COUIS'TY OF STIRLING. 169 



On Iriveravou farm Mr John Best has two brood mares, with 

 stock by "Eosebery." On Mumrills farm, tenanted by Mr 

 Kobert Calder, are some fine animals descended from " Old 

 Times," " Time o' Day," and " Darnley." The amount of atten- 

 tion given to breeding horses in the district maintains a healthful 

 rivalry at local shows, where the competition is often very 

 spirited. 



There are a few flocks of Leicester sheep in the county, among 

 which may be mentioned those of Mr Fleming, Carmuirs ; Mr 

 Learmonth. Parkhall ; Mrs Eeid, Waulkmilton ; and, in the 

 western district, Mr M'Adam of Blairoer ; but the great bulk of 

 the sheep are blackfaced. Stirlingshire is not conspicuous as a 

 sheep county, the total number of sheep of all ages in 1882 

 being only 111,658, which is less than the average of Scottish 

 counties, and about 50,000 less than the small county of 

 Selkirk, but there are many flocks of good blackfaced sheep. 

 Among the principal breeders are Mr Buchanan, Killearn ; 

 Mr Foyer, Knowehead, Campsie ; Mr Coubrough, Blair- 

 tummoch ; and Mr Orr Ewing of Ballikinrain On the lower 

 ranges of hills Leicester rams are used with blackfaced ewes, 

 in which case the lambs are fed for the butcher; but on 

 the higher ranges the stock is purely blackfaced. Mr Orr 

 Ewing, M.P., has a flock of blackfaced sheep at Ballikinrain, 

 and another on Ben Lomond, the graziugs of which are rented 

 from the Duke of Montrose. They are principally breeding 

 ewes. Leicester rams are used with old ewes in the parks at 

 Ballikinrain, and a crop of cross lambs taken, which are fed and 

 sold to the butcher. On the hills the flocks are pure blackfaced 

 sheep, the tups also being blackfaced. These are put among 

 the ewes at Martinmas and separated about the New Year, after 

 which the tups are fed in the parks on turnips and hay. The 

 lambing season begins about the second week of April in the 

 parks, about a week later on the Killearn and Campsie hills, 

 and about a fortnight afterwards on Ben Lomond. Ewes are 

 clipped about the Hrst week of July, and there are about live to 

 six fleeces to the stone of wool. Some of the lambs reared in 

 the parks are fit for the butcher about the middle of July, and 

 they are sent away gradually as they come forward. The i»ulk 

 of the lambs are separated from the ewes about the middle of 

 August. Tiie sheep get no feeding in winter except in cases 

 when food is unusually scarce, and the death-rate is not high. 

 In general the death-rate has diminished in the county, with 

 the extension of draining. Among the Fintry Hills Mr (Jowan, 

 huru,, has about 1000 blackfaced sheep. Leicester tups are 

 useil ; and the lamljs are sold for grazing or to the butcher. 

 They are sent away in the first week of August onward till the 

 end of the month, and all are cleared ofl by the 1st of September. 



