September 6, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
219 
the earliest period lias found its home on the hill ranges of 
Yorkshire and Lancashire principally, although they are occa¬ 
sionally kept in Scotland, and also in some districts of Northum¬ 
berland. They possess great merit in various respects, and are 
certainly the largest of any mountain sheep. They are black¬ 
faced when pure bred, but some have shown copper colour on 
the nose, and have the face and legs of the same hue, which was 
a sign of pure breeding by some; but a white face is generally 
considered as opposed to hardihood, and any tendency to a 
brindle shade as a sign of cross-breeding. However strong and 
weighty the Louk may prove, yet the lightness of the forequarter 
is a characteristic of the breed; and as in great milking capacity 
in cows, so it shows or indicates good nursing power in the ewes 
for their offspring. Their necks are usually light and their legs 
long, and loin as frequently lacks strength. The lambs drop or 
:shoot their horns with the new year, and the wethers never 
exceed one curl. Breeders, however, think much of the horn, 
and consider it when strong a great proof of constitution. 
For sagacity the Lonks are unequalled. They are, in fact, 
■continually working for their own benefit, with a zeal and cun¬ 
ning which makes them very difficult of restraint by ordinary 
fencing. It is said if there happens to be one better acre than 
another of grass land in a district or parish, whether it proves 
to be an orchard or churchyard, these breed of sheep quickly 
make themselves tenants at will. In consequence it is frequently 
necessary to “hopple” them in the spring season. Upon the 
hills they are said to run up walls or abrupt precipices like a cat, 
but a wire fence about 5 feet high is too much for them, and 
proves almost the only safeguard against their intrusion. A 
•curious anecdote is told of one animal having broken bounds, 
and wishing to return to its comrades found a canal in the way 
and the bridge gate strongly barricaded, but the Lonk bided his 
time till a canal boat sailed past, and then jumping on to its 
•deck cleared the canal at twice. 
These ewes begin to drop their lambs at the end of March, 
when they are brought to the enclosed grounds under the hills, 
and stay there during the lambing period. They are not 
especially hardy, and require to be liberally fed wdth hay during 
the season of frost and snow. Feeding on the fells, however, 
for a certain period of the year is considered essential to the 
Lonks, as the Heather shoots and blossoms are said to give them 
more bone, and acts as an antidote to the foot-rot. The hogs 
are generally fed in the vales from September to April, and tlio e 
which are intended for stores or Christmas shows are scarcely 
ever trusted with a run upon the hill ranges. 
As an instance of what the Lonks will do when carefully and 
judiciously fed and managed, we must give the result of Mr. 
Jonathan Peel’s wethers shown at the Smithfield Club in the 
year 1863 and fed below the hill, proved that his pen of three 
prize shearling wethers 215 lbs. each when they were weighed on 
October 25th, and their clip of wool on the April previous 
averaged 11 lbs. The Herdwicks are another important breed 
Found chiefly on the mountain ranges of Cumberland and West¬ 
moreland, where they enjoy the reputation of being not only a 
hardy but profitable race of animals, well adapted for the rough 
and bleak country where the hills are covered with Heather and 
short wiry grass. They are without horns, and have usually 
mottled or speckled faces and legs, which gradually shade oft 
into grey or white as the age of the animal increases. When fed 
■on these hills the fleece weighs about 3 or 4 lbs., the wool being 
coarse and open. Left on the hill pasturage the wethers usually 
remain until they are four years old before they become fit for 
the butcher, as to weight and quality; they will then average 
from 40 to 50 lbs. each, the quality of the meat being first-rate. 
The ewes are good mothers, and generally produce fine strong 
lambs. They display great sagacity on the approach of snow 
■storms by choosing situations free from the peril of deep drifts. 
When a storm reaches them they seek the most exposed part 
of the hills, which by the power of the wind is often swept 
clear of snow, and here they remain herded and congregated 
together until the storm has passed, taking the precaution to 
keep up a constant movement, and in that way to trample 
down the snow as fast as it falls. They possess at the same 
time a particular feature for a mountain breed, inasmuch that 
they remain attached to a certain district or locality, and it is 
rare for them to stray away from it. These are very desirable 
habits, instincts, and peculiarities for a mountain breed of sheep, 
because there is no doubt that with all the care which the owners 
and shepherds can take with various races of sheep, natives of 
the mountains, that great losses during exceptionally severe and 
deep snows have occurred, and which difficulty and losses can 
only be more advantageously met by the instincts of the animal 
combined with the experience and faithful services of the 
shepherds and caretakers. 
