726 



ENGLAND. 



Bwtafct 



Oflhecp 



and qiun- 

 i it jr of wool 

 in Lincoln- 

 shire. 

 In Norfolk. 



In Cam- 

 builgesliire. 



In Hunt- 

 i ns<lon- 

 hire. 



Fn.-l.Uy 

 breed. 



Number 

 of sheep 

 and quan- 

 tity of wool 

 in l,eice*- 

 ternhire. 



In Rutland 



.hire. 



not be estimated at more than half a sheep to an acre, 

 which will give 85,700 sheep, and nearly 3000 packs of 

 wool. In the greatest proportion of the other parts of 

 Lincolnshire, short-woolled sheep are kept, which will be 

 considered hereafter. There are, however, a few long- 

 woolled sheep also, the stock being about two sheep upon 

 three acres ; the number of sheep is estimated at 505,700, 

 and the quantity of wool 1 6,900 packs. To the pastures 

 of the eastern and midland districts of this county, the 

 looms of Norwich, Sudbury, Northampton, and Halifax, 

 are indebted for the materials of workmanship. 



The long-woollcd breeds of sheep are principally met 

 with in the western division of the county of Norfolk, 

 called the Marshland. There are also some sheep of 

 this description in the eastern point of the county, and 

 on the banks of the Yare. The first tract may be re- 

 garded as the extreme part of the Lincoln district, on 

 u, liich there nre about 1 1 sheep to eight acres, each yield- 

 ing a fleece of 7 pounds. The number of long-stapled 

 fleeces in Norfolk may be estimated at 38,500, and their 

 weight at 1120 parks. 



Although the Lincoln district of long-wool extends no 

 further to the south-east, it yet stretches into, and com- 

 prises a considerable proportion of Cambridgeshire, par- 

 ticularly the fenny lands, and the isle of Ely. The stock 

 here is very light, probably it does not exceed one sheep 

 to two acres; the weight of the fleece is nearly eight 

 pounds; the number of sheep being 41,700, the wool 

 produced will be nearly 1400 packs* 



It is cxtrerrttly difficult to estimate the number of slieep, 

 producing long-wool, that are kept in Huntingdonshire ; 

 the flocks of this county being of such various or dubious 

 characters. Probably of the kind of sheep we are now 

 considering, there are, in this county, 87,500, fed upon 

 as many acres of land, which, taking the average fleece 

 at 7lbs. will give rather more than 2500 packs. Of 

 these, port is combed and spun in the neighbourhood, 

 particularly on the Northamptonshire border ; another 

 part is sent to Leicester, and wrought into stockings ; a 

 third portion is used in the manufacture of the Yorkshire 

 woollens ; and the remainder is manufactured at Bury 

 St Edmunds, and at Norwich. 



The next breed of long-woolled sheep that claim our 

 notice, are the Dishley. In Leicestershire there were 

 formerly two distinct breeds of sheep, known by the 

 names of the old and the new Leicester ; but at present 

 very few of the first are seen. The new Leicester are 

 principally met with in the county from which they take 

 their name, in Rutlandshire, the inclosed parts of North- 

 amptonshire and Warwickshire, and the richer soils in 

 the eastern part of Staffordshire, and the south of Derby- 

 shire ; comprizing an extensive tract, the second in point 

 of dimension, which produces long wool. In consequence 

 of the excellent system of sheep-farming practised in 

 Leicestershire, and the natural fertility of the soil, it 

 may be computed that this county maintains 380,500 

 sheep, which produce more than 1 1,000 packs of wool. 

 Notwithstanding the very large proportion of common- 

 field land in Northamptonshire, (which of course is in- 

 compatible, or at least highly xmfavourable to sheep farm- 

 ing,) the stock is estimated at one to every acre, and the 

 weight of the fleece at more than 61bs. ; the whole pro- 

 duce being 16,000 packs of wool, from 640,000 sheep. 

