. Moray and Nairn. the rise is less gradual to a height of about600 feet. The whole district is highly cultivated orcovered with beautiful woods. The Laigh of Moray, as this seaboard plain is called,is famous for the excellence of its climate. Occasionally,however, drought in the summer months causes greatdamage to the growing crops. In the highland part ofthe county, on the other hand, excessive rainfall is theagriculturists most unrelenting foe. The contrast, inthis respect, between north and south is well expressed inthe old couplet : A misty May and a drappy JuneSets Moray up and Spey doun
. Moray and Nairn. the rise is less gradual to a height of about600 feet. The whole district is highly cultivated orcovered with beautiful woods. The Laigh of Moray, as this seaboard plain is called,is famous for the excellence of its climate. Occasionally,however, drought in the summer months causes greatdamage to the growing crops. In the highland part ofthe county, on the other hand, excessive rainfall is theagriculturists most unrelenting foe. The contrast, inthis respect, between north and south is well expressed inthe old couplet : A misty May and a drappy JuneSets Moray up and Spey doun. Slightly undulating in the east, the Laigh becomespractically dead level in the parishes of Alves and SURFACE AND GENERAL FEATURES 11 Kinloss, where the productiveness of the area reachesits maximum. To the west of Findhorn Bay lies perhaps the mostextraordinary physical phenomenon in Scotland—the sand-hills of Culbin. From Kincorth to the sea-shore a largearea is completely covered with sand-hills; and in the. The Culbin Sands middle rise enormous mounds of sand, some over 100 feetin height. This central part once formed the Baronyof Culbin. About 250 years ago the Barony was partof the most fertile and prosperous district of the county,frequently referred to as the Granary of Moray. It isimpossible to estimate the extent of arable land on the 12 MORAYSHIRE estate, but we know that it comprised a home farm,several small farms, and numerous crofts. In 1654 thevalued rental of the Barony in the parish of Dyke was noless than £913. i8j. \d. Scots. The sand encroachedon the arable land for the first time in 1676 and everysucceeding year made matters worse. In 1695 an Actof Parliament was passed to prevent the pulling of bents(Ammopbila arundlnaced) and so retard the progress of thesand. The Act states that : The Barony of Culbin,and house and yards thereof, is quite ruined and overspreadwith sand. While local tradition is wrong in ascribingthe whole catastrophe to one great s
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