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Henry Harpur, bart. The breed was preserved by the late Sir Henry Crewe, bart. in their original purity, who also introduced a flock of South-Downs, from Mr. Ellman of Glynd, near Lewes in Sussex. Sir George Crewe, bart. the present estimable possessor of Calke Abbey, continues to preserve the Portland breed, but has exchanged the South-Downs for New Leicesters: and it is thought that the Portland breed would have become extinct, had they not have been preserved by this distinguished family, who have generally paid the highest attention to the agricultural interests of the county. These sheep are now in the possession of a few other Derbyshire noblemen and gentlemen. They are a small fine-woolled breed; at three or four years old they fatten to about 12 lbs. per quarter, and their mutton is considered a great delicacy.

Merino breed. These are a fine-woolled breed of sheep from Spain, and have not been attended to in this country for a much longer period than twenty-five years. These sheep in their native country, are summered on wild and rugged mountains, whence they are driven to their winter pastures at a considerable distance. Their wool was long considered to be of indispensable importance to our manufacture of fine broad cloth, and large sums were annually sent to Spain for the purchase of Merino wool. No attempt was made to naturalize the growth of this wool in the British islands, until George the Third, on the advice, principally, of the celebrated Sir Joseph Banks, undertook their importation and the breeding and rearing of them in England. In this meritorious design, Lord Somerville also embarked, and the efforts of his Majesty and of that patriotic nobleman were seconded by many enterprising breeders throughout the kingdom. The first spirited gentleman who introduced this important breed of sheep into this county was Wooton Berkenshaw Thomas, esq. of Bythorpe farm, near Chesterfield. The following passage, from the work of Mr. Farey, contains the best account of the public spirited exertions of Mr. Thomas on this occasion, and therefore we cannot do better than extract it without further comment.

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"Mr. Wooton Berkenshaw Thomas, of Chesterfield, occupies farms in Bythorpe, Brampton, and Barlow, on all of which he has Merino sheep; the two latter farms lying adjoining to the high moors, in very exposed situations. The laudable zeal with which Mr. Thomas entered into the design of rearing a Merino flock, has been glanced at already, and cannot soon be forgotten by the agriculturists of this county. Mr. Thomas was at first forcibly struck with the same circumstances, which Lord Somerville has since mentioned in his Facts and Observations relative to sheep and wool, &c.' published in 1809, viz. that notwithstanding the great importance of short-woolled sheep to the nation, the whole attention both of farmers and breeders has, for these thirty years past, been absorbed, in size and frame, and carrying to a degree of perfection (hardly credible) the heavy long-woolled sheep, such as Lincoln, Cotswold, Romney-Marsh and New Leicester; but more particularly the last; although,' observes his Lordship, 'every practical man will admit, that one-half of the kingdom, at least, is by nature appropriated to the short-woolled breed:'—he might with safety admit much more than half; 'for it at length appears, that our climate (from the most northern parts to the most southern) can grow wool, of the finest possible quality.' The mutton of the short-woolled sheep, being close in the grain, consequently heavy in the scale and high flavoured as to taste; the large-woolled sheep more open and loose in the grain' of flesh.

"Mr. Thomas, acting on these persuasions, procured first, I believe, from Mr. Tollet, twenty of his Anglo-Merinos, and omitted no opportunity of increasing his flock from other quarters, particularly by the purchase of rams and ewes at the King's and Lord Somerville's sales: in July, 1810, he was presented with two fine ewes by his Majesty.

"In order to excite attention to the progress and advantages of breeding Merino sheep, Mr. Thomas has, for some years past, invited a large party of agriculturists of the county to be annually present at his sheep-shearing, and to whom he has been anxious to explain fully every circumstance that could conduce towards forming a practical and safe judgment, on the merits of this breed of sheep: and for this purpose, the live animals in all their states, their wool, their mutton, and cloth, both for ladies and gentlemen's wear, manufactured from the wool grown on his own farms, were exhibited; and it may not be improper to state, that in Mr. Thomas's family, no other habit or broad cloth, but that of his own growth is worn: and which cloths,

many competent judges have declared to be equal in quality to the best that can be made from imported Spanish piles.

"Mr. Thomas's account of his flock, in March, 1813, was one hundred and eight pure Escurial, Paular and Nigrette ewes and rams, and three hundred and twenty-one Merino-crossed sheep, of various descriptions. In 1812, Mr. Thomas clipt three hundred and eighty-six fleeces, which sold for £340. 7s. (besides £22. 5s. 6d. for lamb's wool) or nearly 17s. 8d. for the wool of each sheep, through his whole flock!

