i68 WESTMORLAND AGRICULTURE, 1800— 1900 



"clippings," are almost a thing of the past, the wool being now sold 

 unwashed from nearly all the fell flocks and the "clippings" are not 

 the great gathering of friends and neighbours that they used to be 

 with their 60 to 80 clippers and the sports, wrestling and racing after 

 the day's work was done. " Cobbing " is unknown to the youths of the 

 present day. When salving was taking place young lads would call the 

 salvers " greasy lurriers, keead-hunters, lousy lurriers, scab doctors, 

 gentlemen sauvers," and on chase being given and the culprit caught, 

 he was laid face down on the " settle " and whacked with a tarry 

 board, his captor repeating : — 



" Thou art my son devoid of grace, 



Thou hast transgressed before my face ; 



If thou doesn't mend o'thi manners, 



T'skin o'thi thees shall go to t'tanners ; 



If they don't tan it weel, 



A'll tak't to mi aun back doore. 



And a'll giv't ran, tan, tan, 



A'll gi tha yan for t'king and anudder for t'queen. 



And yan fer mysel for cobbin tha weel." 

 or — 



" Cob him once, cob him twice 



Cob him while he whistles thrice." 



The lambs are dipped about the time the sheep are washed, 

 and again with the ewes in the first or second week in August to prevent 

 them being " struck " by the " fly," and, finally, in October or early 

 November before they go to their winter quarters. At the present 

 time dipping is compulsory twice a year. At the autumn dipping salve 

 is often used in conjunction with a regulation dip — the mixture in this 

 case has to be kept at a temperature of 80 degrees F., and the greatest 

 care has to be exercised or the salve wiU not penetrate to the skin. 



The blackening of the fleece during the long winter rains and 

 storms is more noticeable on the fells facing south and west than 

 those to the north ; as the sheep recover their condition in the spring 

 the fleece resumes its normal colour. In severe winters great losses 

 are experienced through long periods of snow and frost and the con- 

 sequent weakness of the sheep — under these conditions they will eat 

 anything green, holly and savin and ivy and moss from the rocks and 

 Wcills. The spring of 1799 was a disastrous one for the fell sheep 



