Ji t Review of the Agricultural Survey Au^, 



em ocean. Selkirk lies along the weft fide of Roxburgh, nearer 

 the fources of the waters, and in a higher elevation. 



Selkirk. 



The loweft arable land in this county will be about 300 

 feet of elevation above fea level. Many habitations are fi- 

 tuated in the elevation of from 600 to looo feet. The heights 

 of various mountains are mentioned, extending from 2000 

 to 2370 feet above fea levcL The harveft is from a fort- 

 night to three weeks later than in the lower parts of Roxburgh ; 

 though partial inftances occur of greater earlinefs, occafioned 

 by reverberation of the fun*s rays from the mountains, in parti- 

 cular fituations. 



This county contains- about 160,000 acres Englifti of furface, of 

 which about 8800 are arable, and generally of a light kindly turnip 

 foil. The remaining 151,200 are fheep pafture ; moftly green^ 

 a fmall part of it being covered with heath. The real rent of 

 Selkirk (eftimating the pafture at 2S. pd. per acre, and the arable 

 at I OS., and making an allowance for wood, &c.) is ftated at 

 28,4SoL 



The one third of the fheep kept are of the fhort -bodied, black- 

 faced, coarfe-wooled kinds ; which our author juftly celebrates, 

 as highly adapted for coarfer pafture, from their hardinefs and fu- 

 perior kindlinefs in feeding. The other two thirds are of a fpe- 

 cies finer w^ooled, procured from the black-faced, which had been 

 the original occupants, by repeated croflings with Cheviot rams. 

 This kind our author conliders as very far from equal to the true 

 Cheviot breed. This mode of changing the breed is undoubted- 

 ly the moft cautious and fafe ; yet our author fpecifies fome bold 

 attempts made, of introducing a whole ftock at once from Che- 

 viot, which had apparently fucceeded. Upon a calculation, the 

 data of which were furnilhed by fome of the moft intelligent 

 of the farmers, fheep pafture may be divided, according to 

 quality, into nearly three equal parts ; of which a portion of 

 50,000 acres will maintain at the rate of nearly one fheep 

 upon two acres ; another portion of 49,000, at the rate of four 

 fheep to five acres ; and another of 49,000, at the rate of one 

 fheep to one acre ; — our author computes the number of fheep in 

 this county at 1 1 8,000 : of which the annual produce, difpof- 

 able for internal confumpt, or for market, he rates at 9800 ewes, 

 pr other old fheep, and 56,200 lambs. 



* The ftock of black cattle is computed at 2200; of which the 

 difpofable produce, moftly fold lean, is eftimated at a fixth part, 

 or 360. 



The fmallnefs of the proportion of arable land precludes the 

 poffibillty of fattening any great proportion of flieep, upon 



improved 



