Agriculture of Berkshire. 
37 
selection ; but, as no animal degenerates so quickly, tlie greater 
judgment is required in saving proper ones for stock. Most 
farmers breed their own, let them run the yards and stubbles as 
stores, and af terwards fatten them for market. Some prefer selling 
them out as stores, particularly in the grass district ; others, 
instead of breeding, buy in at about three months old to work 
their yards, and sell out again as strong hogs, or fatten them out 
when there is a prospect of their paying. 
Some few have sought to improve the Berkshire pigs by crossing 
them with the Suffolk, Sussex, and other breeds, and named them 
(or rather- 1 should say misnamed them) the Improved Berkshire. 
The quality of this cross, although it may appear successful for a 
time, cannot be kept up ; consequently these gentlemen find (or will 
■find) that they have a breed of animals deficient in constitution, de- 
ficient in natural flesh, and worthy of anything but the name of an 
improved Berkshire, which I believe can only be justly given to 
the pure-bred animal, the offspring of carefully selected stock. I 
may be thought severe, but I speak from experience, as I fell into 
this error myself some years since. Having previously been suc- 
cessful in exhibiting pure Berkshires, I was tempted to try to 
improve them by crossing, and so far succeeded as to obtain a 
prize for a boar-pig, called the Improved Berkshire, at one of thb 
shows of the Royal Agricultural Society. I could not, however, 
keep up the quality of this breed by any means. The store pigs 
were much more tender, and required more nursing ; they 
fattened well, but were deficient in lean ; and the bacon lost con- 
siderably more weight in cooking than that of the pure-bred pig : 
consequently I was obliged to clear out, as my expectations were 
not realized, and begin again with pure blood. Had I not pre- 
viously known the good qualities of the real Berkshire, I should 
have been satisfied with this cross. 
Sheep. 
Sheep-farming forms a very important feature in this county. 
There are three descriptions of flocks kept, viz. — regular breed- 
ing-flocks, breeding -flocks for selling and grazing, and dry 
flocks. As their management engages so much time and attention, 
and the profit derived from them forms a considerable item in the 
farmer's balance-sheet, it will be desirable to speak of each sepa- 
rately, more especially of the regular breeding-flocks, which are 
the most numerous, and are, with a very few exceptions, of the 
Hampshire or West-country Down breed. There is, however, a 
pure Southdown flock on the farm of Sir R. Throgmorton, at 
Buckland, and two or three cross-bred flocks in other parts of the 
county. The number of sheep kept per acre is from 11 to 2 — 
i.e., at the commencement of the year we find, on a farm of 500 
