lo Dec, 1910.] 



English Leicester Sheep. 



785 



important, to be better for wool-crossing purposes, than the English- 

 Leicester itself. The three breeds evolved from English Leicester sires 

 are the Lincoln, Border Leicester, and Romney Marsh. 



English Leicesters, as a breed, are thick-set, shapely sheep, low to 

 the ground, being bred more towards neatness, substance, and quality of 

 flesh and wool than for mere size. They possess proportionate heads and 

 neat bone, and on sound country thrive quickly. 



The fact of having short necks, level shoulders and backs, with 

 medium bone, makes them specially suitable for mating with small merino 

 ewes, thus giving less lambing troubles than the larger long-wool breeds. 

 In New Zealand, they are a favoured breed for mating with all classes 

 of ewes, but particularly with small ewes and two-tooths. It is the ill- 

 shaped, deep fore-quartered, rams of any breed that give rise to most of 

 the lambing troubles — width of front and shoulder is not responsible to 

 anything like the extent that depth is. 



FOUR-TOOTH WETHERS BY ENGLISH LEICESTER RAMS. 



This breed could with advantage be more extensively used with under- 

 sized merino ewes, especially those grown in the colder parts, for these 

 ewes are usually small and difficult to lamb to heavy-boned breeds. For 

 mating with small woolly-headed short-stapled merino ewes, there is no 

 breed of rams more suitable. 



From the wool point of view, English Leicesters do not carry quite 

 the same weight of fleece as the Lincolns. They secrete less yolk and 

 are finer in grade of wool and rather thinner lock. These points cause 

 the lesser weight per head as compared with the Lincoln. The wool, 

 however, is equal in lustre and has just as much character and style. 

 Being finer in grade of wool they are also finer in grain of flesh and this, 

 considered with the moderate amount of yolk produced, means a good 

 quality sappy mutton when fattened. 



Merely a top-knot, no more and no less, is the aim in respect of head 

 covering. The head should be neat and breedy in appearance, bluish- 

 white in colour, with very little if any arch of nose, as compared with the 

 Border Leicester, for instance. (Of course, rams of any breed are in- 



