Mountain Breeds of Sheep. 373 



Anstey uses the tups as well. Cheviots and Blackfaces have 

 been tried on Exmoor, but they were not popular, either pure or 

 as crosses, and the flock- masters fell steadily back on the old 

 forest flocks, which have never known alloy. Farms in these 

 hilly districts are generally small, and as on the richest lands 

 " the little white ivories " have to yield to cattle, the flocks are 

 not very patriarchal in size. They vary from 300 to 2500, which 

 is Mr. E. Maunder's number ; whilst Mr, James Quartly, who has 

 also exhibited and won at the Smithfield Club, owns about 1,000. 

 Still the majority of the flocks seldom exceed 700, and the 

 largest are to be found in Devon. The original Exmoors milk 

 better than the "improved," and old ewes especially, and young 

 ones, if they are kept well at tupping time, are very bountiful 

 with their doublets. There are instances of ewes rearing 

 three lambs well after the first fortnight. The ewes are always 

 brought down to the lower ground to lamb, and get a few 

 turnips and oats, and then come in again from the hills in 

 November to the poorest enclosed lands. They are put to the 

 tup at two years old, and are generally drafted after three crops 

 of lambs, though some old favourites go on far longer. A good 

 tup can be bought at from 5/. to 10/., and choice blood has its 

 price in the neighbourhood of the Forest as it has everywhere 

 else. The great points of the breed are a very strong constitu- 

 tion (which will bear being buried in a snow-drift for several 

 days); a fine, curly horn; a broad, square loin; round ribs; a 

 drum-like, and not a square carcase on short legs ; and a close- 

 set fleece, with wool well up to the cheeks. 



Wether lambs are not sold except from very small flocks, 

 but are generally kept, like the gimmers on the enclosures, 

 with a few turnips the first winter, and then put on the heather 

 hills till they are three or four years old. Dealers buy wethers 

 at the farms and send them by rail to the butchers at Bristol, 

 Salisbury, Southampton, and all along the south-coast towns. 

 Some of the " best Quartlys " will average 29 lbs. per quarter as 

 four-year-olds off the hill. Under very high pressure, they have 

 done wonders of late years ; and one of Mr. Tapp's first-prize pen 

 at Smithfield last Christmas reached 42 lbs. per quarter. Its two 

 comrades were not far behind it, and two more from the half- 

 dozen which had been drawn and put forward for show "died 

 well" at 6 lbs. less. This, of course, only applies to very well 

 kept flocks in an exceptional year ; but, for their size, there is 

 no sheep go to scale so well. There is no trouble in getting 

 them to feed, as, although they are naturally wild, it needs 

 nothing but good management to make them as tractable as 

 Leicesters. A 10 lb. fleece has been cut off a tup for four years 

 in succession, but such instances are few. Lambs average from 