"Mr. Thomas finds the pure, as well as all the crossed sheep of this breed (and he has tried most of the usual English crosses) to be perfectly hardy, not only as to keep, doing well on the high moors, where, he says, that large Lincolnshire and Leicestershire sheep could not exist, much less be kept in store order, but likewise as to bearing cold and exposure. On his two farms adjoining the high moors, Mr. Thomas had more than one hundred pure and crossed lambs, dropped in the season of 1813, that all did remarkably well: which hardiness he attributes to the closeness and quantity of their wool; and says, that not a solitary instance has occurred in his crossing, where the wool of the produce of native ewes, by pure Merino rams, has not been doubled in value per pound, and also very considerably increased in weight.

"In the autumn of 1812, and spring of 1813, Mr. Thomas sold to the same butcher, nearly thirty of his fat Merino and crossed wethers and aged ewes ; who reports, that though the rot prevailed in a degree which he never before remembered, yet all of Mr. Thomas's sheep died sound; and, as he expresses it, turned out better than they handled while living; that on his shop-board, this mutton went off readily at the best price of the day, and that some of his customers gave it a decided preference, for its moderate size, fine grain, and age; because the annual profit from the wool, had enabled the keeping of these sheep round, to advantage, until they were three or four sheer."

The Gritstone breed is an ancient cross between the Woodland and the Old Limestone sheep. They have black or grey faces, with coarse wool.

The principal cross-breeds, most usual in this county, are between the Old Limestone and New Leicester; between the New Leicester and a breed from Northumberland; between the New Leicester and the South-Down; between the Merino and the Woodland; between the Merino and the South-Down; between the Merino and the Ryeland.-Sheep have also been occasionally introduced into this county from Cumberland and from the highlands of Scotland; the latter of which thrive well on the same pastures with our native Woodland breed.

Swine.—These animals were formerly wild in this county, as appears by a grant made in the reign of king John, to which we have already alluded, in the natural history. Farey mentions a breed called Derbyshire pigs, which bear a great resemblance to the far-famed hogs of Berkshire; but at present the breeds are very various. At Bretby park there is a fine breed of the Derbyshire pigs: they are black and white, with thin curled hair; their ears are erect, their noses short, their backs are broad, and their sides deep. In a store state, kept on whey and vegetables, they appear almost fit for bacon. When slaughtered at fifteen months old, they weigh about 28 score. At Brassington, bacon is cured by Mr. George Toplis on an extensive scale. His pigs are generally of the thick-backed, short-eared sort. He has killed nearly two hundred pigs annually, averaging in weight from 11 to 20 score.-Sir George Crewe, bart. Sir G. Sitwell, bart. Mr. Greaves of Bakewell, and others, possess very valuable breeds. In January, 1828, Mr. Webster of Whitwell slaughtered a pig, which weighed 57 st. 4 lbs. (14 lbs. to the stone.) It had 6 st. of fat in it.

Horses.-Mr. Farey states, that Derbyshire has long been famous, and has ranked next after Leicestershire, for its stout, bony, clean-legged breed of work-horses, principally of a black colour. Mares of this kind are kept by the farmers generally, and colts are reared annually. The late Mr. R. Bakewell, of Dishley, introduced a cross with the West Friesland horses, which was for many years in great repute among our Derbyshire farmers, and the successor of that enterprising breeder, Mr. Smith of Swarkstone Lows, has not been inattentive to the improvement of this valuable animal, although he has been chiefly engaged in the cultivation of the other part

of his stock. A fine hunter, now in the possession of Sir George Crewe, bart. was bred by Mr. Smith, and is greatly esteemed on account of its proportions. We have been favoured by Sir George with the accompanying plate of this elegant animal.-Racing or blood horses are bred in this county by several persons, and the late Sir Sitwell Sitwell, bart. of Renishaw,* the late Sir Henry Harpur, bart. of Swarkstone, the Duke of Devonshire, and a few others of the nobility and gentry, have at different times kept considerable establishments for training these horses. The race-course at Derby is on a fine flat, more than one mile in circumference, with a handsome stand, and all the requisites for this fashionable amusement. Its central situation might render it one of the most frequented in the kingdom.

