174 Report on some features of Scottish Agriculture. 
are partly sold in tlie autumn, and the remainder after being 
on turnips and cake for from three to four months. 
About 200 three-quarter bred lambs from Dirleton Park and 
Farm are also annually fed on turnips, which are generally given 
on the seeds ; or the lambs are, to a certain extent, folded on the 
roots and get 1 lb. of cake each daily. They are sold to the butcher 
as shearlings in May and June, generally weighing about 16 or 
17 lbs. per quarter. The fleeces of these sheep weigh about 
6J lbs. each on the average, but those of the Leicester flock 
will commonly weigh about 8 lbs. It is found, however, in the 
climate of Fenton Barns and its neighbourhood, that extra 
feeding has a great influence on the weight of the fleece, and as 
much as from 12 to 13 lbs. of wool may be grown by a highly- 
fed Leicester hogg. 
About 200 Cheviot Dinmonts, from the hill farm in Peeble- 
shire, are put as lambs on Dirleton links, and during the winter 
they go for two or three hours daily to a turnip-fold. In the 
summer they are grazed entirely on the links, and about the 1st of 
October they go on turnips. At the turn of the year they begin 
to get cake, and they are generally sold about the 1st of March. 
Cattle. — The East Lothian system of paying labourers in kind 
necessitates a certain amount of provision for cow«keeping on 
the part of the farmer. Mr, Hope employs from 12 to 14 men, 
each of whom has the privilege of keeping a cow ; he therefore 
keeps a puie-bred bull, and, as he generally buys the calves, he 
keeps about 4 cows to rear them, the number annually brought 
up running from 16 to 20. As there are from 4 to 4^ calves to 
each nurse-cow, they are given porridge or bruised linseed-cake 
with milk-and-water, and are soon taught to eat oats and cake. 
Ultimately, they are put with the stirks, and fed-ofF with them. 
Half- Ayrshire and half-Shorthorn is the cross generally preferred 
in the east of Scotland for milch cows, but feeding beasts are liked 
the better the nearer they approach to a pure Shorthorn. October 
is the best month for buying beasts to feed on turnips, and Mr. 
Hope generally secures about 20 two-year-old Shorthorn steers 
from England, if possible, as well as about 30 yearling stirks, at 
this time. He also purchases in spring from 30 to 35 two-year- 
old cattle, which are grazed from home, but brought to Fenton 
Barns about the end of September and fed-off ; thus making a 
total of from 90 to 95 cattle fed-off on Fenton Barns every year. 
The steers are put up on turnips, with a little meal and salt ; 
and in about 6 or 8 weeks they begin with 3 lbs. of cake per 
day, increasing ultimately to 6 lbs. They are frequently given as 
many small potatoes as they can eat, so they do not consume a 
very large quantity of turnips. Mr. Hope has in this way some- 
times consumed nearly 300 tons of potatoes in a season. The 
