Farming of Bedfordshire. 21 



The consuming public also complain that there is too great a 

 proportion of fat to the lean. To obviate this evil some have 

 crossed with the South-Down ram, and with the first cross they 

 obtain doubtless very useful sheep ; but ultimately, in progressing, 

 they lose weight of wool, aptitude to fatten, and general evenness 

 of character. Others have crossed with the Cots wold ram ; but 

 however good the produce, when these sheep are put to Down 

 ewes, they seem to mix worse with Leicesters than any other 

 sheep. The wool becomes hairy, and the good properties of both 

 breeds seem to be lost, while the flock never keeps up its condi- 

 tion. Attempts have also been made in this county, as in Oxford- 

 shire and Hampshire, to rear a distinct breed of sheep, dark in 

 the face and legs, with a tolerably fine fleece, and in weight 

 nearly equal to the Leicesters ; and certainly some good butchers' 

 sheep of this character have been produced. But being origin- 

 ally a cross from two distinct breeds of sheep, very diverse in 

 character, there is much difficulty in preserving anything like 

 uniformity in the flock, and the same aptitude to fatten as in the 

 best class of long-woolled sheep ; so that hitherto in Bedfordshire 

 they have not greatly extended. 



Another portion of our long-wool breeders, and they are not 

 by any means the most shortsighted men, have of late been using 

 sheep on their Leicester ewes, from the best breeders of Lincoln- 

 shire, such as the Messrs. Kirkham and Caswell, by which they 

 have increased the size and muscular properties of their sheep ; 

 have more wool, and, I think, without losing an iota of their 

 aptitude to fatten. These sheep, compared with Leicesters, are 

 far less diverse in character than any other description of sheep, 

 and consequently mix better than any other cross (if cross it can 

 be called). It must be observed that the sheep we have referred 

 to, though bred in Lincolnshire, are very different from the 

 general breed of Lincoln sheep. By breeding carefully between 

 the Leicesters and the above flocks, the most profitable rent-pay- 

 ing sheep are produced. 



There are still some excellent flocks of pure Leicesters bred 

 in the county. And among those to whom the public are in- 

 debted for their efforts to preserve their distinctive breed of 

 sheep, Mr. Pawlett must now be regarded as standing foremost ; 

 as the recent awards at the Royal Agricultural Society and 

 elsewhere amply attest. There are also a few flocks of pure 

 South-Downs : among others, those of his Grace the Duke of 

 Bedford and his tenant Mr. Thomas stand deservedly high. With 

 so much variety produced in a county long proverbial for its 

 superior sheep, it is to be sincerely hoped that the reputation 

 gained will not be lost. 



Improvement in Ploughs and General Agricultural Machinery . 