The advocates and breeders of the Herdwick sheep are often 
jealous of their rivals the Lonk, and disdain any cross with 
them. On the ranges which the Herdwicks occupy Black-faces 
have been tried, but the ewes, more especially, failed because of 
the climate and the scanty nature of the grass; and it has proved 
the same when the Cheviots have been tried. In fact it has been 
found impossible to farm against the Herdwicks, which have been 
improved in the hands of certain breeders into and yielding a 
thick and heavy carcass, with points which a few years ago 
might have been looked for in vain. At the Royal Agricultural 
meeting at Carlisle they had a local class to themselves, and all 
the prizes went into Westmoreland, whereas at the Newcastle 
meeting in 1864 the Messrs. Brown and Mr. Edward Nelson repre¬ 
sented the two native counties of the breed, and shared the prize 
list between them. The last named of these breeders, whose Herd¬ 
wick prizes number between 200 and 300, and furnish in fact 
an excellent example of enterprise for other breeders to follow. 
It must be understood that each fell preserves the same ear¬ 
mark for generations, and the farmer takes to the flock with his 
farm, and leaves it at a fresh valuation to his successor. All the 
marks are registered in a quarto shepherd’s guide, “ The Star,” 
and the raven, which typifies “ Ravencrag Black as the Storm,” 
are among its symbols. It is, however, in their ability to tide 
through a Siberian winter that the real blue blood of the Herd¬ 
wick comes out. 
The Penistone sheep is a breed found on the borders of 
Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire on a heathy tract of 
land about 26 miles in length by 20 in breadth, and they are 
called the Penistone from the market town of that name where 
they are sold. These are no doubt descendants of the original 
Lonk, but by their advocates and breeders have established a 
character and conformation of their own, as they are a shorter 
and thicker animal than the pure Lonk; their wool is of medium 
length, of a silky appearance but harsh and wiry in texture, and 
weighing from 4 to 5 lbs. the fleece; they have white faces and 
legs. The rams exceed the size of the ewes and wethers in an 
unusual degree, a peculiarity which may be ascribed to their 
being taken to the lower country to be reared. The rams have 
horns which are very large, lying close to the head and projecting 
forward. A distinguishing character of this breed is an extreme 
coarseness of form, and particularly of the extremities. The 
feet are large, the limbs bony, the shoulders heavy, the sides 
fat; but the most singular formation is the length and muscularity 
of the tail, in which respect Penistone stock differs from all other 
sheep in this country. This enlargement of the tad is merely 
muscular and bony, and not at all analogous to the growth of fat 
which takes place in the tails of certain sheep of eastern coun¬ 
tries. The mutton of these sheep is, however, highly valued for 
its juiciness and flavour. In the statement of the breeds of 
various sheep we have named as mountain breeds and their 
localities, great changes are going on, and sheep of superior 
type have been lately introduced. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Ilm'se Labour .—Men have been employed mostly in the harvest 
carting of Wheat, Barley, and Oats. At intervals some latter cutting of 
Clover for hay has been taken to the stack in first-rate condition, and of 
far superior quality and make to the general crop of first cutting through¬ 
out the country. It is a simple fact that none of the first or early crops 
either of field or meadow produce has been made into superior hay, and 
this peculiar state of things will increase the value of late growths stacked 
in good condition. The work on the fallows, as well as sowing and pre¬ 
paring the land for late Turnips, has not been neglected ; the land, too, 
is dry and favourable for the seeding of the corn stubbles not only with 
Turnips but also with the seed of Mustard, to be fed off or ploughed in as 
the case may be as a manurial preparation for Wheat or Lent corn in 
the spring. Without doubt where the autumn rains commence vegeta¬ 
tion will receive a gieat impulse, the land being so hot and dry pre¬ 
viously. The seeding of Trifolium, too, should now be proceeded with, 
using the three sorts of seeds—viz., the Early Crimson Blos-S >m, the 
second early Pink Blossom, and the latest sort Perfect White Blossom, 
and these if cultivated with care are, or may be, mixed with Italian Rye 
Gra s of foreign growth, in which case the Clover is protected during 
winter, and also is found to fill up vacancies caused by the slug eating 
the young Clover or other casualties ; it is also better adapted for hay 
when in admixture with early Grasses. The weather has been inviting 
to farmers to thrash Wheat in the field, and much has been done in 
the early districts. It is, however, a questionable practice in our fickle 
climate, for the latter part of the harvest may be endangered, unless in 
those cases where a large staff of manual labour is available or extra 
horse power is at hand. 
The last cross-ploughing of the fallows on heavy land should now be 
done, and the weather being favourable the cleaning of the land will be 
insured ; but soon after this is done and the land worked sufficiently the 
important question of manuring arises. In outlying fields the use of 
