430 



Agriculture of Northmnherland. 



are strictly breeding farms. The usual practice is to cast the 

 spare stock at May and October, but principally in the autumn. 

 It is only off farms which will not keep their wethers until 21 

 years old, that a cast of hogs and dinmonts takes place in the month 

 of May, or that a very prosperous lambing season has thrown the 

 tenants into a larger stock, than the farm may be safely trusted to 

 keep, on account of eating the ground too bare and rotting the 

 stock, which misfortune, however, does not now so often happen 

 since more attention has been paid to draining. The ewes are 

 cast in October, at five or six years old, and generally sold to 

 farmers occupying the lower and better land of Northumberland, 

 where they are fed the same season, the more backward ones re- 

 ceiving a few turnips. The tups are put to the ewes on or about 

 November 22, and have their first lambs at three years old. 

 The lambs are taken from their mothers in June, and generally 

 sent away for a month to be spained, or weaned. It is a received 

 opinion among stockmasters, that the harder lambs are kept dur- 

 ing the weaning month the healthier they become. Places, having 

 a great proportion of black heather, to which the lambs are sent 

 for a month, are carefully selected so as to get them well hirned, or 

 hardened. But as many as four or five to the score of young hogs 

 are sometimes lost by sickness, — though this has also been much 

 remedied by greater attention to draining. The young wethers, 

 as they are called, are cast at the sam^e time, and sold at the same 

 fairs as the other sheep. Those in good condition, and off the best 

 farms, are bought for turniping — the inferior ones are wintered 

 again, without turnips, and fattened the next summer. The latter 

 usually come into the market in September. 



A great improvement has taken place in the breed of this class 

 of stock within the last few years. A keen and praiseworthy 

 competition now exists amongst the stockmasters as to who can 

 produce the best stock, for which local shows have been esta- 

 blished in Reidwater and North Tyne. The Messrs. Robson, of 

 Keildor, seem to have taken the lead as breeders of this stock, 

 having been the most successful competitors. 



The first and principal improvements to be made upon hill 

 farms are draining and planting, and much judgment should be 

 exercised in so laying out a plantation as to throw shelter over 

 the largest quantity of ground. It is a fault too commonly com- 

 mitted in making shelter for sheep upon hill farms, to plant small 

 enclosures. These certainly give shelter in a stormy night, but 

 in a continuance of severe weather they do m.ore harm than good, 

 by inducing the sheep to run to shelter; whereas if large belts of 

 plantations, stretching along rising ground, v. ere made, they would 

 give shelter to the lower ground for miles in hard weather; and 

 the sheep would get out to feed. It is in keen nipping weather. 