 . In Rutlandshire, the number of sheep is supposed not to 

 exceed 1 14,000, which, if the average weight of the fleece 

 be 5 IDS., will give, as the produce of the county, nearly 



2400 packs of wool. In the south-eastern quarter of 

 Warwickshire, the stork of sheep is considerably heavier 

 than in any other part of the county ; and in the north- 

 western quaitiT it is very light. Even on the richest 

 soils, the number of sheep cannot be estimated at more 

 th:m seven to eight acres of land ; the weight of the 

 fleece does not greatly exceed 5 Ibs. ; the number of 

 sheep are about 160,000, consequently the annual pro- 

 duce is about 3400 packs. In Staffordshire compara- j n 

 lively few sheep are kept Large fleeces are found shire, 

 chiefly on the rich land near the banks of the Trent, in 

 the south-east angle of the county ; and even here the 

 stock is probably not heavier than 7 sheep upon 25 

 acres; which, supposing that there are 1-1,000 acres, 

 over which the heavy breed ranges, will give 3700 sheep, 

 producing rather more than 100 packs. 



The Romney Marsh sheep are the next species of long- 

 woolled sheep which come under our consideration. brccd> 

 They are almost exclusively confined to that part of Kent 

 from which they take their name. In this very fertile 

 marsh, it is estimated, that each acre keeps five sheep. 

 The fleece, on an average does not weigh more than 7 Ibs. 

 though particular cases have occurred in which the weight 

 has risen to 12 or 14 Ibs. On the marsh there arc pro- Number 

 bably 185,000 sheep, producing 5400 packs of wool, ofthccp 

 In the isle of Shepey, some of these sheep are also kept ; a " d *jj 

 but though the weight of the fleece is the same, the stock 

 per acre is less ; so that on this part of Kent, the num- 

 ber of sheep and weight of fleece is less than might be 

 expected from the natural fertility of the soil. Probably 

 on the banks of the Thames and the Medway there are 

 108,000 sheep, furnishing nearly 3200 packs. Almost 

 the whole of the wool of Kent is manufactured iu the 

 west of England. 



In Devonshire there are two kinds of sheep ; but the 

 long-woolled are confined almost entirely to the southern OevoDMtf 

 division of the county. The fleeces are estimated at 

 9 Ibs. on an average ; but this estimate is too high, 8 Ibs. 

 being nearer the truth. The number of the long-woolled 

 sheep in this county is about 194,000 ; which, at an ave- 

 rage of 8 Ibs. will give 6450 packs. The most singular, 

 as well as the smallest of the districts which produce 

 long-woolled sheep, are the Cotswold Hills in Gloucester- On the 

 shire ; from which, it is said, though probably without Cotowold 

 foundation, that the Spanish flocks derive their origin. 

 On the Cotswold Hills, the fleece, on an average, weighs 

 about 8 Ibs. The stock may be estimated at one to each 

 acre, and the produce at about 6700 packs, there being 

 about 200,000 sheep. Thus we have gone over all the 

 districts that contain long-woolled sheep, and, from the 

 statements we have given, it will be seen, that the total 

 number of this kind of fleeces which England produces, Total num- 

 is nearly 4,200,000, from about 4, 000,000 acres of land; bcr oflong- 

 and the weight of the wool amounts to 131,000 packs, ^ Ue ^, d 

 of 240 Ibs. each. To this quantity must be added the weight of 

 skin-wool procured from slaughtered sheep, which will wool, 

 probably bring the whole quantity of combing wool up to 

 137,228 packs. 



The short-woolled sheep are not so easily arranged or Short-wool- 

 estimated as the long-woolled kinds. There are six dif- led sheep, 

 serent kinds of them ; the Norfolk, South Down, Wilt- 

 shire, Reyeland or Herefordshire, the heath sheep, and 

 the Cheviot or mountain sheep. 



The Norfolk sheep is found chiefly in that county, in In Norfoft| 

 Suffolk, and in parts of Cambridgeshire and Essex. In 

 Norfolk, it is calculated that there are about 684,000 



