FALKIRK TO EDINBURGH. 49 



attended by more than a sixth of the cattle which, 

 come to Hallow (and these are rather of the cull 

 order), and scarcely any sheep whatever. By this 

 time the farmers' yards are full, and only a few stores 

 are required for the poorer land in the higher districts. 



The blackfaced wedder mutton is specially sought 

 after for the higher Edinburgh tables ; and the speci- 

 mens which come up for the Christmas market are so 

 good that a Kincardineshire pen of five, which won 

 Messrs. Swan's Sheep Cup in 1863, sold for £6 10s. 

 each, and one of them made 34i lbs. per quarter clean 

 w^eight. The Glasgow market is of course much larger 

 than the Edinburgh, and is very freely supplied by 

 the Fife feeders from March to June ; while the in- 

 ferior mutton of the Hamburgh sheep meets with a 

 ready sale. 



The regular Scottish sheep markets of the year 

 may be said to begin with the House of Muir, near 

 Penicuick, on the first and second Monday of April. 

 Rough half-bred and three-parts-bred, Cheviot, and 

 cross-bred hoggs are brought out, with Cheviot and 

 blackfaced ewes in-lamb. Those with the Leices- 

 ter blood go mostly to the Lothians and Fife for 

 fattening off grass, and the Cheviot hoggs to the 

 higher districts for turnips ; the Cheviot ewes are 

 principally bought for the Lothians^ and the black- 

 faced for Lanarkshire and the West. The St. Bos- 

 w^ell's lamb fair begins about July 18th, and at 

 times 10,000 to 25,000^ feeders and breeders in 



* Vf e find the greatest difference of opinion as to the niimber. 



2 E 



