State of Agriculture in Northumberland. 



175 



ham, and many are also let yearly at good prices in this county, 

 of which none hold a higher place than those of Mr. Jobson, of 

 Chillingham Newtown. Attempts have, in some instances, been 

 made to increase the size of Leicester sheep by crossing them 

 with large and coarse rams from the Tees water or old Lincoln- 

 shire breeds, but the experiment has generally proved disappoint- 

 ing, and in some instances extremely injurious, producing animals 

 with inferior quality of wool and mutton, defective in form, slower 

 in growth, and, after a few crosses, less in weight than the original. 

 It may gratify the mistaken vanity of a farmer to obtain a larger 

 price per head than his neighbour, but the price per head forms 

 no criterion of his profits. The sheep is not naturally a large 

 animal, and it is well known, as well as perfectly reasonable to 

 suppose, that without forcing and if left to their own feeding on 

 light land, or on any land that is sufficiently stocked to be pro- 

 fitable, sheep of smaller size come to greater perfection and more 

 early maturity than large ones. If an acre of land which will 

 fatten 4 sheep of 251bs. per quarter will fatten 5 of 201bs., which 

 there is no reason to doubt, the profit must be on the side of the 

 latter ; the quantity of mutton is equal, and so it may be presumed 

 is the weight of wool ; the smaller mutton is more valuable in the 

 shambles, and it has been produced at less cost, because, if left 

 to shift for himself, the smaller sheep gets sooner fat ; he can 

 gather as much food in a time of drought, or any other case of 

 scarcity, as the larger animal, and it does him more good, so that 

 be keeps his condition, or improves, while the other is losing or 

 standing still. If there are markets where large joints sell better 

 than those of moderate size, and situations where sheep depend 

 almost entirely upon stall-feeding, then my reasoning will fall to 

 the ground ; but where flocks are extensive and fed abroad on the 

 pastures, 1 am strongly of opinion that it is unwise to obtain size 

 at the risk of losing quality, and in a degree beyond what the 

 kind of keep and character of the soil are calculated to maintain 

 and mature. Excellent sheep are produced by the first cross 

 between Cheviot ewes and Leicester ram.s — of equal weight with 

 the Leicester and with finer wool — and in the intermediate lands 

 between the mountains and low country this mode of breeding is 

 followed to a considerable extent. It is proper to mix some 

 young cattle in the pasture witli sheep, as the one will often eat 

 the grass which the other rejects. It is not easy to estimate with 

 accuracy the comparative profit between the feeding of sheep and 

 oxen upon grass-land, as, besides the quality of the land, the price 

 of wool and the relative value of beef and mutton must be taken 

 into account. I should say, however, that on all dry and loamy- 

 soils, if not of the richest quality of old grazing pasture, the 

 advantage is on the side of sheep, and that land v> ill produce 



