LECTURE LVIII. 



LEICESTERS. 



Points to Be Observed in the Judging and Selection 

 of the Same. 



The Leicester, as developed by Bakewell and his successors, 

 the Tulleys, Studens, Burgess brothers, Lord Berners, Lord 

 Portland, and many others, is a beautiful sheep with white 

 face and legs, a neat head and neck, a squarely shaped body 

 covered with long fine wool with curled tips. 



In judging the Leicester the following points must be ob- 

 served: 



The head is long, slim and bare of wool and hornless, with 

 rather wide forehead. The ears long, slim, fine, pointed back 

 except when the sheep's attention is arrested. The face tap- 

 ering to muzzle. The nose is somewhat Roman, the face and 

 forehead are covered with fine, short, white hair; the eye is 

 prominent and placid. The neck, broad and deep at junction 

 with head and level with line of back. 



The shoulders should be broad and smoothly rounded on 

 top, well covered with flesh well down on shank. Narrow, 

 pointed shoulders are sure to be accompanied with deficient 

 heart girth and spring of fore-ribs. 



The breast should be prominent, with deep chest and wide 

 spring of fore-ribs, giving a large heart girth. This is one 

 of the most important points to consider in breeding sheep 

 or sheep intended for fattening purposes. With small chest 

 capacity the vital organs, heart and lungs, must of necessity 

 be small and crowded and their work will be impaired. Large 

 heart room indicates a large heart, and this indicates a large 

 supply of blood in the breeding animal to nourish the foetus; 



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