4$ 



WOOL. All occupiers of land, excepting those who 

 occupy poor arable clay land, have of late years been much 

 assisted by (he price of wool ; the only part of their pro- 

 duce on which there has been but little expense incurred, to 

 get it ready for sale. Wool fairs are now pretty generally 

 established throughout the country ; and although some of 

 the wool-buyers do not much like them, they will continue 

 to be kept up. Farmers could always know the value of 

 all their other produce ; but before the establishment of 

 wool fairs they could not easily inform themselves of the 

 market price of wool. Till very lately, T always supposed 

 that a tod of wool was two stones, of 14lbs. to the stone. I 

 find that in some places the tod is 321bs. We therefore, in 

 this county, have often been mistaken, from the newspaper 

 reported prices of other places, of the actual value of wool 

 per Ib. It would be much better to have the tod 281bs. 

 throughout the kingdom. The buyers at our fair, July 2d, 

 sought much after the half-bred, between the Downs and 

 Leicesters, and were willing to give full five shillings a tod 

 more for it, than for all Leicester. As the weight of such 

 cross-bred wool is less than Leicester, five shillings a tod 

 is very little more than one shilling a fleece. This alone 

 cannot be sufficient inducement for the breeders of 

 Leicester sheep to cross ; but if Leicester mutton, from 

 being in general too fat, is worth less per Ib. in most- 

 markets than other mutton, of good quality, not so fat, this 

 deserves the consideration of Leicester breeders. As all 

 occupiers of land know the market their sheep will go to, 

 and as they know best the quality of their land, and the 

 purposes for which their sheep are kept, none are likely to 

 know so well as themselves the breed that may best answer 

 their purpose ; which, for all land, in all situations, must 

 be that breed which will, with wool and carcase together, 

 produce the largest amount of value per acre. Mine is a 

 Leicester flock, and as well bred and good as is necessary 

 to stock my farm with. I am not a tup breeder and letter. 

 I ain not, however, quite satisfied with my flock. 1 do not 

 like to hear my Smith field salesman say he can make a 

 penny a pound more of black-faced wethers, than he can of 

 my white- faced ones. But if Leicester sheep consume, as 

 the breeders of them say, a less quantity of food than the 



