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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



(I feel it difficult to reconcile the worthy Alderman's 

 views upon the large profits of fai-ming hereafter to be 

 obtained by agriculturists, with the strenuous exertions 

 he is making for the permanent establishment of an 

 asylum for broken-down farmers), with our present 

 knowledge and appliances, wheat cannot be grown at a 

 profit, at the prices we have lately realized ; and as in 

 all probability we shall continue, so far as bread stuffs 

 are concerned, to feed the people at cost price, we must 

 look well to our flocks and herds, and encourage those 

 breeds that we ficd the most profitable, for it is from 

 this branch of our business we must expect remunera- 

 tion. Hence a discussion upon the different breeds of 

 this valuable animal may not be unworthy the time and 

 attention of the members of the Central Farmers' Club. 

 The cultivation of the sheep is of great national im- 

 portance, for it supplies us with the most nutritious 

 food, which I may fairly state is now the chief diet of 

 Englishmen. Our roast beef has always been our na- 

 tional boast, but not less so now is our mutton, for in 

 no country is it equalled, and the demand for it is 

 enormously on the increase ; but important as is the 

 carcase, not less so is the fleece, for it forms the staple 

 commodity of a most important branch of our national 

 industry, and thereby aff"ords employment and susten- 

 ance to many thousands of our fellow-countrymen. 

 The importance of sheep to agriculture is well-known ; 

 the sandy plains of Norfolk, the hills of Hampshire 

 and Wiltshire, and the wolds of Gloucestershire, Lin- 

 colnshire, and Yorkshire have all been made fertile by 

 its means ; and although folding since the introduction 

 of portable manures has not been carried on to so large 

 an extent, yet there are whole tracts of country in- 

 : accessible to a dung-cart, that are still made productive 

 \ by this invaluable animal. The sheep of this country 

 are divided into two classes, short-woolled and long- 

 \ wooUed ; the established breeds under the former are 

 \ South or Sussex Downs, Hampshire or West Country 

 Down; under the latter are Leicester, Cotswold, and 

 Lincoln ; all possessed of some most excellent quali- 

 ties, or they would not have made their way, and all 

 but exterminated the various local breeds that were 

 once to be found in this country ; and perhaps it will 

 be well briefly to glance at the history of these breeds. 

 The South or Sussex Downs are most probably de- 

 scended from small grey and dark-faced sheep, which 

 were found upon the hilly and mountainous districts 

 throughout England. The late Mr. John EUman found 

 a very inferior and ill-formed description of sheep upon 

 the downs of Sussex ; but being possessed, like Bakewell, 

 of an infinite knowledge of the physiology of breeding, 

 by a judicious selection of his animals (but what selection 

 it was the world is not acquainted), he produced an ani- 

 mal with as many good points as its prototype had had ; 

 but their greatest improvement devolved upon a gentle- 

 man, a worthy member of this club — I allude to Mr. 

 Jonas Webb — who, regardless of expense, has moulded 

 the sheep to his own views, and made it, as regards its 

 shape, almost perfect. 'I'he peculiar merit of this breed 

 •consists in its superior quality of mutton and wool, and I 

 gather from a letter of Mr. Jonas Webb's, in reply to a 

 statement of Mr. Druce's, in Vol. XIV, of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society's Journal, their average weight at 

 from 13 to 15 months old is about 9 stone, and the 

 weight of wool of the entire flock about 6 lbs. Doubt- 

 less this is beyond an average of the breed, but as Mr. 

 Webb is a ram breeder and a high keeper, this can easily 

 be accounted for. That this is beyond an average I am 

 supported by my friend Mr. G. W. Baker, who for some 

 years had the management of the Park Farm at Woburn, 

 where a large flock of Southdowns is kept. He states 

 " that no more than 51bs. each was their average weight 

 of wool, and as they do not develope themselves so quickly 



as the Leicesters or crosses, he found it the most profit- — 

 able to keep them until they were 18 or 20 months old - 

 before disposing of them, when from their superior 

 quality and nice weights, they command very high price 

 per lb. in all markets." The ewes are capital breeders, 

 generally producing one-third twins, and are excellent 

 mothers. This breed is doubtless best adapted for 

 elevated situations and bare pasturage, where activity is 

 necessary for getting the stomach filled, and where fold- 

 ing is pursued, their activity being in their favour, they 

 are a highly desirable class of sheep ; from their gay 

 and beautiful appearance they find strong supporters 

 amongst our nobility and amateur farmers, and are 

 considered by them the elite of our breed.* The 

 Hampshire and West Country Down isa very important i /^' 

 branch of the Down family ; and as the Sussex Down is ■ 

 the favourite in the eastern counties, so is this breed in | 

 the western and south-western counties. Again, as the 

 Sussex Downs are descendants of the sheep which for- 

 merly occupied those hills, the latter are descendants of 

 those white-faced horned sheep that had ranged from a 

 very early period the hills and downs of Wiltshire and 

 Hampshire. Their improvement dates from the com- 

 mencement of the present century, when recourse was > 

 had to the Southdown ; from successive crossi s this very^i 

 valuable class of sheep was established, and I think it \ 

 will be generally admitted that a flock of Hampshire 

 Downs now presents as great a uniformity in wool, 

 colour, and general appearance, as their smaller but 

 handsomer cousins the Southdowns. They have 

 lately rapidly risen in public estimation, and find 

 considerable favour in the London markets. But it is 

 said by some (with what truth I know not) that like the 

 Londoners, who are fond of them, they have rather 

 large appetites. A gentleman who stands high as a suc- 

 cessful exhibitor of this class of sheep at our national 

 shows, in reply to my inquiries, states that " they are 

 the best description of sheep for Wiltshire, Berkshire, 

 and Hampshire ; in fact, the large sheep fairs, such as 

 Overton, Alresford, Wilton, Ilsley, and Weyhill, are 

 supplied with very little stock of any other sort ; they 

 are very hardy and of good constitutions, good wool 

 bearers (the average weight of a well-kept flock is from 

 6 to 7 lbs. each fleece"), of early maturity, and have 

 plenty of lean as well as fat meat; they will graze to 

 almost any weight you may think proper to make them." 

 The same gentleman also states " that they have been 

 very much improved the last few years by a slight cross-^=:— - 

 with the Southdown," Another gentleman, not a ' 

 breeder of Hampshires, but who has had considerable 

 experience in the feeding of them, states that " they are 

 a good useful sheep : the better bred ones will bear 

 comparison with other breeds ; but there are some not to 

 be desired — those that are too large are very slow in 

 feeding, and when fat are of second quality ;" and in 

 his opinion " it is very easy to get a Hampshire too 

 big." The ewes are good breeders and sucklers, and, 

 combined with the excellent management they receive, 

 in these counties, some most extraordinary lambs are;, 

 raised, which at barely eight months old command 

 enormous prices at their autumn fairs. Their draft ewes 

 also find a ready sale, and are distributed throughout 

 many parts of England, chiefly with the view to cross 

 with the Cotswold or other long-wooUed rams ; but the 

 former is more commonly used, and I have seen some 

 very wonderful lambs the result of this cross. So much 

 for the short-woolled sheep. There is no reliable infor- 

 mation as to the course pursued in establishing the 



* Before dismissing this popular class of sheep, perhaps I 

 ought not to omit a strong point often urged in their favour, 

 viz , that a larger number can be kept upon the same ave- 

 rage than of the larger breeds. 



