in Northumberland and Durham in 1887. 621 
to the half-breds, as 10 out of 70 Scotch sheep had proved 
barren, and from the 417 half-bred ewes 704 lambs had been 
reared — which is at the rate of about 169 lambs for 100 ewes put 
to the ram. Only two ewes had been lost in lambing. Forty 
lat lambs had been sold, and many more were ready, or nearly 
ready, for the butcher. The ewes were getting about j of a lb. 
of a mixture of linseed and decorticated and undecorticated 
cotton-cakes and maize. Those from which the lambs had 
been weaned were fat. We saw on one field 20 lambs, the 
produce of 10 ewes, which had been sold to a butcher on the 
previous day at 37s. each. More than 200 of the 328 hoggets 
seen at turnips on our former visit had gone away fat. The 
leeding Cattle still remaining in the yards and byres were 
getting 6 to 8 lbs, of mixed cake (linseed, decorticated, and 
undecorticated cotton), 40 lbs, of mangolds, and a supply of 
hay and oat straw cut into chafF, The two running suckers 
which we had seen on the 14th of December with their dams 
had been sold by weight: one of them 11 months old had 
weighed 46 stones, and the other, which was a little younger, 
40 stones. 
The swede turnips were above ground, and the land had been 
brought into splendid condition for them. The remainder of 
the root land had been cleaned, and was ready for sowing the 
common turnips. Field No. 20, of fifteen acres, had, after 
Potatoes and Turnips, been sown with Wheat in the end of 
February ; it had not a very promising appearance. It was 
" square-head " wheat, and 2 bushels an acre had been sown. 
This kind of Wheat would generally not be chosen for late or 
spring sowing, and many farmers think that 2 bushels is a light 
seeding even in the month of October, as it tillers less than 
many varieties. The Oats and Barley were rather thin and 
patchy crops. 
Our final visit was made on the 5th July, after a prolonged 
spell of dry weather and some scorching days. This farm had 
been a good deal burnt up, and Mr, Lyall's chance of the first 
prize was no doubt seriously diminished by the character of 
the present season, A good deal of the grass was dried up — the 
hay crops were very light, and the Corn had suffered. 
The head of stock was then as follows : — 
124: Cattle of various ages ; a few of these still feeding in the fold- 
yards, but the great majority on old grass and seeds, 
1070 Slieep :— 
300 half-bred ewes, 
55 black-faced ewes. 
510 lambs. 
205 hoggets. 
