fed off
when two years' old. They are tied into the feeding stalls at the
beginning of the previous October, and get abundance of swedes and a
little cake. Probably more of this latter commodity might be used with
considerable advantage to the feeder. There are no sheep farms on the
estate; and the heather pasture, with the run of the arable land, is let
to owners of Cheviot sheep as wintering. About 410 acres have been planted
since 1850. Mr Mackenzie farms about 205 arable acres, and is a thoroughly
practical, intelligent agriculturist. Farm servants are mostly single, or
in the proportion of about three to one. The sons of the smaller tenants
and crofters generally work as farm servants. MrGeorge Maclean's estate of
Drynie is small, but well managed and carefully farmed. It lies chiefly in
the parish of Knock-bain, but a small arm stretches into the parish of
Killearnan. The arable land has been slightly increased of late, and
various permanent improvements have been executed, chiefly by the
proprietor. The rental during the past ten years has increased from about
L.1200 to L.1600. The majority of the farms are small, the Mains of Drynie
being the only large farm on the estate. It is occupied by Mr James E.
Mitchell, and is rented at L.714.
The estates of Kilcoy have been improved
considerably during the past quarter of a century, chiefly by the draining
of old land and buildings.
One of the largest farms in this neighbourhood
is Kilcoy Mains, occupied by Mr William Murray. It extends to about 610
acres, all arable, and is rented at L.732. The rotation pursued in this
neighbourhood varies—the fourth, fifth, and sixth shift being all worked
upon. The five-shift rotation prevails, and is, on the whole, the most
suitable for the district. The soil on Mr Murray's farm is mostly black
loam on a rocky subsoil. A good many cattle are fed in the district, but
on highly-rented land farmers complain that they cannot afford to breed
cattle for themselves. Mr Murray generally buys in Cheviot lambs in the
autumn, and, after wintering them, disposes of them to sheep farmers in
spring. A few farmers in this neighbourhood keep a stock of cross or
Cheviot ewes, and breed lambs from Leicester tups, selling them off in
August. On the larger farms on this estate from 70 to 80 acres of arable
land is alloted to a pair of horses, and on the smaller farms from 50 to
60 acres.
Another large farm on the Kilcoy estate is
Belmaduthy, tenanted by Mr W. G. C. Asher, and rented at L.712. Mr Asher
is an intelligent practical agriculturist, and works his farm on the most
advanced principles.
The farm of Munlochy and Braevil, also on the
Kilcoy property, extends to 210 acres all arable, is occupied by Mr A. P.
Smith, and is rented at L.364. The soil varies. In the valley of Munlochy
and Allangrange there is a good deal of stiff clay, a few fields of good
black loam, and some moss. On the rising ground on either side the land is
generally of a lighter quality; but sharp, and when in good condition is
very suitable for all kinds of crops, wheat excepted. The five-course
shift is pursued here. The heavier land suits wheat very well, and good
crops are always certain if the season is favourable. Wheat, on an
average, yields from 3 to 4 quarters per acre; chevalier barley from 3 to
5, and common barley from 3 to 5½, and oats |
