272 History of the English Landed Interest, 



cessive Englisli ministries, that the wool-growing had ceased 

 to be as lucrative a pursuit for the farmer as it had been in 

 past years. 



One of the main objections to the enclosure system was that 

 it would tend to diminish the flock and deteriorate its wool. 

 If so, it would seem as if the clothier might have had cause of 

 complaint. But it was pointed out that if he found that the 

 fleeces from the cultivated districts were less serviceable than 

 those from the wastes, he would only have to mix a larger 

 quantity of the Spanish wool with them. This he could well 

 aflbrd to do, for he would probably be paying Is. ^d. per lb. 

 for the best English wool where he formerly paid 2s. The 

 farmer, on the other hand, would not be out of pocket, because 

 he would find that he could keep on an acre of cultivated 

 land four sheep where he had kept only one on the same area 

 of waste. Though the finest wool was found to be produced 

 by the smaller breeds of sheep, they were fast giving way to 

 the improved varieties of Dorset and Southdown ; and since 

 the quality of cloth, as to fineness, was merely comparative, 

 the distinction would vanish as soon as the best species of 

 fleece dropped out of the market. The cloth manufactured 

 entirely from Spanish wool was confined to the opulent ; that 

 composed of a mixture of Spanish and English to the middle 

 classes ; and that wholly made out of English to the poor. 

 A further cause of the decline in the quality of this native 

 product was that the farmer looked for his profits, not as 

 formerly merely to the fleece, but to the whole carcase of his 

 sheep. Meat, parchment, leather, and candles, as well as wool, 

 now helped to swell the profits of the flockmaster. 



What has been said above will enable us to examine intelli- 

 gently the actual practices of the livestock farmer in various 

 parts of the country at the period we are now dealing with. 



In districts where meat was a more valued market commodity 

 than wool, the farmer kept principally in view early maturity. 

 In Kent, for example, flockmasters bought their lambs on the 

 20th of August at from 12s. to 14s. each in Romney Fair, kept 

 them lean two years, and sold them to the fatting grazier at 

 from 24s. to 28s., who finished them off with turnips and pea- 



