74 THE SHEEP. 



trict. The Sheep of the mountains are purchased by the 

 breeders of the lower farms. The Rams are turned amongst 

 the Ewes in the beginning of June, and by the end of July 

 the greater part of the latter are impregnated, so that the 

 Lambs are born in the months of December and January. 

 At the end of a fortnight or more they are separated from 

 the dams, and placed in pens in the feeding-house. The 

 Ewes are driven into the feeding-house twice a-day, and 

 those whose Lambs are dead, or have been disposed of, are 

 first held to be suckled, and then the Lambs are permitted 

 to suck their own dams. After a time they are further fed 

 with milk from the cow in addition to that of the Ewes. In 

 this manner the Lambs are fed for about six weeks, when 

 they are ready for use. Under this system, the inhabitants 

 of Dublin are supplied with as fine early lamb as any part of 

 the United Kingdom. The Wicklow Ewes are good nurses, 

 and hence are tolerably well adapted to this kind of manage- 

 ment. By retarding the period of receiving the male, the 

 Ewes are made to be impregnated in the months of summer, 

 and having acquired the habit, the Ewes retain it, and are 

 kept by the breeders as long as they will bear lambs. 



From the quality of the wool, the goodness of the mutton, 

 and the adaptation of the females to the rearing of early 

 lambs, the pure Wicklow Mountain Breed was not undeserv- 

 ing of being preserved and cultivated. The practice of cross- 

 ing, however, has been introduced, and from the more im- 

 mediate profit which it affords, is more likely to be pursued 

 than a system of progressive improvement by breeding from 

 the native stock. The South Down Sheep have been those 

 chiefly employed for crossing, and are, doubtless, calculated 

 to produce a race greatly superior to the indigenous one. It 

 may be believed, however, that the Cheviot, already accli- 

 mated in an elevated country, would, as in the case of the 

 Sheep of the Welsh Mountains, have been found better 

 adapted to the crossing of the Sheep of these moist mountains. 

 Nevertheless, a perseverance in a course begun, will be bet- 



