Farming of Leicestershire. 329 



The greater part of this farm is land of second-rate quality, 

 comprising 177 acres grass, and 49 acres arable. From 

 January 1, 1865, to January 1, 186(5, stock as follows has 

 been fattened and sold, viz., 87 bullocks, 167 sheep, 44 pigs, 3 

 calves ; besides grazing 5 horses and 6 milch-cows. And on 

 January 1, 1866, there remained on the farm 34 store bullocks, 

 18 yearlings, 6 cows, 5 horses, 43 pigs, and 360 sheep, 148 of 

 the latter being fat. 



Sheep. — " The sheep stock of the county," says Pitt, " may 

 be arranged into three varieties, — the old Leicester, the new 

 Leicester, and the Forest sheep." 



Here also the revolution has been great. Animals with cha« 

 racteristics ascribed to the old Leicesters are now unknown, the 

 Forest breed is totally extinct, while flocks of the Bakewell, or 

 new Leicester, are by no means numerous, and are yearly getting 

 into fewer hands. 



Pitt reports a remark of Bakewell to a gentleman who was 

 complaining " that his mutton was so fat that he could not eat 

 it." " Sir," was the rejoinder, "I do not breed sheep for 

 gentlemen, but for the public." But if he had lived in the 

 present age, this reply would not have served him, for now the 

 public, as well as the gentleman, will not eat fat mutton ; and it 

 is the desire to gratify the appetite both "keen and critical" of 

 the general consumer that has materially tended to the extinction 

 of the Bakewell type of sheep. 



The variety now kept on the fattening pastures of the east, is 

 a cross between the Lincoln ram and Leicester ewe, and vice 

 versa; the produce being a large-framed, heavy-woolled, hardy, 

 rent-paying animal, extremely well adapted for the requirements 

 of the district. The cross improves the size, the quantity of 

 wool, and the quality of the mutton, although perhaps the dis- 

 tinguishing feature of the pure-bred Leicester — propensity to 

 fatten at an early age — is somewhat impaired. The greater 

 admixture of lean mutton, however, more than compensates for 

 this by giving a superior value to the carcase. 



In some instances the sheep are fattened out at from 16 to 18 

 months old, then Aveighing from 20 to 24 lbs. per quarter, having 

 previously clipped from 8 to 12 lbs. of wool ; in others they are 

 kept until two-shear, being sold when about 27 months old, 

 weighing from 24 to 28 lbs. per quarter. 



In the dairy districts on the west side of the county the 

 Shropshire Down rams are now extensively used for crossing 

 the native breed. When fat lamb is the object, the cross is an 

 excellent one, and even when reared for mutton it is considered 

 an improvement, giving hardihood and quality of mutton, 

 without sensibly depreciating size or the weight of wool. 



