The. Cuiiiberlaii(l and II ednufreland 
sold corn, or hay, or straw ?" — " Yes. Sell corn, indeed ! Nay, 
nay ; I bu}" a bit, but all my corn walks to market." 
" Was 1871* the worst year you ever experienced on this 
farm." — " Yes, by odds ; the very worst I ever experienced in 
my life." 
" Well, one more question — Did you lose any money in that 
year ? " — " Nay, nay ; I addled a bit ; I addled a bit." 
Perhaps in this introduction a word ought to be said for the 
greatest boast of Cumberland and Westmoreland agriculture, 
viz., the Shorthorn cattle, with which every homestead is 
crowded. They will, of course, be more particularly alluded to 
in the description of the several farms, but testimony must here 
be borne to their superlative character. The breed appears to 
have made its way till all others are in danger of vanishing 
before it. Even on the smaller farms, the blood has generally 
been kept pure, and though no pedigree be recorded, the use 
of certified bulls has so long been adhered to, that a breeder need 
be in no uncertainty about their unstained character. The 
result is probably the grandest race of cattle which, apart from 
Show and fancy herds, can be found in any quarter of the 
kingdom. 
It must not be supposed that with these admirable cattle the 
milking properties of the herd are neglected or despised, as is 
too frequently the case with amateur breeders. On the contrary, 
great attention is everywhere paid to this important point of 
larm economy ; and in many cases we found a combination of 
flesh and quality with good milking properties which was as 
pleasing as it is unusual. 
Sheep. — -The sheep, as might be expected in a county which 
varies from sea-level to 3000 feet in altitude, and from warm 
sandstone to a bare rock, were of all breeds and kinds. Pure 
Leicesters are kept on some of the lower or very moderately 
elevated farms. In the vale of Eden we found a very nice flock 
of Lincolns, for which there is a demand for crossing purposes. 
In the Lake district, Herdwicks, crossed with Leicester or 
Shropshire, seem the favourite grazing sheep for the lower 
lands ; near Carlisle Scotch sheep, or Cheviots crossed with 
border Leicester, were fashionable ; in the mountains, the hardy 
Herdwick is of course the favourite ; and on one farm in 
Westmoreland we unearthed the now almost extinct " Lime- 
stone ' breed. 
All these will find mention in their proper places ; but this 
seems the spot to make some special note of the sheep par excel- 
lence of the Lake country — the Herdwicks. 
Herdwicks. — These hardy mountaineers are said originally to 
have been introduced into the country by the wreck of a Spanish. 
