9 Dec, 1907.] 



Border Leicester Sheep. 



759 



BORDER LEICESTER SHEEP. 



H. W . Ham. Sheep Expert. 



The Border Leicester is one of the best of our long-wool breeds of 

 sheep, and is a variation in type from the old English Leicester and 

 Lincoln. The breeders of this sheep in the old country have made shape 

 of carcass their principal aim, as seen in the good girths and shapely 

 forequarters in all flocks of any merit. While the Border Leicester has 

 been evolved with these desirable points, breeders have recognised that 

 quality of flesh must be kept in view also ; they could see that the coarser 

 the wool fibre, the coarser the grain of flesh below, and so by selection 

 and judicious mating they have brought about a rather finer grade of wool 

 than existed formerly, and with better character also. By encouraging a finer 

 grade of wool and better character in fleece, they have also as a result 

 toned down the coarseness of flesh, and now on all well-bred sheep we 

 find the bright pink skin that is at once an indication of quality of flesh, 

 and upon which, as a general rule, nice wool will grow. A Border Leicester 

 is not, however, a well covered sheep from a wool man's point of view, but 

 the absence of excessive covering is one of the reasons whv the breed 

 excels in constitutional points. Had the old breeders made for excessive 

 covering also, they could not have evolved the Border Leicester sheep. 



