N U M B E R V II.
A L E T T E R from Mr. G e o r g e M a l c o l m
concerning S H E E P - F A R M S , &c.
Communicated by John Ma xwi l ; Efq. of Broomholm, I
P a r t I. p . 79.
T H E S E grounds are not in common as in England, but aid
all feparate properties, and divided into extenfive farms, wiffl
diftinft marches, from three to four thoufand acres. They are)
moftly paftured with Iheep ; that is to fay, the farmer depends up!
his Iheep for paying the rent and yielding him profit. The co^l
which he keeps, and the corn which he lows,, feldom do more thd
maintain his family. Farms of this large extent become neceffa®
for as they are not inclofed, the Iheep could not be paftured wB
eafe and convenience within narrow marches. Though the county
was in a complete ftate of improvement, it is probable the hills will]
never be inclofed, as nature feems to have intended them for breed-.!
ing cattle to fupply the cultivated paftures in the low lands wh®
fatten. So long as they are applied to that purpofe, and I thfl
they never can be made fit for any other, they cannot pay the ex-,
pence of inclofing. Every flock has a ihepherd to take care of the®
whofe bufinefs it is to make them eat the ground equally,, and in®
weather to keep them on fuch parts of the farm, where they are moft
Iheltered from the ftorms. He can do nothing without his d®
which, you know, he learns to do wonderful things; but it would
be wrong to mention them to ftrangers, as they would think we bordered
on the marvellous. It is fufficient to inform them, that he can
command all or any part of his flock, at the diftance of more than a
mile. As the kinds of Iheep, and the methods of managing them,
vary fo much in different parts of the country, it will be difficult to
give your friend any clear idea of them. There is a gradual decline
of foil from the eaft to the weft coaft. This fait is put beyond a
doubt, from the fize of both iheep and black-cattle turning fmaller
and fmalleras you advance from the eaft to the weft. The large iheep
of the eaft border have often been brought here, but they did not
thrive, but turned fmaller; and I have known our iheep fent to
them, which you would not have known for largenefs in a year or
two. This ihews that the alteration of the fize is not owing to the
fancy of the farmer, but to a real difference of foil. There are different
kinds of foil required for different kinds of iheep, and at different
ages. The hogs, which is the name they go by before they are
a year old, ihould have dry pafture, well mixed with heaths, and not
much expofed to ftorms of fnow, which breeds them firm and found.
The ewe, which is the female, ihould have muchgrafs, and not very
highland, on account of the lambs which they bring forth in the
fpring, and the wedder, which is the gelded male iheep, is fitteft for
the very high grounds, as being ftrongeft and moft hardy. This
accounts for moft farmers having more farms than one, as one feldom
contains all thefe different foils and fituations. Through ‘Tiviotdale,
the produft which moft of the farmers fell is wedders above three
years old, and about a feventh or eighth part of the oldeft of their
ewe ftock, which are commonly about fix years old. They fell the
F 'f f wethers