116 
The-  honk. 
feed  off  the  wethers  at  eighteen  months  old,  at  which  age  they 
should  weigh  15  to  20  lb.  a quarter. 
The  grass-fed  fat  lambs  dropped  in  April  should  hang  up 
40  to  50  lb.  carcass  weight  by  the  end  of  August,  but  they  are 
often  ready  six  weeks  earlier.  Tup  lambs  are  generally  sold 
privately  in  August,  though  there  are  always  a good  number 
presented  at  the  sale  of  pedigree  sires  held  at  Holme  towards 
the  end  of  September. 
Ewe  lambs,  or  “ gimmers,”  are  sent  for  their  first  winter 
into  the  lowlands  along  with  the  wethers  which  are  to  be  kept 
on  as  shearlings,  as  at  this  age  these  lambs  are  unable  to  stand 
the  rigours  of  the  fell  climate.  The  charge  for  wintering, 
which  includes  their  keep  until  mid  April,  is  from  6s.  to  7s.  6(Z. 
per  head.  Such  lambs  chiefiy  go  into  the  lowlands  of  Lanca- 
shire, though  those  bred  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Halifax  go 
into  Cheshire. 
From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  Lonks  are  easily 
managed,  the  Lonk  being  his  own  best  shepherd — except 
when  they  are  being  got  up  for  exhibition,  in  which  case  more 
attention  is  necessary.  They  are  good  feeders,  and  with  little 
trouble  will  take  almost  any  provender  that  is  offered  to  them. 
Smithpield  Weights. 
The  weights  previously  quoted  only  refer  to  commercial 
sheep.  At  the  Great  Metropolitan  Christmas  Show  a pen  of 
shearling  wethers  have  been  weighed  to  average  216  lb.  or 
over  15  stone  each.  The  last  pen  of  three  shearling  wethers 
which  appeared  at  the  Smithfield  Club  Show  in  1878 
weighed  4 cwt.  3 qrs.  26  lb. 
The  quality  of  mutton  is  extremely  good,  it  having  the 
advantage  of  a large  proportion  of  lean  to  fat.  It  is  absolute 
heresy  in  Lonk  territory  to  suggest  that  Southdown  mutton 
can  be  compared  with  that  of  this  breed. 
Fertility. 
The  Lonk  is  a good  breeder,  often  yielding  two  and  some- 
times three  lambs  each.  On  a high  farm  an  average  yield  of 
lambs  should  be  from  100  to  125  per  cent.,  while  on  lower 
hills  they  should  certainly  average  125  to  150  per  cent.,  and 
in  the  lowlands  150  to  175  per  cent. 
This  year  a Lonk  breeder,  well  known  in  the  showyard, 
obtained  fifty-one  lambs  from  twenty-seven  ewes,  some  of  the 
ewes  being  shearlings.  Sixteen  out  of  the  twenty-seven 
produced  doubles,  and  four  triplets.  Another  farmer  obtained 
twenty-four  lambs  from  twelve  ewes,  and  in  a third  case 
thirty-seven  ewes  had  sixty-eight  lambs,  eleven  with  singles, 
twenty-one  with  doubles,  and  five  with  triplets. 
