MOUNT KENNEDY. 127 



order to have them lamb at Michaelmas, or a 

 little after. They are left in the field for a 

 week, and then taken into the houfe. The 

 ewes are brought to fuckle them twice a day 

 in general} but three or four times, while 

 young j they have cows milk given them by 

 women from their mouths, fquirted down the 

 lambs throats, to the quantity of a noggin a 

 day at firit, and rifes to \\ and 2. A noggin 

 is one-eighth of a quart. They keep them 

 till three weeks before Chriftmas, and then 

 begin to fell them. Their ewes are kept on 

 grafs only, unlefs in bad weather, when they 

 have hay. He fells 75 lambs annually, from 

 a ftock of 80 rams and ewes, at 33s. on an 

 average-, fome up to 40s. for thefe lambs he 

 has 8 cows, 5 of them in full milk, and if he 

 has not cows enough, buys in for the purpofe. 

 The ewes are bought in at 9s. each in July, 

 and fome old ones are fold every year at 6s. 

 14 acres of grafs will keep 80 fheep until the 

 ftubbles are ready for them. 



In this fyftem much depends on having 

 them take the ram in proper time for the 

 Dublin market. In order to accomplifh this 

 feemingly difficult bufmefs, they treat the 

 ladies with a cup of generous Wicklow ale, 

 and drive them about the field, in order to 

 create the proper ferment between their blood 

 and the ale, and then at the critical moment 

 let in the gentlemen. Some managers more 

 attentive than common, treat them with claret 

 inftead of ale ; perhaps the fwarms of children 



in 



