354 Rise and Pi-ogress of the Leicester Breed of Sheep. 
Lanarkshire, and have fetched as much as 45s. each. Such 
is the eagerness of the farmers in the district, that they go the 
day before to meet the droves, and buy them up before they see 
" the hill." The Craven farmers have the longest purses, and 
hence the small dalesmen have to be content with their leavings. 
The "shot ewes" do not come from Scotland until the autumn, 
and are bought for making fat lambs in the lowlands. 
" Masham lambs," or the half-bred produce of the " Mug 
Leicester " and the Scotch ewes on the moor, are generally 
bought by dealers and resold at York Market for Derbyshire and 
the Midland Counties, and as well as for many districts of the 
East and West Ridings. They are first put on the stubbles 
after harvest, and these, if late, always affect their price, which 
has ranged from 18s. to 35^. for the best. The Moor ewes gene- 
rally run there for four or five years, and if a ram suits them, no 
money will tempt his owner, and he is kept till he is almost a 
skeleton. Sometimes these half-bred or " mule " gimmers are 
crossed again with the " Mug Leicester " for fat lambs or stores, 
and in weight of wool and carcase they run the Leicester hard if 
well done to throughout. The half-bred ewe generally breeds and 
nurses well, but she is seldom kept more than two years on the 
moor ; and after one crop of lambs on the lowlands she goes 
off fat to the butcher. "The Swaledale lambs" are another and 
a very hardy sort, between the " Mug-Leicester" and the native 
horned sheep, which abound in Swaledale, Colsterdale, Dallow- 
gill, and Akengarth, &c., and have close short coats and a hard 
touch. They go to the wildest parts of Derbyshire at very much 
lower prices than the lambs from the Scotch ewes, and are not 
nearly such good feeders as shearlings. 
As we thus glance rapidly at the effect of Leicester crosses 
from Caithness to Cornwall, we may be excused under the 
special circumstances of the year, for dwelling upon Leices- 
tershire flocks. On the Harboro' side of the county, owing 
to the recent prices of wool and the breaking up of land 
as ancillary to pasture, they have steadily increased in size. 
The land round Loughboro' is still famous for its wool and has 
plenty of turnips and winter keep, but on the Hinckley side, 
where the tendency is to lay down rather than break up, the 
flocks are smaller and seldom number more than 50 ewes. Very 
few flockmasters keep on an average more than 200 evves. The 
soil of the county does not colour the wool like that of Devon 
and Somerset, as the rams' coats prove when they return from 
service. The Belvoir tenants go a good deal into sheep where 
they have sufficient grass ; and sometimes take two clips of 
wool, and winter their young sheep on the grass with cake and 
turnip, but scarcely ever with cabbage. Those on the plough 
land generally sell their lambs at Grantham Mid Lent Fair. 
