THE PARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



JUNE, 1800. 



PLATE I. 



A HAMPSHIRE DOWN RAM. 



THE PROPERTY OF MR. J. W, BROWN, OF UFFCOTT, SWINDON. 



"The Hampshire and West Country Down is a 

 very important hranch of the Down family; and 

 as the Sussex Down is the favourite in the eastern 

 counties, so is this hreed in the western and south- 

 western counties. Again, as the Sussex Downs 

 are descendants of the sheep which formerly occu- 

 pied 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 commencement of the present century, when 

 recourse was had to the Southdown ; from suc- 

 cessive crosses this very valuahle 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 successful exhibitor of this class of sheep at our 

 national shows, in reply to ray inquiries, states that 

 ' they are the best description of sheep for Wilt- 

 shire, 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 ehee]) ; the better bred ones will bear com- 

 parison 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 Hamp- 

 shire too big.' The ewes are good breeders and 



OLD SERIES.] 



sucklers, and combined with the excellent manage- 

 ment they receive in these counties, some most ex- 

 traordinary 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-woolled rams ; but the 

 former is more commonly used, and 1 have seen 

 some very wonderful lambs the result of this cross." 



This very able epitome of " the history of the 

 Hampshire Downs" is taken from Mr. Charles 

 Howard's recent paper on the merits of pure and 

 cross-bred sheep. Mr. Spooner goes yet more 

 elaborately into the origin and excellence of the 

 Hampshires, in his article on cross-breeding in 

 the last number of the Royal Agricultural Society's 

 Journal; and Mr. Robert Smith also refers to this 

 breed or variety, so that we are kept well up in our 

 information about them. 



Mr. Brown's ram took the first prize and gold 

 medal at the Paris Exhibition in 1856, in com- 

 memoration of which the sheep was christened 

 " Paris the First." Mr. Brown's himself thus puts 

 the several recommendations of tlie Hampshires : — 

 " Shee^p of this breed have many advantages over 

 any other. They are of a strong constitution, with 

 plenty of natural flesh, combining the two essen- 

 tials — lean as well as fat — and are great wool- 

 growers. They come to maturity as lambs fit for 

 the London market at about ten or fourteen weeks 

 old, and make good mutton at from one year to 

 about thirteen or fourteen months old, after being 

 shorn : their weight then would average from ten 

 to thirteen stone, depending much on how they 

 are kept. On wet land they will thrive, where a 

 more tender description of sheep would not; but, 

 of course, like all sheep, they do best in a dry 

 situation. This breed is well calculated for crossing, 

 either with the pure-bred Leicester, Sussex, Cots- 

 wold, or Shropshire Downs. I have lately killed 

 a ram got by the sheep in the jjrint, which weighed 

 over twenty- five stone, Smithfield weight; and I 

 have sent the skin to the South Kensington 

 Museum where it may be seen. The weight of wool 

 upon it is upwards of 20 lbs., it being two years' 

 growth." 



K K [VOL. LH.— No, 6. 



