ON THE EIVE-.SIOCK

150

SECT. V.

THE FOREIGN BREEDS.

A few of almost every other variety of English sheep havebeen brought into Scotland , but only in small numbers, andnone of them have hitherto excited much attention from far-mers. They are confined, almost without exception, to theparks around the houses ot proprietors, and form a very in-considerable portion of the agricultural live-stock of thecountry.

It must appear from the former sections of this Part of thechapter, that all the mountainous and hilly districts, wheresheep-fanning prevails to any extent, are occupied by ei-ther the blackfaced heath-breed, or the Cheviot, and thatthe sheep kept on the pastures of arable districts, are chieflyof the Leicester variety. All of these seem well adapted totheir respective situations, particularly the two last, which itmight be very hazardous to dismiss for any other breed. Atthe same time, there is no doubt, that the farmers of Scotland ,will readily embrace every "opportunity, of profiting by crosseswith a finer woolled breed, as soon as it is ascertained fromexperience, that the form and hardiness of their present stockswill not be materially injured. They have already plantedthe Cheviot breed in situations, where at one time they werethought to be altogether incapable of thriving; and by thismeans, the growth of finer wool in Scotland has been greatlyextended. The price of Cheviot wool, however, has not oflate years been such as to give much encouragement to theowners of this stock j and it were certainly of great impor-tance, to improve its quality so far as to raise it to that degree