60 riELD AND FERX. 



and nothing but a change of food restores them. The 

 black winter of 1859-60,, like that of 1838-39, was 

 very equitable in its ravages. Some Sutherland 

 farmers lost nearly a third of their flock ; and the 

 ewes got so low, for lack of food on the hill, that 

 they were mere cabers in point of milk, if they did 

 bring their lambs. They had hay for more than eight 

 weeks, and in many instances sheaves were let down 

 to them, and scores of the most weakly just struggled 

 through on warm oats and hay. In England, the 

 hoggs do not rise to that rank till they have been 

 clipped ; f whereas lamb promotion is speedier in Scot- 

 land, and takes place about October 20th with the 

 smearing. Olive and castor oil have been tried in- 

 stead of the conventional butter and tar; but 

 although the wool brought a higher price, it of 

 course weighed less, and rather impoverished the 

 mutton by not turning the rains of winter and 

 spring. 



To prevent braxy, which is generally induced by 

 eating diseased vegetation during the frost, the wed- 

 der hoggs are turniped, in or out of the county, from 

 the beginning of December to the end of March, along 

 with the tups and the worst of the dinmonts, to make 

 them equal to the lot on the hill. The wedders are 

 always sold (like the ewes, of which about tt third 

 are cast each year) by the clad score, or 21 as 20, 

 and if they kill to 201bs. a quarter, as three shears, 

 after four months on turnips, it is considered capital. 

 The bargain is generally made at the Inverness Cha- 



