352 



A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



The Romney Marsh sheep, also known as the Kent breed 

 in its native home, originated in southeast England, in the 

 county of Kent, on the marshes after which the breed is named. 

 The land here is low, rich, and moist. These sheep seem 

 especially suited to the local conditions, as they do not suffer 

 from foot rot as do other breeds. The head and legs are 

 white, the back is broad, and the body is of compact form. 

 These sheep fatten very well on rather limited areas, and 



make a fair grade 

 of mutton. The 

 fleece, which 

 usually grades 

 as a quarter- 

 blood combing, 

 weighs about 8 

 pounds, after a 

 year's growth, 

 and is in good 

 demand. Large 

 numbers of Rom- 

 ney Marsh sheep 



Figure 152. Champion Romney Marsh ram. Owner are nOW f OUnd in 

 Mr. A. Matthews, New Zealand. Photograph A^ ^' i 



from A merican Sheep Breeder. Argentina, and 



importations to 



America have been made on a small scale. An associa- 

 tion for promoting this breed was organized at Chicago in 

 December, 1911. Since it is essentially an untried breed 

 in America, its merits for our conditions remain to be 

 shown. The Romney Marsh belongs to the middle-wool 

 class, producing a fleece of low quarter-blood grade. 



The Black-faced Highland sheep has long been known 

 in the highlands of Scotland, where it grazes on the grass 

 and heather on the highest mountains. In this breed, as in 

 the Dorset, both sexes have horns, those of the ram being 

 spiral and very large and showy at maturity. Highland 



