SHEEP AND GOATS 249 



ture quite so early as those of some other breeds, but become 

 heavier. The Oxfords are widely distributed and are in- 

 creasing in numbers. 



The Suffolk sheep is scarcely known in America. Its native 

 home is in the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, and adjoining 

 counties in England. The Suffolk is a large breed very much 

 resembling the Hampshire. The head, face, ears, and legs 

 are black. The head has no horns and the wool extends only 

 to the poll. They shear a good fleece and the mutton i^ said 

 to be excellent. 



Tunis sheep were brought to America from Tunis, Africa, 

 in 1799. Only one pair survived the voyage, and Professor 

 Shaw* says that these were the ancestors of all the Tunis sheep 

 now in America. This breed averages about 150 pounds in 

 weight. The color varies, but is usually gray. It is never pure 

 white. The mutton is excellent and the fleece of good qual- 

 ity. The ewes are quite prolific, often producing two lambs 

 at a time and frequently bearing young twice a year. There 

 are very few Tunis sheep in America, and those principally 

 in Indiana, Ohio, and South Carolina. 



The Dorset Horn is an English breed of sheep not well 

 known in America. Both the ram and ewe have horns; those 

 of the ram curve spirally, while those of the ewe curve out- 

 ward, downward, and forward. The face, legs, and hoofs are 

 white and there is a short foretop. In mutton and wool 

 production they compare favorably with other breeds. Their 

 main strong point is for the production of early market lambs. 

 The ewes will breed at almost any season of the year and the 

 grower can have lambs for market at any time. 



The border-land between England and Scotland in the 

 * Study of Breeds, p. 211. 



