350 Rise and Progress of tlic Leicester Breed of Sheeji. 
slight infusion of Yorksliire blood, are sometimes dispersed at 
the annual roup over ten or twelve counties. Clackmannanshire 
also breeds Leicester rams for its own use, and half-bred and 
" mule " lambs for the Fife feeders. The latter buy largely of 
the same sort, as well three-parts-bred lambs at St. Boswell's 
and Melrose fairs. They also buy half-bred hoggs from the 
House of Muir trysts, ; and Doune furnishes many blackfaced 
"cast ewes" from Argyleshire and Perthshire, to put to 
Leicesters in West Lothian. 
At St. Boswell's (July 18), half-bred and three-parts-bred 
lambs from all the lowland districts have quite replaced the 
original rough Cheviot hoggs, and three-year-old blackfaced 
wethers and wether lambs. Melrose Fair, which is held a 
month later, now brings out, instead of St. Boswell " shots," 
a large number of half-bred and three-parts-bred lambs, many of 
them from the higher ground where the Cheviot once was 
supreme. Leicesters on Southdowns, blackface, and Dorsets, 
supply much of the winter lamb for Edinburgh and Glasgow ; 
and the Lothian farmers find it more profitable to feed half-bred 
lambs for eight months than three-year-old Cheviot wethers for 
the same space. The East Lothian men put half-bred and 
Cheviot cast ewes, from the upper and midland districts of the 
Border counties, as well as Selkirkshire, to the Leicester, and 
also breed " mules " for Yorkshire on farms at the foot of the 
Lammermoors. They like the true Border type of ram, high on 
the leg, and round in the barrel, with open coats, to correct the 
closeness of the Cheviot, and go against " the bare-bellies," 
which do not suit for folding on their heavy clays. They also 
prefer to see them with as little wool as possible on their heads, 
so as to keep up the half-bred character in the lambs. 
Half-bred ewes are put to the Leicester for St. Boswell's and 
Melrose lamb supplies, in Gala Water and all along the low 
district from Edinburgh to Hawick. The ewes which are wanted 
to produce half-bred lambs on the arable farms come from the 
hill flockmasters, who generally sell about two-fifths of their 
Cheviot ewe lambs for the purpose. Some farmers breed Cheviot 
ewes for themselves when they have a hill and an arable farm as 
well, and the half-bred system can be pursued with advantage at 
a considerable height above sea-level. It extends up Teviotdale, 
Ewesdale, and Liddesdale, and along the Kale and Bowmont 
Water to the foot of the Cheviots. It follows the course of 
" the shallow, brawling Tweed," beyond Peebles, and nearly to 
Lanark, and invades even the Vale of Yarrow. It has also 
pushed its way into the upper parts of Dumfriesshire, and all 
along the line from Dumfries to Carlisle ; and not a few " Penrith 
hoggs " are turniped in Dumfries. Half-bred rams are also 
specially bred in Bowmont- Water from five shear Cheviot ewes 
