1803. or Improved Breed of Sheep y l^i. 429 



of this n^fl wonderful animal the fanciful properties which 

 the feller fo anxioufly points out to him, in order to nrAsi him 

 part with his money the more freely. To put this ar^uiment 

 in a ftronger point of view, I beg leave to Hate the follow- 

 ing faft. — The agriculturifts in Francj are at prcfent extreme- 

 ly anxious to improve the breed of (liecp ; and, in order to pro- 

 duce long wool in that country, fimilar to the long wool in 

 England, thefe improvers have wifely found out, that allowing 

 the wool to remain two or three years on the backs of their 

 fheep, makes it grow two or three times its ordinary length : 

 And they fay farther, that they have tried the experiment wit].. 

 the greateft fuccefs, and that it produces wool, longer and finer 

 than the wool of England, without doing the Iheep the fmallefl: 

 injury. And this do6lrine is now taught in all the fcientilic 

 fcbools in France, and is followed by all the patriotic improvers 

 of farm flock in that country. It will not, however, be foon 

 received as an axiom in Britain ; and ihows the abfurdity of 

 placing implicit faith in the hobbies of improvers, before they 

 are tried by the teft of experience. 



I fnall now proceed to make fome remarks on the papers in 

 your laft Number (XIV.), which were intended as anfwers to 

 my obfervations on the modern improvement of farm ilock ; 

 and (liall begin with the breeder of coalheavcrs' mutton, as by 

 far the mod refpeclable. 1. It is not at all furprifing that this 

 gentleman i'hould refpe<9: thofe who poiFers fpirit and enterprife 

 to give large prices for ewes and tups, by way of introducing a 

 mod valuable breed into Scotland, This is very natural, as it 

 encourages the trade, and keeps up the extravagant prices of the 

 article. He has taken great pains to tell us, that Mr Brodie 

 has been a molt fuccefsful farmer; ergo, others (hould foUow 

 his example, and give eighty guineas for the hire of a ram, in 

 order to better their fortunes. I efleem Mr Brodie's entcrprinng 

 fpirit, as well as the Breeder of coa'.heavers' mutton ; but fee 

 no realon, on that account, why the public ought not to b^ un- 

 deceived, when an attem.pt is m.ade to impofe upon tliem. That 

 he was the firft perlbn who introduced houfe-lamb into the Edin- 

 burgh market, is an idea abandoned ; as to his 'mutton, the 

 butchers univerfally fay, we do not like tlie New-Leiceilers fo 

 well as the black-faced breed, becaufe they do not give fatis- 

 fa£lion to our cullomevs. No matter. * Mr Brodie will be- 

 nefit himfeif flill more by introducing this breed of Ihcep, w^hich 

 is perhaps much wanted in Scotland. Now, if a man deferves 

 ■well of his country who raifes two blades of grafs, or two 

 ears of corn, where one grew before, is he not alio deferr- 

 ing of praife who produces two pounds of mutton, where on- 

 ly one was formerly produced ? ' Moll undoubtedly, put where 



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