THE DORSET EWE. 



COUNTY DORSET is one of 



\ .% the most southerly of the coun- 



ties of England. It is a warm, 

 sunny, sheltered county, having 

 hills and valleys, arable lands 

 and pastures. It is one of the 

 oldest civilized parts of England-. 

 Here the Romans landed; here 

 they builded cities and walled them; to-day some of the walls are 

 standing, and the roads are often as laid off by them. 



When the breed of Horn sheep was first introduced into Dorset- 

 shire history does not recount. Doubtless the breed was there in 

 Roman days. It has been there ever since. No other breed has 

 been able to supplant it, though at different times other sheep have 

 been popular in parts of Dorsetshire for a time. They have always 

 had to give way, however, to the old breed of Dorset Horns. Why 

 is this ? 



THE DAIRY SHEEP. 



Go back half a century and more. Sheep were the dairy ani- 

 mals of Dorset, and parts of the adjacent counties of Somerset and 

 Devonshire. The best milking ewes were selected, their ewe lambs 

 were retained. Already the Horns were famous for their milking 

 qualities. This use intensified the qualities. From this time and 

 this custom then comes the wonderful milking properties of the Dor- 

 set ewe. "I was raised on Dorset milk," remarked Dick Stone to 

 the writer. This milking trait, once so well established, formed the 

 foundation for the somewhat later development of the early fat lamb 

 business. 



