THE

BEAUTIES

OF

SCOTLAND.

CAITHNESS, CONTINUED.

THE climate is certainly more rainy than that of the Climate. greater part of the eastern coast of Scotland, but not so

wet as that on the western side.

The rains are most fre

About the beginning of

quent in the spring and autumn.
January there is generally a fall of snow, which conti-
nues, in the upper district, to the end of February, and
sometimes, but very seldom, to the middle of March. In
the level country, particularly on the coast, the snow lasts
much shorter, which is attributed to the wind blowing in
the winter and spring months mostly from the north, the
east, and the south-east; all of which, coming from the
sea, have a tendency to bring on a thaw. In the month of
May a north-west wind generally blows; the sky is dus-
ky, with but little rain. The coldness of the weather at
this season is a great bar to vegetation; and in the eastern
parts of the country, where the soil is a mixture of black
earth and sand, and consequently rather tender, it has a ten-
dency to promote the increase of that species of vermine
called here the storee, which destroy the young plants of
VOL. V.
A

State of barley and oats, by cutting the roots below the ground. Property. The farmers preserve their young cabbage plants from these insects by dipping their roots in lime and water before they are put into the ground when they are transplanted.

Size of e

states.

Farmers.

The landed property of this county is held in nearly the following manner: Five estates are worth from L. 1000 to L.8400 per annum each; seven estates are worth from L.400 to L.600 per annum each; twelve are worth from L.100 to L.300 per annum each; six are worth from L.50 to L.100 per annum; and four below L.50 per anBesides these, the crown possesses property worth L.200 per annum; and the towns of Wick and Thurso are not included in this statement.

num.

The lands are still occupied, in a great degree, by small tenants. The following is the old mode in which the rents were paid: The landlord received a trifling acknow. ledgment in money, the rent being principally paid in grain or victual, that is, bear and oat-meal. In addition to the rent, the tenants of that description were bound to perform the following services; namely, tilling, dunging, sowing, and harrowing a part of an extensive farm in the proprietor's possession; providing a certain quantity of peats for his fuel; thatching a part of his houses; furnishing simmons or ropes of straw or heath for that purpose, and for securing his corn in the barn-yard; weeding the land; leading a certain quantity of turf from the common for manuring the farm; mowing, making, and ingathering the hay, the spontaneous produce of the meadows and marshy grounds; cutting down, harvesting, thrashing out, manufacturing, and carrying to market or sea-port, a part of the produce of the farm. Besides these services, the tenants paid in kind the following articles, under the name of customs; namely, straw-cazzies (a

ture.

sort of bag made of straw, used as sacks for carrying grain Agricul or meal); ropes made of hair for drawing the plough; foss, or reeds, used for these or similar purposes; tethers, or ropes made of hair, which being fixed in the ground by a peg or small stake, and the cattle tied to them, prevented them from wandering over the open country; straw for thatching, &c. The tenants also, according to the extent of their possessions, kept for the landlord a certain number of cattle during the winter-season; paid vicarage or the smaller tithes, as of lamb, wool, &c.; a certain number of fowls and eggs; in the Highlands, veal, kid, butter, and cheese; and on the sea-coast the tithe of their fish and oil, besides assisting in carrying sea-ware for manuring the proprietor's farm. In some parts of the country the tenth sheaf of the produce, or tithe, was exacted by the proprietor in kind. Sometimes also a certain quantity of lint was spun for the lady of the house, and a certain quantity of woollen yarn annually exacted. Such were the various, sorts of payments which almost universally prevailed inthe county of Caithness about thirty or forty years ago; but of late they have been converted, by the generality of landlords, either into grain or money, or have fallen into disuse.

Still, however, in consequence of want of capital on the part of the tenants, the farms are in general extremely small; but it is to be observed, that in no part of the island does a greater zeal for the improvement of the territory exist than among the proprietors of land in the county of Caithness. They are extremely anxious to obtain farmers from the south of Scotland; and they them selves give an example of every sort of agricultural improvement. They also are anxious to adopt every public improvement which can be suggested. This is not surprising, when it is considered that the gentleman who

ture.

Agricul- established the Board of Agriculture, and collected and published the Statistical Account of Scotland, and who has certainly rendered himself the instrument of collecting and diffusing a greater mass of beneficial practical knowlege than was ever given to the world by any one individual, is one of the great proprietors of this county, It would have been surprising if he had been unable to diffuse around him, in his native district, a portion of his own activity and public spirit.

Culture of wastes.

Crops reared.

The cultivation of wastes is here going on with much vigour. In one year a single proprietor ploughed between 500 and 600 acres of waste land, and immediately brought it under crop. A considerable proportion of the land was, till lately, held in commons; but it has been found practicable to divide them, by the neighbouring proprietors entering into a bond of submission to some gentlemen of the country in whom they have confidence. One tract of 2500 acres was in this way divided at a very moderate expence; and another of 4500 acres was immediately thereafter brought to division in the same form. Very extensive trials have been made of improving the soil by paring and burning; and these have been found to be attended with great success. In this way large tracts of land, having a steril crust on the surface, generally of the nature of peat, and producing only the most coarse plants, may soon be expected to be brought at once into an excellent state of tillage and fertility. Some extensive improvements have also been made by draining. At the loch of Durin, in particular, a great tract of valuable land, and an inexhaustible quantity of the richest marl, have been secured by two proprietors at a moderate expence ; and other undertakings of a like nature are carrying on. It is found that winter wheat is a much hardier grain than winter rye. Winter tares cannot be depended on in the