TrtE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



417 



600 lbs. are lonij and thin here, and do not cut 

 any iliicker side (jie'ces than those of a proper 

 conlbrniiition, that only wei<fh 250 \bs., ihen ihf 

 hams and shoulders ol' the hirire animals arc 

 coarse and thick, di[ficult to salt and smoke, and du 

 not bear so hiirh a price in markei by half a rem 

 per pound as ihe t^maller and more delicate hams 

 and shoulders. I w\M\ to call ihe particular ai- 

 leniion ol" ihe pork raiser to these facts. It will 

 be sei'n novv that the very smallest sizes of the 

 fine Berkshires can easily ijro in wei^jht over thi- 

 desideratum of Ihe i)ork purchasers and packers 

 of the west. The live weitrht of the least Berk- 

 shire sow I ever had in jioiid breeding order, 

 weighed on the scales alive 303 lbs., and could 

 easily (at to dress net 35J lbs., and cut at least 

 4 to 5 inches thick of side pork, which makes 

 heavy mess pork enough Ibr even tlie Bosloti 

 market to supply to its fishermen, and give tender, 

 lean, juicy hams and shoulders with very small 

 bones, and a triHins; per ceni. of ofl'al. Now 

 what mure can the public want than tins'? But 

 urged on by a spirit of pride, and Ibr the sake ol 

 bragging about sizes, iheyseem determined to 

 sacrifice to this (oily the finest race of the swine 

 kind if\at ever existed. My breeders now run 

 fiom 350 to 600 lbs., in good store order, and 

 would lat from 400 to 700 lbs., double the weight 

 required by purchasers at the greatest pork n)art 

 m the Union, and still the cry is for size, size! 

 \yell, size they shall have now to their hearts' 

 content, Ibr it is my intention to import some 

 Berkshires this season, that will fat, full grown, 

 to one thousand pounds. They can be had in 

 England just as easily as a finer medium-sized 

 race, and 1 am determined, for one, that the cor- 

 morant appetite of {h& public shall be satisfied, in 

 this particular, to the lull. At the same time to 

 please myself and ihe more judicious number ol 

 my purchasers, I shall still continue to breed good 

 medium sizes of about 400 lbs. weight, and we 

 shall see at last who is right. 



THE SALVING OF SHEEP, WITH A VIEW TO 

 THE PROTECTION OF THE ANIMAL WITH- 

 OUT THE DETERIORATION OF THE FLEECE. 



By Mr. R. Boyd, Innerleithen. 

 [Twenty Sovereigns.] 

 From the Prize Essay of the Highland Agricultural Society. 

 From the material improvements which have 

 taken place in the woollen manulaclures of Scot- 

 land within the last ten or filieen years, no wool 

 but that considered of sufficient puriiy Ibr the 

 manulaciure of white goods, and, at the same 

 time, calculated to receive the finest linls of color, 

 can with impunity be used in the manulaciure of 

 ihe various descriptions of goods now generally 

 produced by the manufactures of this country, 

 consequently wool smeared with tar and butter 

 is now little sought after. From the increasing 

 demand Ibr white wool, many of the store tarmers 

 allowed their flocks, even in high and exposed 

 situaiions, to winter without a salving of any de- 

 scription whatever. This neglect, however, ex- 

 cept in some very peculiar situations, can seldom 

 be continued with impunity above a year or two, 

 as under it both the quantity and riuality ot the 

 Vol. 1X.-36 



wool invariably (all oflf", and it rarely fails to pro- 

 duce a Acw/)i/ fleece, that is one intermixed with 

 dead white hairs, wliu^h are (bund, when eub- 

 miiied to the dyeinir process, to assume a different 

 tint Irom the rest of the fleece, and of much iesa 

 permanency of color. For this reason, wool so 

 treated can only be applied to an inlerior purpose, 

 because it has suffered deierioralion. It is, ihere- 

 Ibre, not possible to maintain, in health and vigor, 

 sheep which are exposed to the vicissitudes of 

 weather in elevated districts, vvilhout the applica- 

 tion of some salve lo proiect not only the health 

 of the animal, hut to iiK^rease and im|)rove the 

 growl h of ihe wool, posses.^ing properties anxious- 

 ly desired by the manufacturers. 



Of late years various salves have been recom- 

 mended and adopted, and ihe one now most ap- 

 proved of, if we may judge from its gereral 

 adoption in the Loihians, in Peebles, Selkirk, 

 Roxburgh, and Berwick Shires, is a composition 

 of powdered, crude, white ars;enic, and black soap, 

 in the proportion of one pound of arsenic to six 

 and three-quarters or eight pounds of soap, with 

 an addition of bniier or oil, in such proportions as 

 ihe judgment of those who have the manngement 

 ol the stock may approve, and this quantity wiih 

 water is considered su(ficient for the salving of a 

 hundred sheep. This description of salve was 

 first introduced into ibe county of Peebles in 1833, 

 by Mr. Murray o( Kedmoor, near Peebles, and 

 the Messrs. Oliver, ol' Willlainslee, in the parish 

 of Innerleithen. Although VVilliamslee is one of 

 the most elevated and stormy situaiions in the 

 couniy, the result was hiahly salisfaclory. Mr. 

 Thomas Ketchen, late tenant of Huthope, which 

 marches with the farm of VVilliamslee, mentioned 

 to me, that the portion of his sio^ which was 

 salved wiih the new salve, stood the severity of 

 the winters of 1836 and 1837 much better than 

 those smeared w'lh lar and butter; and, in cor- 

 roboration of I his efTecf, I may mention, that the 

 shepherd of Kirksiead (which is siiQated on the 

 norih banks of St. Mary's Lake) assured me of 

 a similar result in 1837; and, moreover, that the 

 crop of lambs was fully one-third more than those 

 produced by the ewes smeared in the old way. 

 These (acts can be attested by Mr. Ballantyne of 

 Holylee, to whom the stock belongs. 



It is worthy of remark, that the stock on the 

 farm of Blackhouse, on the estate of Traquair, 

 amounting to upwards of a hundred scores, were 

 for a number of years much inlested with vermin 

 of various descriptions, but in particular with lice. 

 Heavy smearinir with tar and butter, and every 

 other means which ingenuity could devise, were 

 resorted to, but without effect. In 1836 the (arm 

 was let to the present tenant, Mr. Salton, who 

 with confidence salved the most infective part of 

 his flock, and the result was in every respect 

 higly saiislactory. On the farm of Hindlee, 

 which is of great extent, and occupies an elevated 

 situation in the couniy of Roxburi^h, the siock, 

 when in the possession of Mr. Davidson, who 

 smeared wiih lar and butler, were subject to great 

 morialiiy, but Mr. Scoti, who succeeded Mr. 

 Davidson on the farm, tried the new salve, and 

 thereby reduced the annual loss to a mere frac- 

 tional part of what it was. 



Notwithsianding the facts here enumeraied in 

 favor of this new salve, on account of its contain- 

 ing nothing of an adhesive nature, and from the 



