350 THE BREEDS OF LIVE-STOCK 



It bears traveling on foot for long distances better than 

 other modern breeds, and is exceedingly hardy. The ewes 

 are good, careful mothers, and highly prolific. The 

 Cheviot cannot be said to be superior as a wool-producer, 

 owing to the light fleece, which, however, is of good quality, 

 medium length and in demand. According to Wallace, 

 an average clip for ewes is four and one-half to five pounds 

 of washed wool. The tendency of American breeding 

 is to improve wool-production and more compact form. 

 Cheviot ewes produce a good class of early maturing grade 

 mutton sheep when crossed with Lincoln, Leicester or 

 Oxford Down rams. These crosses have been popular in 

 the native home of the breed for some years. 



421. Distribution. In the Cheviot hills, the Cheviots 

 are still the leading breed. About the year 1800, Sir 

 John Sinclair tried them in Caithness shire, in the extreme 

 north of Scotland, and they have spread into Sutherland- 

 shire, where they are bred in large numbers. They have 

 done well in many parts of the United States, but not so 

 well in Canada, where the close confinement of the winters 

 is against their active habits. Wherever they can have 

 outdoor exercise all the year round, they are at home. 

 They are specially adapted for high, grassy tablelands, 

 and are most numerous in central and eastern United 

 States, but have become very widely scattered throughout 

 the country. 



422. Organization and records. The Cheviot Sheep 

 Society of Great Britain was organized in 1891, and has 

 published a volume of its flock-book for each year, Volume I 

 having been issued in 1893. The American Cheviot 

 Sheep Breeders' Association was organized in 1891, at 

 Hartwick, New York, and two years later issued its first 

 flock-book. In 1894, the National Cheviot Sheep Society 



