43^ Ohfervaiions on the Letcefler^ Nov. 



culture Informs us, that when the good women in the High- 

 lands want to make their cows take the bull, they lead them 

 out to crop a certain herb called bulling-grafs, which has the ef- 

 fe£V of making them take the bull immediately. Perhaps this 

 Tare grnfs has been difcovered upon the farm of Upper Kt-ith j 

 and, if fo, it is to be hoped that fome of it will be brought to 

 jriarket, for the good of the public. As to what the mailer in 

 iheep-bieeding favs, refpe£\ir^ the wool of the Leicefler breed 

 being more valuable than the Ryeland, the fineft in the ifland ; 

 I will by no means difpute the point, becaufe I am not a compe- 

 tent judge of the matter; only I muft add, that what he ad- 

 vances on that head, is by no means fatisfaftory, at leaft to me. 

 He fays, that^ forinerly^ many of the breeders of the long, or 

 heavy- wooled Lincolnfl^ire breed, clipped twelve pounds per 

 fleece over their whole flock, which they fold for is. per lib., or 

 l2s. per fleece ; whereas the Ryeland only averages 3 lib., 

 which fells at 3s., ar 9s. per fleece. From which he leaves the 

 reader to infer, that it is more profitable rearing long, than fhort 

 wool. But the fallacy of this argument will appear evident, 

 when it is known, that he is comparing the largefl breed of 

 fheep in England (and even that not the New-Lelceflers, whofe 

 merits he is defending), with the fmalleil, perhaps not half the 

 weight of the large Lincolnihire breed ; and if flieep eat in pro- 

 porrion to their weight, \vhich is highly probable, the fine fliortr 

 woolled kind will have a decided preference ; as an acre of fheep 

 pafture will then produce more money, in fliort, than long wool ; 

 the op.ly criterion by which a juft comparifon can be drawn. 



We are alfo informed, that the New-Leicellers are creeping 

 Jloivly up the hills of Scotland. I know, by aftual experience, 

 from the great quantity cf fat they carry on their backs, that 

 they will creep flowly, indeed, up hill ; and I fhrewdly fufpeft, 

 that in their progrefs upwards, or at leaft before they are domef- 

 ticated in thefe regions, they will Ir ave their outward coat of fat 

 behind them, together with the tallow in their bellies, the pride 

 an.'i boaft of their breeder. Before I have done with this gen- 

 tleman, I muft add, that in the outfet of his paper, lie under- 

 took to prove, that the New-Leicefter breed, producing two 

 pounds of mutton, where one was produced before, was much 

 wanted in Scotland \ and that much praife was due to Mr Bro- 

 die, for introducing that valuable breed into this country. But 

 I have fnewn, that in place of proofs, he has only brouglit af- 

 fertions, without a fmgle facl to fupport them ; and that how- 

 ever valuable this breed may be, Mr Brodie at Upper Keith was 

 not the perfon who introduced it into Scotland, 



Before 1 conclude, I beg leave to fay a few words to your 

 correfpondent F. £. j whofe arguments are fo obfgure, being 



clclivere<d 



