264 THE BORDER LEICESTER BREED OF SHEEP. 



As for tups, lie also bought them wherever he could meet with 

 the most proper for his purpose ; aud, iudeed, I have beeu told 

 that those from whom he derived the most benefit were from 

 Lincoln." These, it will be seen, are opinions to which much 

 importance is not to be attached, as it may be guessed that 

 had the admission by Bakewell given any really valuable in- 

 formation it would not have been made, while the " Parmer's *' 

 opinion is confessedly founded on hearsay. There is, on the 

 other hand, obtained from Parkinson, who was an intimate 

 friend of Bakewell and a frequent visitor at Dishley, an account 

 of what happened, which is both trustworthy in itself and ex- 

 plains the other statements. What Parkinson says (writing in 

 his "Treatise on Live Stock ") took place is this, that Bakewell 

 first brought a tup from Lincolnshire at the price of 50 guineas, 

 when the best rams in the country were selling from 10 to 15 

 gTiineas, but that he soon discovered his mistake, and shortly 

 afterwards bouorht a ram from Mr Stow for about 15 guineas, 

 and that from this sheep he raised his noted stock. This ram 

 is afterwards identified as being one of the old Leicester kind ; 

 for Parkinson, in another part of his book, when he is again 

 describing the Dishley sheep, says '•' their wool is hairy, and 

 probably at the time I saw them they would not be more than 

 a double cross from the old Leicester, from which he chiefly 

 bred his flock with the sheep he bought of Mr Stow." It is 

 therefore reasonable to suppose, as this testimony is the best 

 that can be got, that it w\as his native county stock that Bake- 

 well made the basis of his improvements. This question is, 

 however, one of little practical moment ; what it is of import- 

 ance to notice is, that it was by ever watchful selection and 

 careful in-and-in breeding that the new type of sheep was 

 created, the fact being that, without a certain amount of close 

 or " sib " breeding, it is impossible to form a distinct sort of 

 sheep or any other animal, that in crossing would be at all 

 impressive. The object that Bakewell set before himself was 

 to work up to an animal with the greatest aptitude to fatten, 

 and which w^ould produce the greatest amount of mutton Vvdth 

 the least consumption of food and the least amount of offal. 

 With reference to size and wool he was indifferent ; his great 

 point was early maturity; and in thisj respect he effected so great 

 an improvement that, whereas the old Leicesters were usually 

 three year old before they were fit for the butcher, the new breed 

 could be fully fed in half that time. One event that was 

 almost necessarily coincident with the introduction of this type 

 of sheep was the successful cultivation of turnips. Dishley was 

 one of the first places at which this crop was drilled instead of 

 being sown broadcast — a proof of which is that Dawson, a 

 well-known Pioxburghshire farmer, went to Mr Bakewell's farm 



