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ON THE LIVE-STOCK

age, and returning a greater value in wool and carcase com-bined, for the food they consume, than perhaps any other breedof sheep in Britain . But they are, confessedly, not adaptedto hilly districts, where the food is scanty, or must be col-lected with much exertion, of which these animals are alto-gether incapable.

“ The Dishley breed are peculiarly distinguished from allother long-woolled breeds, by their fine lively eyes, cleanheads, straight broad flat backs, round (barrel-like) bodies,very fine small bones, thin pelts, and inclination to make fatat an early age: this last property is most probably owingto the before specified qualities, and which, from long expe-rience and observation, there is reason to believe extendsthrough every species of domestic animals. The Dishleybreed is not only peculiar for its mutton being fat, but alsofor the fineness of the grain, and superior flavour, above allother large long-woolled sheep, so as to fetch nearly as gooda price, in many markets, as the mutton of the small High-land and sliort-woolled breeds

As this breed is so well known, and as, from its origin,a particular description of its properties belongs rather to anEnglish than a Scotch Report, it is only necessary in thisplace to treat of it very concisely. The following observa-tions are, for the most part, collected from the BerwickshireReport, and may be useful to some of the other counties ofScotland , where this breed has not yet been introduced.

1. The females are put to the ram when shearlings or gim-mers, and bring their first lamb when two years old. Thecommon period of copulation is from the middle to the latterend of October. Several of the principal breeders of the coun-ties of Berwick and Roxburgh hold annual ram shows, atwhich they let out rams for the season, at prices rising fromfive guineas to a hundred for each. These high prices ren-

Culley on Live-Stock, prtOa.