LECTURE LXIII. 



DORSET HORNS. 



Origin, History, and Development. 



The Dorset Horns, like other breeds of sheep, are creatures 

 of environment. It would seem from a study of their history 

 that it is possible, by careful selection and mating, together 

 with good care as regards management and feed, to mould a 

 breed of sheep into any form the breed designer would wish. 



The original home of the Dorset Horns was on the chalk 

 hills of Dorset and Somerset, two contiguous counties lying in 

 southwestern England between the English Channel and the 

 Bristol Channel. On these hills they lived for centuries, main- 

 taining themselves on the scanty herbage afforded, until about 

 a century ago they were driven from their native grounds 

 by the Southdowns a somewhat smaller breed more adapted 

 to picking a living on these thinly grassed hillsides. The 

 Dorset Horn of those days was a rather small sheep with 

 black lip and nose and white face, with wide horn. The 

 shoulders were low and light and the legs long and medium 

 fine. The loin was rather wide and full. The fleece was 

 ragged and open. These were the sheep of Dorsetshire. 



The sheep of Somerset were a little different in that they 

 were a trifle larger and coarser, with pink lips and nose. Both 

 the Dorsetshire and Somersetshire sheep were noted for their 

 fecundity and milk-producing qualities. The ewes were early 

 breeders, inasmuch as their lambs were dropped in September 

 and October, thus enabling their flockmaster to supply plump 

 lambs for the Christmas markets. It was also claimed for 

 them that they would produce two crops of lambs in a year, 

 and made excellent mothers in that they fed their lambs 

 abundantly, and at the same time made rapid gains them- 

 selves, so that when the lambs went to market the ewe. too, 

 was ready for the same, if it were necessary to part with her. 



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