Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/425

 F O R F A 11 411 any other district of Scotland, but in many of the uplands they are often very late. The total area of arable ground in 1878 was 252,902 imperial acres, of which 95,448 were under com crops, 51,396 under green crops, 81,415 under rotation grasses, 24,295 permanent pasture, and 348 fal low. There were 31,857 acres under wood. The prin cipal wheat district is the valley of Strathinore and the neighbourhood of Dundee and Montrose ; and the yield is excelled by few districts in Scotland. Its acreage (94 1G in 1878) has, however, as elsewhere in Scotland, been de creasing, while there has been a gradual increase in that of barley (31,593 acres in 1878). Oats, for which the soil generally is well adapted, are the principal crop, the acre age (1878) being 52,802. Potatoes are chiefly grown in the upland and maritime districts; the acreage was 16,479. As a large number of sheep and cattle are kept, turnips are very largely grown, their acreage being 33,953. The acre age under beans was only 1060. The system of rotation varies according to soil and situation. The five years shift, at one time the most common, has of late been largely superseded by a seven-shift. The number of cattle in 1878 was 44,405, or an average of nearly 17 8 to every 100 acres under cultivation as compared with 23 6 for Scotland. Of these the number of cows and heifers in milk or in calf was only 11,452, and except in the vicinity of the towns there are no dairy farms. The polled Angus cattle are not so much bred in this their native district as in the neighbouring county of Aberdeen. Shorthorns are uow being largely introduced. A large number of Irish cattle are imported for winter feeding. Forfar has suffered more from contagious diseases than any other Scotch county. Their prevalence is thought by some to be partly due to the practice of letting grass and turnips to bo consumed by the cattle of dealers and middlemen. The number of horses was 10,164 or an average of nearly 4 to every 100 acres under cultivation, just the average for Scotland. The most common breed is the Clydesdale, the small native garrons being now little used. The num ber of sheep was 122,798, an average of 50 - 1 to every 100 acres under cultivation, as compared with 149 3 for Scotland. The blackfaced breed are the most common in the mountain districts, but their number has been much diminished of late years, owing to the large extent of country that has been converted into deer forests. Cross bred lambs are bought in considerable numbers for winter- feeding in the lowland districts, and cross-bred ewes are kept ou many farms for breeding. There are also a few flocks of pure-bred Border Leicesters, and some Shropshire downs and other varieties. The number of pigs was 5900, or an average of 2 3 to every 100 acres, as compared with 3 3 for Scotland. In Forfar the holdings called crofts, of 10 acres and under, and those from 100 to 300 acres are the most common. A large number are between 10 and 100 acres, a considerable number between 300 and 5 DO, and a few above 500, The general colour of the soils in the lower districts is red, in other parts often inclining to dark- brown or black. The soil in the Grampians is generally moorish over white retentive clay, but loose, friable, and productive in the glens. Over the pudding-stone, in the lower grounds, it is sometimes thin, mossy, and encumbered with stones, and over the sandstone a tenacious clay often occurs, which, however, when properly cultivated, is very productive. The soil above whinstone is fertile though sometimes shallow. Along the coast there are large stretches of barren sand, but the soil of the district where cultivated is quick and very fertile. There is no great extent of peat ; but nearly the whole of the northern division of the county is either waste land or occupied as sheep walks or deer forests. Farm management, except in the case of the crofts, is fully abreast of the times. Steam- cultivation is gradually increasing, and reaping machines are universally in use. Most farms possess excellent farm houses and steadings, and covered courts for cattle are generally in use. Considerable progress has been made in the erection of suitable cottages for the farm servants, but bothies for unmarried servants are much too common in the county, and in these the accommodation provided is often of the rudest kind. According to the owners and heritages return of 1872-73, the land, exclusive of Dundee, was divided among 4898 proprietors, holding laud the gross annual value of which was 795,581, 7s. Of the owners 80 per cent, possessed less than one acre, and the average value all over was 1, 8s. 8^d. There were no fewer than 20 proprietors holding upwards of 5000 acres, viz., Earl of Dalhousie (Brechiu Castle), 136,602 ; Earl of Airlie (Cortachy Castle), 65,059; Earl of Southesk (Kinnaird Castle), 22,525; Donald Ogilvie of Clova (Balnaboth), 21,893 ; Glamis Trustees (Glamis), 17,034 ; James Small (Brewlands), 10,300; Fotheringham Trustees (Fotheringham House), 8826; Helen C. Arbuthnott (Balnamoon), 8066; James T. Mackenzie, 7129 ; Hon. Mrs E. Maule of Fearn, 6992; Lord Whamcliffe (Belmont Castle), 6926; Major W. Lyon, 6888 ; Earl of Camperdown (Camperdown House), 6770 ; Col. Ogilvy of Ruthven, 6336 ; Trustees of Charles Lyell, 5728; Sir Thomas Munro, Bart. (Lindertis), 5702; J. L. D. Stewart (Glenogil), 5524 ; Countess of Home, 5209 ; Lord John F. G. Hallyburton (Hallyburton House), 5199; Trustees of Robert Smith (Baharry), 5097. There are extensive grouse and blackcock shootings on the moors ; the roe deer is met with on the mountains, and the stag is also occasionally seen ; the alpine hare is plentiful on the uplands ; eagles tenant the cliffs of the Grampians; there are numerous waterfowl in the lochs; and otters and seals inhabit the eastern coast. Particulars regarding the botany of the county will be found in William Gardner s Botany of Forfarskire. Manufactures and Trade. The staple industry of For- farshire is the manufacture of flax and jute, Dundee being the principal seat of the linen trade in Britain. Besides employing a large portion of the population of the burghs, linen in various forms is also manufactured at Kirriemuir, Coupar Angus, Carnoustie, Friockheim, Edzell, Locheo, Letham, Monifieth, and Newtyle. In some villages hand- loom weaving exists to a considerable extent. According to the census returns for 1871, the number of persons engaged in the different branches of the linen manufacture was 45,633, 15,418 males and 30,215 females. There are breweries, tanneries, and bleach-works in most of the towns. The herring, white fish, and salmon fisheries are pretty extensive. The number of herring boats connected with the Montrose district is upwards of 900, with a total estimated value of nearly 50,000. The number of royal burghs, all of which are also parlia mentary, is five, viz., Dundee, Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar, and Montrose. The other towns and the principal villages on the coast are Broughty Ferry (5817), a watering place and suburb of Dundee ; the manufacturing village of Monifieth (919); Carnoustie (3012), a watering place, but possessing also manufactures and fisheries ; and the fishing villages of Auchmithie (412) and Ferryden (1395). Inland there are Coupar Angus (the larger part of which is, however in Perthshire), Kirriemuir (4145), Friockheim (1129), Letham (953), Newtyle (542), and Edzell (415), all chiefly engaged in the linen manufacture. The total population of the county in 1871 was 237,567, of whom 106,324 were males and 131,243 females; the population in 1861 was 204,425. In the towns the population in 1871 was 186,185, in the villages 8203, and in the rural