550 
The  Yorkshire  Farm-Prize  Competition,  1883. 
List  of  Stock,  30 th  April,  1883  | List  of  Stock,  11/7*  July,  1883 
(continued').  (continued). 
Horses.  Horses. 
2 Mares,  for  farm  work  and  breed-  Same  as  before. 
\r\cr 
O’ 
1 Pony,  for  running  the  milk-cart. 
1 Cob. 
1 Four-year-old  Gelding. 
2 Two-year-old  Carting  Colts. 
7 
The  gimmer  hoggs  were  home-bred,  chiefly  a cross  between 
Scotch  blackfaced  ewes  and  Wensleydale  rams.  The  latter  are 
the  only  kind  of  rams  used  on  the  farm.  The  hoggs  were 
wintered  on  the  grass  ; in  summer  they  were  out  on  the  crag, 
and  looked  well.  About  a score  of  home-bred  gimmers  are 
thus  brought  in  for  ewes  in  each  year.  These  “ mule  ” ewes 
make  admirable  nurses  and  bring  a large  proportion  of  twins. 
The  lambs  are,  however,  not  so  level  as  in  the  first  cross ; the 
best  lambs  are  bred  from  the  mule  ewes,  but  there  are  often 
a few  ewes  that  breed  back  to  their  mountain  ancestors  and 
disgrace  the  flock.  After  having  had  three  crops  of  lambs, 
these  ewes  are  good  to  sell  for  stores.  They  generally  go  to  Lan- 
cashire to  have  another  crop,  after  which  they  are  fattened  off. 
Forty  Cheviot  ewes,  costing  40s.  each,  were  bought  in  October, 
and  66  blackfaced  ewes  off  Priesthill  cost  33s.  The  remainder 
of  the  ewes  are  mules  of  various  ages  ; the  ewes  that  are  not 
sent  to  turnips  have  the  run  of  the  grass  during  winter.  After 
lambing,  the  blackfaces  are  turned  out  to  the  crag,  and  make 
most  of  their  lambs  fat.  The  Cheviot  and  Scotch  ewes  are 
fattened  off  as  soon  as  possible  in  the  autumn  on  the  low  lands. 
From  10  to  14  milking  cows  are  kept:  they  prove  not  the 
least  profitable  animals  on  the  farm.  In  winter  they  are  fed 
with  malt-culms  and  pea-meal,  in  addition  to  hay.  In  summer 
they  live  on  the  pastures  exclusively. 
In  July  we  found,  in  addition,  12  grand  young  cows,  due  to 
calve  in  the  autumn,  that  had  been  bought,  and  were  intended 
to  be  sold  before  calving  ; 20  heifers  were  also  coming  forward 
to  calve  at  different  stages  ; 10  excellent  shorthorn  heifers  were 
found  in  the  field  hay-barn.  They  had  cost  227.  10s.  each, 
were  then  ready  for  turning  on  to  the  canal  pastures,  where  we 
found  them  in  July  ready  for  market.  Two  had  been  sold  for 
297.  and  267.  respectively,  the  latter  before  being  ripe,  owing 
to  her  unsettled  behaviour  on  certain  occasions.  Sixteen  heifers 
of  good  quality  were  running  with  the  bull  on  the  higher  low- 
land, and  four  which  were  too  young  to  go  with  the  latter  lot 
were  out  on  the  crag. 
