Essay on Sheep, \6S 



sheep that may be kept upon an acre during 

 the summer. It appears trom Lord Somerville's 

 experiments, that Ryeland ewes, crossed by 

 Merino rams, produced a fine stock of wethers, 

 which were fit for the butcher at two years old, 

 and weighed from fifteen to twenty pounds the 

 quarter, and tallowed well. He adds, that they 

 may be stocked hard, as the same land which 

 carried indifferendy forty-five long-woolled 

 ewes, maintained, in good plight, one hundred 

 and fifty Ryelands, the lambs of which were 

 weaned in high order. These lambs were sum- 

 mered on the same land, at more than twelve 

 per acre; and although kept hard during the 

 winter, the wethers fatted to sixteen pounds the 

 quarter. Lawrence adds, " I have been assur- 

 *' ed, from good authority, that 221 acres of 

 " pasture vetches and turneps, being the whole 

 '* of the land on which the sheep run last year, 

 '^ the profit of a flock of this breed (half blood 

 '^ Merinoes) amounted to £\592 9s. 2d. ster- 

 ^* ling; but working oxen, and other horned 

 *' cattle ran over the same land, for which must 

 '^ be deducted 31 acres, so that there remain 

 " but 190 acres chargeable to the sheep, mak- 

 " ing a return of <£l 4s. sterling per acre in a 

 " most disadvantageous season, on account of 

 ** the drought. In general land worth a gui- 



