I 
A Hill and a Half- Hill Farm. 393 
found from a long winning experience at the Highland and 
Agricultural Society, that the best looking Cheviots are not 
always the most profitable. It is now nearly 20 years since 
Mr. Aitchison ceased to show on his own account, but last year 
Mr. Elliot, of Hindhope, took a first prize with a ram of his 
breeding when the above society met at Aberdeen. In the days 
when he had so many heavy " winning exchanges " with Mr. 
Brydon's uncle, his prize rams and ewes were almost entirely 
chosen from the Penchryst and Menzion farms. He sells about 
90 rams in the course of the year, but principally at the Hawick 
ram fair, which is confined to Cheviots, and attended by the 
Sutherlandshire breeders. At times he has made as high as 70/. 
for one, but they will vary on the average from 3/. to dl. Horns 
will come out occasionally, but they are not liked, as their 
possessors use them rather too freely, and are not much 
hardier in their constitution than those which lack them, besides 
being generally rather coarse in the fleece. A good ram can be 
fed up to about 40 lbs. a quarter, and they have been known as a 
four-shear to clip 13 lbs. of wool. The largest ram the present 
Mr. Brydon ever bred was Sampson, who was upwards of 
24 stone of 14 lbs. live weight when he was made up. 
When it was the universal habit to tar the fleeces, nearly all 
the wool of Scotland went direct to Yorkshire. The leading 
Huddersfield staplers came round, and lived for weeks on the 
Border, examining clips by day, and drinking whisky toddy by 
night. For many years Eastwood, Graham, and Lockwood had 
a monopoly of the market, and very seldom opposed each other. 
It was not their custom to settle up the balance till they came 
for the next clip, but they made a heavy payment to the flock- 
master in February, so as to enable him to meet his rent. Most 
of the wool in the North Highlands was also consigned to Liver- 
pool agents for sale. Since, however, white wool has become 
the fashion, Scotland has manufactured much of her own wool, 
and the clothiers of Bradford are the leading customers for the 
residue. The late Mr. Andrew Oliver of Hawick began the 
public wool sales before 1840, and his were the earliest of the 
kind in Scotland, but not on the same principle as those now 
established by Messrs. Girdwood and others at Edinburgh, 
Glasgow, and Leith. Catalogues of the clips were published, 
and buyers went round and examined them, and then met at 
Hawick or Jedburgh to bid. For eight or ten years past the 
Edinburgh and Leith firms, which have begun the system of 
warehousing the wool, and holding periodical sales, have done 
most of the Scottish wool business. Their system prevents the 
market from being flooded at one season ; and owing to the 
regulation of supply, men of small capital have a chance of 
2 D 2 
