igS WESTMORLAND AGRICULTURE, 1800— 1900 



rings of coloured paint round the necks of the geese, and permanent 

 ones by cutting the webs of the feet. The finder of a stray goose 

 entered in the book was reminded by one of the rules that the " owner 

 shall have word sent in writing or otherwise — the owner to pay postage." 



Pigs have never been a feature in the county, although they have 

 improved with the rest of the farm stock. Wm. Ellison, speaking 

 at the agricultural dinner at Milnthorpe in 1841 said " that a few 

 years ago the pigs had long ears and misshapen snouts, their ears so 

 big as to cover their eyes, now they were Winded with fat." Except 

 in the neighbourhood of villages where household refuse is procurable, 

 not more than a couple of pigs are kept on a farm, and these are killed 

 and pickled for home consumption. 



About 1850 the price of young pigs eight to twelve weeks old 

 was 8/- to 12/- each, in 1861 the same class of pig had risen to 28/- 

 to 35/- each, and for the last year or two, especially in the spring 

 and owing to a general shortage of pigs in the country, the prices 

 have been as high as 45/- for eight-week-old pigs. 



