BREEDS OF SHEEP AND GOATS 351 



latter. The head is large, and is gray or white in color, or 

 gray mixed with white. The wool does not cover the entire 

 head, but a small tuft of short locks commonly extends over 

 the forehead. The ears are large and usually have no wool 

 on them. The body form is much like that of the Cotswold, 

 though perhaps deeper of rib. These sheep fatten easily; 

 but the carcasses get too heavy and have too much external 

 fat for the present-day trade, and so the mutton is not 

 popular. The Lincoln requires good grazing to do its best, 



Figure 151. A group of Lincoln ewes owned by William Shier, of Michigan. 

 Photograph from the American Sheep Breeder. 



as it is too heavy for the hill country. The Lincoln produces 

 a fleece in long, wavy locks, which grades as low quarter- 

 blood or braid, and which is not so curly but has the same 

 lustre as the Cotswold. A year-old fleece is usually 8 inches 

 long, and may weigh 10 pounds or more. Lincoln sheep have 

 grown in popularity in their native home on account of the 

 demand for them in Argentina, where large numbers are 

 kept. Very high prices have been paid for them in England, 

 and in 1906 a ram sold for $7,400, the highest sum on record 

 for the breed. In the United States, Lincolns have not 

 gained in favor and there are very few of these sheep in this 

 country, these being mostly in Idaho and Oregon. 



