204 ON THE AGKICULTURE OF THE 



recognised as a fact that, of all the varieties of British fanning, 

 sheep-farming is still the most remunerative. The agencies at 

 work in the reduction of the sheep-farmer's profits have been 

 many and various, and that reduction, in the case of wether 

 stocks especially, has been very considerable. The farmer who 

 keeps a wether stock only has just the balance between the 

 buying and selling prices, after deducting keep and other 

 expenses and losses, to live on and to pay his rent from. 

 Twenty-five or thirty years ago he paid about 12s. a head for 

 lambs (Cheviots) and LI. for hoggs, and sold them as three-year- 

 old wethers at about 36s. a head. Now he pays about LI. for 

 lambs and 30s. for hoggs, and obtains 45s. or 46s. a head for three- 

 year-old wethers. It will thus be seen that the buying and 

 selling prices have stood in almost the same relation to each 

 other during the past quarter of a century. But not so with the 

 expenditure between the day of purchase and the day of sale. 

 Wintering has been doubled, shepherds' wages nearly so, smear- 

 ing and dipping expenses increased, and losses also very largely 

 increased. Even during the past ten years wintering has in- 

 creased nearly 100 per cent. During the six years from 1863 to 

 1868 one of the largest sheep-farmers in Eoss-shire informed us 

 that his average for wintering his black-faced hoggs in Aber- 

 deenshire was 3s. 6d. a head, and that now he pays exactly 

 double. When the wintering is very good, or a little turnips 

 added, the average cost is never under 7s. 6d. a head. And 

 again, by some unknown cause, the losses from death are heavier 

 now than formerly, while a greater number have invariably to be 

 noted in the shepherd's da3-book as " unaccountable." As a 

 rule, of every twenty wether lambs bought in August, or sent 

 away to wintering, only fourteen or fifteen remain for sale as 

 three year wethers ; and by the increased price that is paid for 

 it and the expenses laid out upon it, every hogg or wether that 

 dies or goes amissing now is nearly equal to the loss of two some 

 thirty years ago. To make up for all this increased expenditure 

 and losses, farmers have to depend mainly on the crop and sale 

 of wool, which in fact may be said to regulate almost entirely 

 the profits of a wether farmer. Though the ''clip" is usually 

 heavier now than thirty years ago, and the prices for wool 

 occasionally higher, the latter are frequently even lower ; and 

 taking everything into account, we are of opinion that no more 

 rent can be afforded for wether land now, with mutton at 9d. per 

 pound, than when it was selling at about 4d. Breeding stocks 

 pay considerably better now than previous to 1850, and chiefly on 

 this account we anticipate a large and speedy increase in the 

 number of Black-faced sheep in these counties as compared with 

 that of Cheviots, for it is well known that where only wethers 

 of the Cheviot breed can be kept, a breeding stock of Black-faced 



