120 FIELD AND TERX. 



to use the words of Mr. Sadler (who introduced the 

 iirst steam plough to East Lothian, and came second 

 with a capital sow at Stirling), ^' mangold is a perfect 

 hoax in our climate/^"'^ 



Haddington — where the East Lothian Farmers^ 

 Club hold such animated discussions, and differ so 

 widely on some points of sheep practice — is becoming 

 a great fat market, and on June 1st of last year a 

 lot of Southdown-Cheviot lambs made 34s. at the 

 weekly public auction. If farmers are short of lambs 

 they often buy rough hoggs or hill-tails at the House 

 of Muir. Near " the grim, old honey-combed Castle 

 of Dunbar," where the "red soil potatoes*^ have no 

 London market compeers, and along the higher dis- 

 tricts of the country where the arables die away into 

 the Lammermoors, some of them keep blackfaced or 

 Cheviot wedders, which they buy or bring down from 



* This gentleman gave the following, in a recent speech at the Haddington 

 Fanners' Club, as his exijeiience of the ditferent kuids of sheep introduced into 

 East Lothian : "In 1859 he was in the south of England, and he was very 

 much struck with the prices which they were getting for the Hampshire Down 

 sheep. He bought thhty ewes at 50s., and a ram, but they rather disappomted 

 him. Each ewe had not a lamb; and they had also less wool than his half- 

 Ijreds. He kept them as hoggs, and they had brought five shillings more than 

 his half-breds, Imthewas certain these beasts ate 10s. more than the others. 

 They were very easily fattened, bvit they wei-e tremendous consumers. He 

 saw the ewes getting lat upon his pastm-es in the summer months, and he sent, 

 tbemoff. He haiipenedto meet his landlord at the Lincoln show, who told 

 him the immense i)vices that were got for Lincoln hoggs, and also for Lincoln 

 wool. He bought furty Lincolns in 1861 at 54s., but he was disappointed with 

 them also. Thty were long-necked, and the wool in wet weather seemed to 

 lie hke silk on then- backs. He took a notion that they were also great con- 

 sumers, and not very ready fatteners, and he put them away ]>ecause they did 

 not bruig a higher piice than his half-bred hoggs. He had not had any expe- 

 rience as to the effects of crossing the Lincoln sheep with other breeds. He 

 also tried the Cots wolds, but he did not find them very prolific. The Cotswold 

 had a lamb each, but were veiy liad milkers ; but the Cotswolds might come 

 ap in spring. He thought these sheep requu-ed extra crops, and he could not 

 grow a crop of winter tares [in consequence of the hai-es. He thought that, 

 with theii' high rents, they could not afford to keep large breeding stocks of 

 sheep; and if they were to increase the number of sheep, they must do so 

 merely by pui-chase." 



