Report on some features of Scottish Agriculture. 
215 
lambs, which are bought in large numbers by Irishmen, who 
never purchase the better class, but seem to prefer the cheaper. 
The whole of the lambs are branded on the nose at this time, 
and each shepherd marks those belonging to his hirsell with 
his distinctive paint. Advantage is also taken of this col- 
lection to wean the lambs, by keeping them on the low ground 
for eight or nine days, after which they return to their native 
hlrsells. From this time the hoggs remain on the hills until 
October 20th, when they are again collected to be dipped or 
smeared, and are afterwards sent away to the low countries to be 
wintered, remaining on this land until the beginning of April. 
Buchanan Moor Park (the " field " already mentioned) in Mr. 
Mitchell's own occupation, will winter about 1000 hoggs ; the 
remainder are sent to farms in the neighbourhood at a cost of 
about 5s. per head from the first of November until the first 
of April. Thirty years ago, the charge for wintering hoggs was 
not more than 2s. each. 
The mortality of lambs is very considerable, and is a most 
fertile source of loss to the sheep-farmer. Taking an average of 
years, it is calculated that no less than 12i per cent, (that is 2J 
per score) of hoggs die on the low ground in the winter ; in 
other words, between smearing and clipping (October 20th until 
the middle of June) the total mortality of hoggs is not less than 
3J per score. 
Clipping the hoggs commences about the middle of June, but 
the milk-ewes are not shorn until about the 10th of July. 
Shepherds from all the surrounding farms meet at the different 
hirsells on days agreed to, and do the shearing on the co-operative 
principle. They receive no payment, but get their food and an 
occasional glass of whisky. A good shearer will clip about 100 
sheep in a day ; but of course neither close nor even shearing is 
attempted. Women are employed to roll the wool, and receive 
payment in kind at the rate of one fleece per day. Four 
wedder fleeces, five and a half hogg, and six ewe fleeces, are 
reckoned to be the average to a stone of 24 lbs. 
Four crops of lambs are generally got from the ewes, which 
are sent to market after the October collection following the 
fourth lambing, if they have been well wintered. At the same 
time, also, the three-shear wethers are sent to market, being 
often in good enough condition for the London butchers. In 
such cases they are killed in Glasgow, and go to London in 
baskets. These sheep will weigh about 55 lbs. per carcase dead 
weight. At the same time about 20 aged tups are annually dis- 
posed of, as well as a few " eyld ewes," viz., those that have lost 
their lambs. 
The draft ewes are frequently bought by farmers in the low 
