No. 5. 



Dialogue between a Father and Son. 



141 



being dispensed with. Sheep can bear almost any 

 degree of cotd, if the climate be dry; the Scotch shep- 

 herds declared, they have experienced it so intense as 

 to kill the dogs while lying at thoir ft-et, on the Cheviot 

 hills; and yet the sheep bore it well. The Cheviots 

 ire a very pretty and iisi>ful breed of sheep, especially 

 for high lands and coarse pasture; they being com- 

 pletely coated, even to the eyes and hoof in wool, 

 »nablea them to stand the exposure of the mountain, 

 (vithout flinching. 



Frank.— I have often heard of the sagacity of the 

 Scotch shepherds' dogs, did you observe tliem to be par- 

 licnlar in this respect? 



Father. — I did, and have often been astonished to 

 lee them perform their ecnluUons. At the time of 

 which I am speaking, the number of Cheviots on the 

 tstate was seven thousand, divided into four flocks; 

 ind although these were sometimes pastured on the 

 ame district, there was no danger of their inter- 

 Hingling— the dogs would guard against that. The 

 ustom of the shepherds was, to remain with their 

 locks until they had lain down for the night; and 

 hen to leave them until a little before daj break in 

 he morning, when, in going among them quietly, 

 hey would know to a certainty, if any individual was 

 ick; for if a sheep does not stretch itself on rising, it 

 3 a sure sign of disease. But, before disturbing them, 

 he dog would take a circle round them, to ascertain 

 y the scent, if any stranger had visited the flock dur- 

 ng the night, and if there had. as soon as the flock 

 ad been drawn together, he woKid go into them and 

 eize the straggler by the ear. Towards evening, the 

 tiepherds were accustomed to collect their sheep into 



circle, in some sheltered spot, if a storm was appre- 

 ended — and to do this, it was only necessary for him 

 ) say to the dog, go round them, when away he w'ould 

 ;art, circling them so quietly and at such a distance, 

 lat they would continue to feed all the way as they 

 pproached the shepherd, who had thus again the op- 

 ortunity to examine and count them, to ascertain 

 lat all was right for the night ; and if he observed 

 ny symptom of sickness, he had only to point out 

 le individual, when the dog would go so quietly, and 

 ike him by the wool of his neck so gently, as scarcely 

 ) disturb the remainder of the flock; after this, the 

 lepherd had only to remain until they were lain 

 own, when he could leave them with the certainty 

 f finding them in the same position in which he had 

 ift them, the next morning at break of day. Some of 

 le pastures were bounded on one side by a bank, and 

 n the other by a wall, and if, on removing the flock, 

 16 shepherd wished to head the sheep to the right, or 

 ) the left, he would say, over the dyke, or over the wall, 

 nd the dog would never mistake the one for the other. 



At the time of lambing, each shepherd was furnished 

 ith a stone bottle, strapped across his shoulder, filled 

 ■ith cow's milk, for the support of the lambs lately 

 ropped, some of which were, perhaps, too weak to 

 ick their dams ; and the way in which they admin- 

 tered this cordial was curious — they would take a 

 irge mouthful of milk, and keep it there until it grew 

 arm; then, clasping the lamb between their knees, 

 nd opening its mouth with tlie fore finger, they would 

 t the milk run from their mouths in a small stream, 

 rectly down the throat of the lamb, in the most con- 

 anient manner possible. 



Frank.— I have also heard of the disease called the 

 ■fnno mavia, do you remember the time, when the 

 hole people seemed all at once to be affected by this 

 "uel disorder ? 



Father.— PerfecUy, and it was, indeed, a "caution," 

 • observe its effects on even soher-minded people— and 

 need of the excitement either — for, if the merino 

 luse has been taken up by those only to whom, as a 

 jsiness, it properly belonged, nothing would have suc- 

 teded better or have been attended with better results; 

