JUDGING LIVE STOCK. 207 



ridiculed by many of his neighbors and looked at first as if it 

 were going to be unpopular. The first ram being hired to 

 Mr. Wilmore of Illston-on-the-Hill for 17s 6d. Bakewell's per- 

 sistence and foresight, so characteristic of him and so neces- 

 sary to the successful breeder, are in evidence here, for he 

 kept on with the system he had inaugurated, and in 1780 he 

 realized 10 guineas for the service of a ram for a season. 

 His fame was extending and also that of the improved Lei- 

 cester till 1784 and 1785 he obtained as high as 100 guineas 

 for the use of a ram. In 1790 Bakewell organized the Dishley 

 Ram Club with a membership of twelve men. The rules 

 governing them in regard to use, sales, showing, etc., were 

 very strict as viewed from today, but it seems were necessary 

 at that time to protect the Leicester breeders from their 

 rivals, the Lincoln breeders, who had a similar society and 

 were governed by similar laws. 



Many valuable flocks sprang from the Dishley flock, the 

 most famous of which were the Alesby and Holmepierrepoint 

 flocks, the latter being the property of Joe and Robert Bur- 

 gess, who received them from their uncle, Mr. Studens. In 

 1834 Mr. Sanday, sr., succeeded Joe at Holmepierrepoint and 

 was very successful with his sheep in the show ring between 

 the years 1847 and 18G3. Sir Falton Sykes never showed but 

 he succeeded in getting together a valuable flock. His aim, 

 like that of his great predecessor, was quality. He liked small 

 thrifty sheep, believing them best adapted for his wold coun- 

 try. He never allowed his sheep to be overfed or artificially 

 fed, and consequently made no great winnings on them, but 

 after his death honors came to them in show yard in the hands 

 of Mr. Borton of Malton and Lord Earners. 



Not only are tha Leicestershires valuable as a breed in 

 themselves, but also for the improvement which they have 

 effected on nearly every other English and Scotch breed. 

 They were early introduced into Scotland, where several pure- 

 breeds had been established about the border. Through them 

 the Cheviots and Blackfaces have been in many cases im- 

 proved into highly valuable sheep. A cross of Leicester ram 

 on Cheviot ewe gives the famous "Barmshires," peculiar to 

 the border counties of Roxburghshire, Berwickshire and 

 Northumberland. These ewes are hardy, with good size and 

 aptitude, feed, and when crossed with a Shropshire ram give 

 good results. 



