50 PIELD AND FERN. 



the shape of half and three -parts bred lambs are- 

 gathered there from all the Lowland districts. Fifty 

 years ago only rough Cheviot hoggs and black-faced 

 three-year-old wedders and wedder lambs came; 

 but time has wrought wonders in this respect. The 

 ewe and wedder lambs are generally sold mixed at 

 from 21s. to .29s.; but one lot of six or seven 

 score^ three-parts bred, was quoted last year at 

 35s. 6d. 



The clipped ewe and wedder hoggs are all similarly 

 bred, but they seldom muster above two thousand. 

 Northumberland, Eifeshire^ and Berwickshire men 

 are all great buyers both here and at Melrose, which 

 is nearly a month later, and brings out Cheviot as 

 well as half-bred lambs. Many of the latter have 

 trenched on the high lands once used for Cheviots, 

 and it is these higher lands which furnish the chief 

 Melrose supplies. Once it was only a mart for 

 the shots of the St. BoswelFs lambs, and there were 

 not more than two or three thousand of them. Now 

 70,000 to 80,000 Cheviot, half-bred, and three-parts 

 bred may sometimes be found there, besides Leicester 

 shots, whose tops, as well as those of the three-parts 

 bred, have been sold at St. BoswelFs. Both it and 

 Melrose are early markets, and the lambs are on the 

 ground by sis o^clock. St. BoswelFs is more of a 

 mixed fair, and a great place for settling guano and 

 other accounts. The lambs have generally left the 

 ground by ten o^ clock, and a horse, cattle, and wool 

 fair fills up the day till four o'clock. Of Lockerby,, 



