114 FIELD AND FERN. 



sie^s, of Costerton, who had the second-prize shear- 

 ling and the first-prize aged ram, averaged £1 18s. 

 9d. ; but none of them made more than j£,22. Mr. 

 Watson of Esperston, who was second for aged tups, 

 stood third, with an average of £7 5s. lid. for thirty. 

 Mr. Gibson beat the Earl of Wemyss in the Cotswold 

 competition, and his sixteen averaged £1 10s. 6d. 

 The highest-priced sheep in the Gosford and Woolmet 

 lots made c£13 5s., and just one other lot of Cotswolds 

 was exposed. There were only two lots of South- 

 downs, a class of sheep for which no prize was given, 

 and the prices ranged from :€6 to ^3. 



Mr. Moffat of Kinleith was first and second for the 

 shearling Cheviots, and an average of <:€8 for twenty- 

 seven, with <£14 10s. for the premier, was the signifi- 

 cant commentary upon his success. In the blackfaced 

 class, the first and second prizes were awarded to Mr. 

 Wilson of Crosshouse, whose average of .£7 for twenty- 

 seven, with .€.20 15s. as the top price, was far beyond 

 any of the seven lots "with the curly horn .^' 



The Duke of Buccleuch keeps from seventy to 

 eighty Border Leicesters, and for nine years past 

 has used Lord Polwarth's tups. The shearling tups 

 are sold generally at Edinburgh, and the draft ewe 

 hoggs go to Ireland. His Grace also keeps a large 

 flock of half-bred ewes, which he crosses with the 

 Leicesters, and sells the lambs. The pure shorthorn 

 stock at Dalkeith numbers some iive-and-twenty 

 head, and Booth blood is followed with the bulls. 

 At present the cows are in-calf to Royal Errant by 