 Jt all must dash into the speculation : and I have 

 iard, that even merchants' clerks would have their 

 erino tied up in, perhaps, the coal cellar, by which 

 ley calculated to make a profit of one or two hundred 

 'r cent. It is a valuable breed of sheep for some pur 

 )ges and situations, and with care and great attention 

 ive been found to retain all their excellent proper- 

 es, and greatly to improve in the article of mutton, 



which they were originally deficient. They were 



troduced into England by George the Third, who, at 

 eat expense and trouble, imported them direct from 

 tain, for the improvement of the wool of the clothing 



districts. It was his wish to place them in the hands 

 of those most likely to take the greatest care of them 

 and he therefore made presentsaniungst the nobility and 

 great flock masters of England— but all fell through— 

 none could be found to take the necessary care of ani- 

 mals V. hich came into their hands so cheaply, and it 

 was the happy thought of Sir Joseph Danks, to sell a 

 portion by auction, considering, that when men paid 



dearly for thoir whistle, they would take care of it 



Accordingly, in 1«08, the average price of owes at the 

 king's sale was X-23 123. 6tl,; of rams, £13 10a. Id., the 

 highest price for an ewe being X38 17s.; of a ram, £74 

 lis.,— and then came on the tug of speculation I Every 

 one thought that merino wool would eventually be the 

 only article grown, and on this the people seemed to 

 suppose they must depend for life, arid breath and aK 

 l/iivgs! In the mean time a few persons of judginenl 

 and skill set themselves qnietly to examine the matter ; 

 and amongst the first of these must be placed Lord 

 Somerville and Dr. Parry ; in their hands these sheep 

 proved to be all that had ever been expected ; and al- 

 though at first, the wool dealers and clothiers were de- 

 termined to consider the wool of the Anglo-merino 

 sheep inferior to the imported Spanish, yet, Dr. Par- 

 ry, by a singular method, convinced them against 

 their will, and condemned them out of their own 

 mouths ! It is said, that for several years he packed 

 the wool of his merino flock in the bags which had 

 been emptied of the purest imported Sjianish wool— 

 from the Pen/in flock, markei rcj^na— and introduced it 

 into the market as such; readily obtaining the highest 

 prices of the day, without a suspicion of its being the 

 growth of England! and these prices in 1809 had risen 

 to the enormous sum of twenty shillings English! — 

 This plan he adopted, because he could not obtain of 

 the wool buyers a price at all equal to the value of the 

 article ; but by it the sales were easily effected for sev- 

 eral years, at a price equal to that demanded for the 

 prima piles of imported Spanish! And he obtained a 

 premium from the Bath Agricultural Society, at their 

 annual meeting, at which, the committee reported as 

 follows; "They had, in conjunction with several 

 woollen drapersof the City of Bath, minutely inspected 

 the comparative quality of cloths, Nos. 1 and 2 ; and 

 had adjudged, that No. 1 was entitled to a preference, 

 in respectof fineness of wool," — (it appeared, on exami- 

 nation, that No. 1 was manufactured from the wool of 

 Dr. Parry's Anglo-merino flock, and that No. 2 was 

 made from one of the best piles of wool imported from 

 Spain, and known by the name of the " Coronel pile,") 

 and they were decidedly of opinion, that Dr. Par- 

 ry had accomplished the grand object of producing, in 

 the rliniate and soil of Britain, wool equal to that 

 usually imported from Spain." Now, this object would 

 not have been accomplished, had not the sheep been 

 sold for enormous prices— when they were *gicen away, 

 no one cared much about them, and they were con- 

 signed to the care of servants, who, generally speak- 

 ing, entertained strong prejudices against them; and 

 at best, were not sufficiently careful to prevent them 

 from becominu contaminated with other breeds. And 

 here I cannot resist the mention of a circumstance, 

 which was related to me by my friend the Dishley 

 breeder — he said, " I once attended an agricultural 

 meeting, of which the ereat Arthur Voung was Presi- 

 dent; his speeches filled all with enthusiasm, and 

 caused us to consider a visit to his farm, which was in 

 the neighborhood, as the greatest treat we could en- 

 joy, as there we were sure to witness all his theories 

 carried out to practice — I, therefore, obtained his per- 

 mission to inspect lii« farm the next day, with a letter 

 to his shepherd, instructing him to show me every 

 civility, and permit me, especially, to examine his 

 flock. The next luoming early, found me on the road, 

 enjoying, in anticipation, the pleasure of seeing an es- 

 tablii^hraent built and supported by long experience, 

 consummate skill, and the most ample means of im- 

 provement; but how shall I express the mortification 

 which I experienced I A fine farm, cross cropped and 

 badly managed, was nothing to the horror which I 

 felt when the shepherd introduced me to the flock of 

 sheep, which had been brought into an enclosure for 



» JVo^c— It is a fact, that at ths first introduction of 

 the seed of the sugar beet from France, by the Beet 

 Sugar Society of Philadelphi.i, some of the first agri- 

 culturists of the State declined accepting it a« a gin I 



