294 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



the imitation of tweeds which we make. I can do no better than read you an 

 item which appeared in the Post and Tribune's agricultural columns, regard- 

 ing the Oxfords. I believe there are none in this State, although quite a 

 number of Canadians, seeing the probable demand for such sheep in the sheep 

 regions of the far west, are breeding them : 



OXFOED DOWN SHEEP. 



This breed of sheep is of recent introduction in the United States, and is 

 the latest addition to the mutton breeds which has been produced in England. 

 The beginning of the construction of this breed was about 1830, with the idea 

 of producing a breed that should possess the weight of the long wool with the 

 quantity of the down. 



The chief material used was the Cotswold ram and the Hampshire down 

 ewes, which by judicious blending and careful selection, in a few years resulted 

 in a distinct breed, although for many years after the breed had been recog- 

 nized as distinct the want of uniform character was a source of- criticism. 

 The plan of breeding was, after the cross to breed the cross bred rams and 

 ewes together and the result is a class of sheep, which, under suitable condi- 

 tions, are profitable on account of size, weight of fleece, aptitude to fatten, 

 strong constitution, and valuable meat. 



It was not till 1850 that they were styled the Oxford down, the county of 

 Oxford being the home of the principal breeders. Previous to this they were 

 called cross-breeds. 



The Koyal Agricultural Society decided on a separate class, and the Oxfords 

 first appeared as a recognized breed at the exhibition of that society in 1SG2, 

 yet the judges complained of a want of uniformity, but by 1870 reports speak 

 in praise of their general excellence, and improvement in uniform character; 

 and there is still occasionally a difference in type, an individual having the 

 more open fleece of the Cotswold or compact form and shorter fleece of the 

 down. At the Smithfield club show in 18G2, they took^<Jie champion prize aa 

 the best pen of sheep in any of the classes. 



A real Oxford down has a head much like a Cotswold, with a tuft on the 

 forehead, face and legs of a dark color, not gray nor black, resembling the 

 Southdown ; a well-formed body on short legs, and a fleece of long wool, thick 

 on the skin and not too curly. The mutton when young is of the best qual- 

 ity, equaling the Southdown, and they make remarkable weights at an early 

 age. In England they are made to weigh 140 pounds at 13 mouths, and such 

 mutton is in great demand in the London markets. The cross with the Hamp- 

 shire ewe for early fat lambs is also in favor. The following figures from the 

 Smithfield Club show catalogue give the live weight of a pen of three sheep at 

 22 months, in 1870, 895 pounds ; in 1871, 832 pounds. Pen of three aged ewes 

 in 1870, 950 pounds; these sheep were of course fat. 



Eams have been known to cut as much as twenty pounds of wool when 

 shearlings, and whole flocks well cared for have averaged nine to twelve 

 pounds. The wool though not so long as the Cotswold or Leicester is still 

 classed as long wool, and is of a class in demand for the manufacture of 

 worsted. 



The Oxfordshire sheep stand close stocking and confinement. In England 

 they can be kept entirely in hurdles, and are said to do even better in this 

 way than if allowed a large range. They also do well on wet soils, and stand 

 winter exposure well. Like all mutton breeds they require good care and heavy 

 feed to make them their best, and in such instances give adequate returns. 



