50 



Farming of Derbyshire. 



These sheep mount the walls in spite of the husbandman, and 

 damage or destroy the coming crop. Nothing can be more pro- 

 voking, and the only remedy against their incursions is to chain 

 two together by the horns.* 



Mr. Robinson, of Ashopton, and Mr. Greaves, of Rowlee, have 

 crossed the horned ewe with the Leicester ram for some years, 

 and state they intend to continue it. But it is agreed that the 

 native woodland sheep is best adapted for the unenclosed upland 

 moors. This breed has existed in its native purity from time 

 immemorial, and will, in all probability, continue. In 1810 

 (v. Farcy's Report, page 88, vol. iii.) " the Duke of Devon- 

 shire placed 3 Merino rams in the care of Mr. Charles Greaves, 

 of Rowlee, for the improvement of the Woodland fleece." About 

 that time a great rage appeared in every part of the country to 

 introduce the Merino, and its fine quality of wool. But it appears 

 not to have succeeded, and presently was given up, the Wood- 

 land breeders being satisfied with the experiment. Mr. Greaves 

 says, " There are some useful half-bred Leicester and Woodland 

 sheep, that answer well in the lowlands," — "they don't do well 

 on the mountains," — " my wool sold this year for 14^. per stone, 

 and my sheep average about 4^ lbs. each,"^ — " on all the newly- 

 enclosed land lime is a most valuable manure, but on the older 

 and worn-out soils it is worthless." The course of cropping 

 in this part will be, 1st year, fallow, turnips ; 2nd year, oats ; 

 3rd year, mixed clover-seeds, and held in grass for 3 and 4 years, 

 and ploughed up for oats. Bones have found the way into the 

 mountains, and the turnips are grown with from 12 to 15 bushels 

 of dust per acre, or from 3 to 4 cwts of guano. Flat drilling is 

 preferred, but they are sometimes sown broadcast. Sometimes 

 rape and seeds follow the turnips, as practised on the mountain 

 lime. Farther on to the north-west the hills offer little that is 

 noticeable to the agriculturist. The summit of the British Alps 

 in Derbyshire is, for several miles, a level morass, and the foun- 

 tain-head of two streams running east and west, the one finding 

 its way to the Humber the other to the Mersey. Descending 

 the hill towards Glossop, and forward to Dinting Vale, Derby- 

 shire there is a manufacturing district. 



4. The Carboniferous^ Marine^ or Mountain Lime, — By a re- 

 ference to the map, and to the description already given of the 

 millstone - grit, which nearly surrounds and encloses it, the 

 boundary of this formation will be given. It emerges from be- 

 neath the grit above Cromford, and is traceable by the Middle 

 Peak and the crags south of Wirksworth to Hop ton, Brassington,. 

 Bradbourne, and Thorpe, where it crosses the Dove and enters 



* It is related that these horned sheep have been known to butt against a wall, 

 after a " battering-ram" fashion, to get into a turnip field. 



