THE DISHLEY LEICESTER 575 



The line of limitation was drawn by Sir John Sinclair, when 

 he wrote : 



" The Dishley breed is perhaps the best ever reared for 

 a rich arable district, but the least tincture of this blood is 

 destructive to the mountain sheep, as it makes them in- 

 capable of standing the least scarcity of food." 



This refers only to stock to be retained for breeding, as 

 marked success has attended the crossing of mountain ewes 

 with Leicesters and other Long-wools, when the progeny goes 

 directly to the fat market, or is supplied with ample food 

 during winter. Some of the defects introduced by the mis- 

 takes of the early breeders, such as entirely ignoring the 

 fleece, have been got rid of. Bakewell bred a sheep to meet 

 the demands of the markets of the day, which were for ex- 

 cessively fat, large joints, the small lean mutton now in favour 

 being at a discount. His reply to a criticism of it was : 



" I do not breed mutton for gentlemen, but for the public ; 

 and even my mutton may be kept leaner to suit every palate 

 by stocking harder in proportion, and by killing the sheep 

 in time." 



The once all-pervading Leicester had to give way to the 

 competition of other Long-wools which had been improved 

 by its influence, and to the Down breeds, especially the 

 Shropshire. 



" The pure-bred flocks are now confined to East and North 

 Yorkshire (on the Wolds, and in the vales of York and Picker- 

 ing), Cheshire, Cumberland, Durham, and Leicestershire." 



Rams are regularly exported to New Zealand, Australia, 

 South America, and France. They would in most foreign 

 parts have been even a greater success, but for the preference 

 given by many breeders to Lincoln sheep, mainly on account 

 of their abundant growth of long, lustrous combing wool. 

 Notes on Leicester Sheep, by W. A. Brown, Secretary of the 

 Leicester Sheep Breeders' Association (formed in 1893), show 

 that " the Leicester as he is now bred has a good proportion 

 of lean flesh," and also that the breed is capable of attaining 

 immense weights of produce in flesh and wool an aged ram 

 scaling 472 Ibs. and a shearling 336 Ibs., and nine gimmers 

 yielding 16 Ibs. of wool, and forty shearling rams 17 Ibs. each. 

 The same authority gives the " points " of the present-day 

 Leicester as follows : 



