174 State of Agriculture in Northumberland. 



The sheep stock are in the hill-district the improved Cheviot 

 sheep, which are more hardy than the Leicester, and produce 

 finer wool, and come sooner to maturity than the black-faced 

 mountain-sheep. The wether sheep are fatted on turnips in 

 their third winter ; the ewes are sold in autumn at four years old 

 into the grazing districts in Yorkshire and elsewhere, where after 

 feeding one set of lambs they are sent to the butcher. The 

 Leicester sheep are the universal stock of the low grounds. 

 They were first introduced by Messrs. Culley, about the year 

 1766, from the founder of that breed, Mr. Bakewell, of Dishley. 

 Messrs. Thompson, Jobson, Smith, and other men of judgment 

 and spirit, seeing their superiority over the old breed of the 

 country called mugs," quickly followed the example, and the 

 custom of hiring rams becoming general, the old breed in the 

 course of a few years entirely disappeared. The management of 

 the flock has been pretty fully detailed under the head of turnip 

 cultivation, with which it is intimately connected. The district 

 is particularly healthy for sheep ; it is reckoned that one-third of 

 the ewes should produce twins, and in some situations one-half of 

 ihem have been known to do so. They occasionally have three 

 at a birth, but that is not desirable : 600 ewes on the farms of 

 Milfiekl Hill and Flodden produced in one season upwards of 

 900 lambs; 33 of the ewes yeaned 100 lambs, viz., 32 three each 

 and 1 four. This flock had some rape in the previous autumn. 

 After having three sets of lambs, the ewes are sometimes fatted 

 at home, but mostly sold in September to other parts, to breed 

 another set and then be fatted. The lambing- time is in March 

 and April ; the lambs are weaned in July, and often taken to 

 moors or rough pasture for six weeks, the change of land being 

 considered healthful, for which keep from 2d. to 3(i. per head 

 per week is charged ; they are brought home to fogs and clover- 

 stubbles, and put upon turnips about the end of October. The 

 gimmers are put to breed in the second year; the wether-hogs 

 are taken more pains with during the winter than the gimmers, 

 frequently having their turnips cut and getting a little hay, for 

 the purpose of selling them fat as soon as they are turned out of 

 the wool; they may at that time run from 17 to 21 or 221bs. per 

 quarter, according as they have been well kept. Such as have 

 not had much care bestowed upon them are run again on pastures 

 through the summer and sold in the autumn, or put upon turnips 

 and sold fat at all times in the course of the winter, the weekly mar- 

 kets at Morpeth and Newcastle affording constant opportunity of 

 doing so. The Leicester sheep of this county are generally very 

 pure in blood, correct in form, and possessing great aptitude to 

 fatten. Rams are occasionally introduced, by way of change, from 

 the flocks of the distinguished breeders in Leicester and Notting- 



