i8o3« The Ifiipro'ued Breed of Sheep defendciL i6y 



fetfhire iambs, for feveral years tGgetherl Epicunis's comparlfon, 

 between the high prices given for bulls and rani3, and tulip roots^ 

 &.C. is too bad to be commented upon ! 1 IK all only obferve, tliat 

 it appears, he has thouglit more about n;ce eating, tlian the 

 good of his country ; but 1 cannot fo e Jil;. pafs him over when 

 he fays : *' Does tlie Leiceiler ram, or his grand/on, get ftock, 

 producing wool that can be manufa6lured into broad cloth?" &c. 

 &:c. I mud take the liberty to tell him, that the wool produced 

 by th@ new Leicejlers, makes moic money per head^ or acre^ 

 or in any point of view, than the finefl ^ool grown by any breed 

 of flieep in this liland, becaufe, although the line wools are fold 

 much higher by the pound, the other m.ore than makes it up by 

 weight j and furely no one can jnllly blame the breeder for pur- 

 fuing his interell, any more than the manuia<^urer. It has been 

 long obferved, that the breeder will always produce that kind of 

 wool which will bring the moil mone}^ even if half hair. For 

 this reafon the Lincolnfliire breeder produces the coarfefl and 

 heaviell fleeces of any other. Indeed the rich marilies in that fer- 

 tile country, are highly favourable to the growth of heavy wool. 

 Nay, it is a well attelted fad, that formerly many of tlie Lincoln- 

 fliire breeders clipped twelve pouiKls per fleece, over their whole 

 flock ! whilft the average upon the Ryeiand ftieep (the flneft wool 

 in the ifland) is not more than three pounds per fleece, or very 

 little more ; .the laft, I am told, is now fold at about three fliil- 

 lings per pound, which is, fay nine Ihillings per fleece ; while the 

 coarfe Lincolnfhire is fold atone ihilling, or better, per pound, 

 confequently makes twelve fhillings at leaft, per fleece. Whenever 

 the manufa6turer will make it worth tlie breeder's while to raife 

 fine wool, he will foon try to do it ; i)ut the facb is, that the grent 

 advance of late years has been, and is, upon the long wools, grown 

 hy thefe very coal-heavers favourite kind, which, although fo 

 deteftible to Epicurus, is yet one of the greatefl; bleflings to 

 the labouring part of our Ifland ! I need not tell Epicurus 

 now, that the reafon is owing to there being more wearers 

 of coarfe x\\2^\fine cloths, and more eaters of the coal-heavers mut- 

 ton, than the mountain mutton, although fed upon thyme and aro- 

 matic herbs J However, I wifli to carry this no farther, than that 

 the rich certainly have a right to gratify their palates, while fure- 

 ly the labouring poor have an equal right to lay out their earn- 

 ings, on that kind of food which is molt An table, both to their 

 purfes and palates. 



I will, with all my heart, join Epicurus in the praifes of the 

 native black faced Scotch flieep, whofe merits are perhaps not yet 

 fufficiently appreciated. 1 have long thouglit them a mofl valua- 

 ble breed, and in every refped adapted to all the cold exposed 



mountainous 



