The  Lonk. 
115 
After  lambing,  which  is  generally  done  in  the  open,  they 
remain  with  their  lambs  for  three  or  four  weeks  in  the  low- 
lands. At  the  end  of  this  period  the  great  majority  of  the  ewes 
and  lambs  are  sent  on  to  the  fell.  From  these  wild  pastures 
they  are  brought  down  only  for  such  functions  as  washing  and 
shearing  (which  usually  takes  place  towards  the  end  of  June), 
and  for  dipping.  By  August  the  lambs  are  generally  weaned, 
and  are  then  run  on  rough  pastures.  At  the  beginning  of 
September  all  the  sheep  are  collected,  and  the  culled’  ewes  are 
sold  as  “ owd  ewes.”  The  remainder  of  the  flock  goes  back  to 
the  fells  till  tupping  time. 
Lonk  Gimmers. 
The  Lambs. — Those  lambs  which  look  like  making  tups 
are  kept  down  in  the  pastures  with  their  mothers,  as  are  also 
the  lambs  which  are  to  be  fed  out  as  fat  during  the  summer ; 
these  latter  are  seldom  castrated.  Even  these  specially  selected 
lambs  and  their  dams  very  seldom  get  more  than  what  they 
pick  up  on  the  best  grass  land. 
It  used  to  be  the  custom  to  keep  such  wether  lambs  as  did 
not  get  fat  in  the  summer  until  they  were  three  or  four  years 
old.  Most  of  this  time  was  spent  on  the  fell,  and  then,  after 
two  months’  feeding  on  good  grass  and  provender,  they  would 
weigh  up  to  30  lb.  a quarter — a three  year  old  wether  off 
Longridge  Fell  weighed  25  lb.  a quarter  ; this  sheep  was  only 
fell-fed.  At  the  present  date  the  more  general  practice  is  to 
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