THE MUTTON BREEDS OF SHEEP 



353 



of the flocks in Canada and the United States. Some 

 owners assert that the modern American Leicester is a 

 better sheep than either of the English types, and that this 

 is the only English breed of sheep that has been improved 

 in America. Certainly the modern American Leicester is a 

 fine sheep, evenly developed, and when in good form is 

 a beautiful animal. 



426. Description. The Leicesters are a hornless breed 

 of sheep, of large size, rec- 

 tangular form of body on 



clean legs, and with bare 

 faces or carrying a very 

 scant topknot. (Fig. 71. 

 Plate XIII.) 



.There are two types in 

 the breed, the English or 



T, , i i r* i FIG. 71. Leicester ram. 



Bakewell, and the Border 



Leicesters, and these vary somewhat in form and details. 



Both types are recognized by all Leicester associations. 



427. Types. The Dishley or Bakewell type became 

 widely used in England, and has become known as the 

 English Leicester. Because of its great prepotency and 

 its quality of putting on fat quickly, it became popular 

 as the greatest of all the mutton breeds for crossing pur- 

 poses and for early market lambs. 



The Border Leicester is so named because it is bred in 

 the border counties of England and Scotland, Roxborough- 

 shire in Scotland being now the headquarters of the breed. 

 George Culley, of Denton, near Darlington in Durham, 

 and his brother are looked on as the original breeders of 

 the Border Leicester. The Culleys hired rams from Dish- 

 ley and crossed them on a stock of Teeswater ewes till 

 they had a flock of Leicesters. When they retired in 



2A 



