CHAPTER II 



Agricultural customs Changes of tenancy Valuations of sheep Types of 

 sheep Clipping lambs Long names Contented farmers Black cattle 

 Bulls Ploughing Threshing Winnowing Agricultural improve- 

 ments Old milestone Meanness. 



CHANGES of tenancy in the district are infrequent, many of 

 the farms having descended from father to son through 

 many generations. The farmers are contented with their 

 lot, and for the most part prosperous ; and old customs, if 

 they die at all, die here as slowly as in most places. When 

 a new tenant does come in, he takes over, by the customary 

 valuation, the sheep stock of his predecessor, as in so many 

 other hill-farming districts, and here, as elsewhere, though 

 the custom is not regarded as altogether free from draw- 

 backs, it has not been found practicable to replace it by 

 anything better. That no imported stock could profitably 

 take the place of the ewes that have become acclimatised to 

 their surroundings through many generations seems to be 

 beyond cavil, and that being granted, it seems to follow that 

 they are worth something more to retain upon the farm 

 than their mere value as ordinary drafts sent to market. 

 The great difficulty is to keep that " something " within 

 reasonable limits. Very often it may be placed too high 

 by the umpire, who is the court of appeal when the valuers 

 respectively appointed by outgoing and incoming tenants 

 cannot agree ; human nature never has been infallible, but 

 if the judgment of the umpire is not to be accepted, who 

 then shall decide the price ? For the landlord to own the 

 stock and let it with the farm has long ago been abandoned 

 as quite unworkable, and open to even greater abuse ; 

 and the other alternative viz. for the landlord to step 

 in and put an end once for all to the custom by taking 

 over the flock which his lease provides that the outgoing 



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