THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



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breeds, their localities and habits (which was an interesting 

 part of the lecture), he would not trouble the audience with 

 any further remarks on foreign sheep, but would proceed to 

 speak of their own sheep. Of course England in the earliest 

 periods of her history resembled all other countries under 

 similar circumstances. There was nothing but bleak hills 

 undrained plains, and wild commons ; and over these unculti- 

 vated lands were found no animals but such as were in 

 a corresponding condition. But in the course of time 

 desolation gave way to improvement ; the hills and plains were 

 cultivated, drainage was to a certain extent effected, and 

 with the improvement of agriculture there was a corresponding 

 improvement in the breeds of sheep. He would first speak o< 

 the native horned sheep as originally known in this country. 

 That picture [pointing to one] represented the old black-faced 

 mountain sheep of Yorkshire. That animal had disappeared 

 before the plough, and the farmers of that part of England had 

 placed on their lands a much better kind of animals. There, 

 again [pointing to another specimen], was the Dorset long- 

 wooUed horned sheep. Generally speaking, all the inferior 

 breeds had given way to the better breeds ; but here was an 

 exception — the Dorset sheep remained, and the reason of this 

 was that the lambs were produced two or three months earlier 

 by that breed of sheep than by any other. The inferior Dorset 

 sheep were preserved in order that the luxurious might have 

 lamb out of season (laughter). They had no doubt all heard 

 a great deal about the Welsh sheep [pointing to a sketch of 

 this breed] ; those sheep were fed on the waste hills of the 

 Principality. If the hills could be cultivated, there would be a 

 proportionate improvement in the breed of sheep ; but as there 

 appeared little prospect of that, the animal would no doubt con- 

 tinue in its present condition, and he need scarcely say that the 

 Welsh sheep were altogether a naked lot (laughter). He now 

 came to the Old Norfolks, the sheep improved by the late Lord 

 Leicester, better known in those days as Mr. Coke. When 

 Lord Leicester first began his career as aa agriculturist, in 

 Norfolk, he found nothing buc sandj' downs and a race of 

 hardy and inferior sheep ; but now the sandy downs had be- 

 come fertile fields, and there was no part of the couutry which 

 exhibited greater improvement, whether as regarded the culti- 

 vation of the land or the breeding of sheep. The sheep of 

 which he had spoken had now disappeared, having been 

 supplanted by the improved South Dosvu of Sussex. Then 

 as to the horned sheep. These were peculiar to the dry 

 lands of England, it being on the moist pasture of the 

 country that that description of animal did best. If the 

 cultivator could get enough within five or six years from 

 the wool and the piicu which he ultimatoly obtained for the 

 carcase of his " old mountain wether," he was generally 

 satisfied. He had now to refer to what were once the 

 marshy districts of England, but which were now reckoned 

 amonj; the most fertile agricultural and grazing districts of 

 the country: he referred especially to the Lincolnshire 

 marshes. That county might be regarded as one of the 

 best pasture districts in the kingdom. Tiie sheep there 

 were e.xposed to the eastern winds, as they fed on the low- 

 grass lands ; and consequently the animals which were 

 most adapted for that district were robust animals — animals 

 which had a large amount of bone and fleece, lie was able 

 to speak on this subject with the greater confidence, because 

 Lincolnshire happened to be his native county, and hi' 

 resided there for a considerable portion of his life. The 

 old Tees- Water sheep was almost a fac-simile of the Lin- 

 colnshire sheep. [The pictures of both were referred to in 

 support of this statement.] There [pointing to a picture of 

 a group of sheep] was a representation of the Merino. 



It was a sketch made by Air. Davis, of some Merino 

 sheep which were introduced into England by George 

 the Third, with a view to their propagation. Notwith- 

 standing the king's patronage, the farmers of the day 

 would not have these foreign sheep thrust upon them ; 

 the carcase not being one that would pay, and almost the 

 sole use of the animal being the production of fine wool, to 

 be mixed with the coarser wools. There was a fac-simile 

 of this breed of sheep on Exmoor Forest; and this suggested 

 to him that though the Spaniard had propagated this 

 animal chiefly for his wool, it might have come originally 

 from the mountain. The Merino was a very hardy animal, 

 its wool was remarkably thick and fine, and it was alto- 

 gether a vcrj' respectable sheep (laughter). It had occurred 

 to him that the Exmoor sheep might be mixed with the 

 Merino to advantage; notthat English farmers would consent 

 to admit the Merino in order to improve their own sheep; but 

 he thought their sheep would improve the Merino, by giving 

 them more lean meat and length of wool. There [pointing 

 to a picture] was a brown animal called " the Syrian sheep," 

 which was a sort of Cape sheep with a long tail. This re- 

 minded him of a very interesting fact, namely, that the sheep 

 of the earliest ages, besides being horned, were in many cases 

 coloured. In tracing the records of history, relating to this 

 subject, he found mention made of black sheep, brown sheep, 

 speckled sheep, mottled sheep, and so on. So also in the pre- 

 sent day, agriculturists sometimes saw among their flocks black 

 sheep, grey-faced sheep, grey-legged sheep; while there 

 was also an occasional appearance of horns. Now he felt 

 that he had not said enough about the Merino sheep. The 

 Spaniards and the Germans had propagated the Merino on 

 account of the fineness of its wool. It is this kind of sheep 

 that has been found to be most suitable for our Austra- 

 lian colonies. The Southdown sheep had been tried there, 

 but had not been found to answer so well, because it was, in 

 fact, a wild mountain sheep. In Australia, land being for the 

 most part of little value, and rents merely nominal, an im- 

 mense quantity of sheep were kept ranging over vast tracts of 

 country ; and up to a recent period, if the sheariug from time 

 to time fulfilled the expectations of the grower, he was amply 

 repaid. Since the discovery of the gold diggings, however, and 

 the vast increase of population, there had, of course, been 

 people to feed as well aa fine wools to be produced. In fact 

 the people of Australia had already found themselves rather in 

 a dilemma for want of mutton ; and it might be worthy of 

 consideration whether it would not pay some Australian agri- 

 culturists to come over here, and pay him (the lecturer) a good 

 price for specimens of his mountain Exmoor sheep (laughter.) 

 Now among the old English breeds that remain, there was the 

 Dorset sheep, which was preaerf ed, as he had stated, on account 

 of the early lamb ; the Welsh sheep, which did not 

 appear at all likely to be improved ; and the Scotch 

 black-faced Sheep. This last sheep resembled the Rus- 

 sian sheep, and belonged, no doubt, to the same 

 family. It was a very useful animal, chiefly for this 

 reason that it lived and throve where no other breed of sheep 

 could do so. Then there was the Exmoor sheep, which he 

 begged to say had not disappeared (laughter), but, on the 

 contrary, was as thriving as ever. Next there was the old 

 Scotch white-faced horn, which, in consequence of the improve- 

 ment of the black-faced sheep, and the very rapid march of the 

 Cheviot sheep, was altogether out of date. Then there were 

 the old Ryelauds, natives of Worcestershire, Herefordshire, 

 &o. On this subject he remarked, that it was not unlikely 

 that the late Mr. Bakevrcll received considerable aid from 

 the Ryeland sheep. Mr. Bakewcll never explained to Edj- 