The Ass is an animal much used by the colliers and potters in this county. Little attention, however, has been paid to the improvement of an animal which is very serviceable in many situations. Asses are used in under-ground coal works, for dragging the corves of coal from the banks or faces of work to the bottom of the drawing shaft, and have been found capable of enduring the choak-damp in the pits, better than horses or men.t

Rabbits, poultry, &c.—There are few rabbit-warrens in this county. The Griffe-warren, near Middleton, produces a valuable species much in request at the tables of the luxurious. There are other warrens at Brassington moor, Alderwasley, Rowsley wood, Sudbury park, and some other places. On account of the depredations of these animals the breeds are much discouraged. At Pleasley, on the borders of Nottinghamshire, there is a fine breed of black-fowls. Gamefowls are kept at Wingerworth, Buxton and other places.-At Brailsford, Mr. E. S. Cox has a breed of very large reddish brown American turkeys, which were brought from that country by his brother, Mr. Roger Cox. This breed is considerably spread among that neighbourhood.— The flocks of geese have certainly decreased in this county since the enclosure of the large commons, but cottagers and farmers still keep them in considerable quantities, in the wide lanes, small waste-lands, and on the fields adjoining their farm-steads. Lord Scarsdale has a valuable breed of geese, with black heads and wings.-Ducks, pigeons and other farm-yard fowls are kept here, as in other counties.

Bees are kept in considerable quantities, about Darley in the Dale, Heath, Lullington and many other villages.

Increase of Animals and Vegetables.—We shall add a short memoir on this subject, as a matter of curiosity and some utility; tending to show how soon a new breed of animals, or variety of vegetables may be introduced and extended, by application and perseverance.

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Sheep.-Suppose the ewes each rear annually one lamb only, over and above losses, the young ewes to bring forth at two years old, half males, and the old stock cut off at five years old, all the others preserved,

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The famous racers, from Sir Sitwell Sitwell's stud, were, viz. : mares, Hyale, Goosecap, Goosander, &c. Horses, Clinker, Moorcock, Clasher, Pepeline, &c.

+ At Riddings and other collieries, where asses are used under ground, I have been much amused, at seeing these animals drawn up on the Saturday evening, in order to graze on the surface until Monday morning; which they seem, from habit, to expect; and when let loose, testify their joy, by the most frantic braying, running and kicking up. The contrast is striking, on seeing them driven to the pit-head, and having the sling-chains wrapped round them, and expecting to be caught up, and suspended high in the air, before they are let down the shaft to their labour. Farey, Vol. III. page 162.

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Swine. This species may increase five-fold annually, at a very reasonable calculation: suppose ten at one or two litters brought forth by each dam annually, half males, half females, and the old stock annually cut off,

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Rabbits are still more prolific, and would, if permitted, soon increase in numbers sufficient to overrun the earth. It seems to be in the system of nature, that a large proportion of animals should be prematurely cut off as food for others; otherwise, their tendency to increase would so exceed their means of subsistence, as to occasion a general scarcity of food.

Vegetable increase is still more rapid than that of animals. It is providentially ordered, that animals as the food of man, should have a tendency to increase faster than man himself; and vegetables as food for both, have a tendency to increase faster than either, insomuch as in a very short time to cover the whole surface of the earth by their natural power of accumulation. We shall conclude these theoretic calculations by the often-repeated example of the increase of a grain of wheat in a ten-fold proportion :

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which is more than six times the superficies of the whole earth and sea.

The farm buildings in Derbyshire are similar, in general, to those of other counties: but there are some of peculiar excellence, that demand our particular notice. At Bretby, the Earl of Chesterfield has in his park one of the most complete farming establishments in this part of England. The condescension of his lordship, and the kindness of Mr. William Martin, his lordship's architect and builder, have enabled us to lay before our readers a more correct plan and elevation of these buildings than have previously been presented to the public.

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Reference to the Plan of the Farming Establishment of the Earl of Chesterfield.

BAILIFF'S HOUSE AND

POULTRY COURTS.

Lord Chesterfield's or dairy parlour.
Bailiff's sitting room.

Bailiff's kitchen.

Cream dairy, fitted up with marble.

Entrance passage.

Staircase.

Store room.

Pantry.
Cheese dairy.

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Cottage for a farm labourer.

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Stable for eleven wagon horses, with hay loft over it.

Gateway with granary above.

Stable for two horses.

Calf house, fitted up with stalls and racks. Stairs to hay and straw chambers over the last mentioned places, Nos. 27, 26, and 25.

Cow shed for twenty cows.

Steaming house. a. Steam boiler. b. Flue. c. c. c. Boilers for linseed, &c. d. d. Steam cisterns. e. Couch for steamed fodder. f. Stairs to the room above, containing a cutting machine and a bruising machine. g. Tumbling shaft. h. Cistern containing the machinery.

Covered shed for horse race to ditto.

Entrance.

Hay barn to cow shed.

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34

Hack stable.

35

Main drain.

36

Paved passage.

K. K. K. Paved causeways.

WILLIAM MARTIN,

Architect and Builder.

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