88 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 



ewes (" crocks ") towards the end of harvest, which are put upon 

 the hay field after-grass (or, stubbles, rather), and the young 

 grasses from seeds, or, in fact, are put to eat any roughness of 

 f'oggage on the farm. These used to be got cheap, from £11 to 

 £15 the clad score, and good profit was generally realized by the 

 end of 3 months or so, besides the benefit to the fields — the ewes 

 perhaps getting a few sliced turnips latterly if these were plenty. 

 Bat drafted ewes cannot be had in these present times under 18s. 

 to 20s. each. Many take in sheep (hoggs and ewes) to winter 

 for their hill brethren, from about 1st November till about 1st 

 April, and at rates of from 5s. to 7s. per head, according to 

 quality of keep. We know of several who of late years have 

 been lessening their dairy stocks, purchasing blackfaced ewes in 

 autumn, wintering and taking lambs from them (Leicester rams), 

 shearing, and afterwards selling both mothers and lambs towards 

 the endfof June ; which system is paying well, and is a good 

 means for improving the pastures. These some seasons past 

 there was much damaged and weak grain in this county, fit 

 almost for nothing save feeding stock, and such could not have 

 been put to better purpose than 1 or 2 lbs. of it daily given to 

 each sheep as above. Some distance eastward of all the iron 

 furnaces, the sheep in that direction have their coats much 

 darkened by the sooty smoke, but although this may be against 

 the sheep and cattle in one sense, it is favourable in another, by 

 improving the grass. 



Poultry. — Large numbers of poultry (hens and ducks) are kept 

 in Ayrshire, and although the masters may grumble occasion- 

 ally, yet probably the gudewives are pretty near the truth in 

 thinking that no kind of live stock on our small farms pays 

 better. The principal butter and egg market is held weekly on 

 the Fridays in Kilmarnock, but there are other weekly markets 

 for these in various towns of the county. 



SECTION VI. 



The Dunlop and Cheddar Modes of Cheese Manufacture, and the two 



Systems Contrasted. 



Ayrshire has long been famed for its " Dunlop cheese." To 

 give a stranger a correct notion of cheesemaking, as generally 

 practised in Ayrshire, the best way perhaps wdl be to go through 

 (in fancy) one summer-day's proceedings in the dairy -house, and 

 so far as the cows are concerned — interweaving some relevant re- 

 marks on this or kindred subjects. The details of manufacture 

 first given are of the old Ayrshire or Dunlop method, still pre- 

 vailing in the vast majority of dairies. 



Reserving the very small holdings under forty, an average- 

 sized dairy farm may be set down as between 100 and 120 imp. 



