The Far7n Livestock of the Period. 273 



straw, and again sold tliem to the butchers at from 34s. to 42^. 

 The Romney Marsh variety was principally used, though 

 Dorsets and Southdowns were bred and sold as early lambs. 

 In the districts where the Dorset variety of sheep was prevalent, 

 flocks of from 400 to 600 were kept, and the lambs born at 

 Christmas were weaned in May, shorn in Midsummer, and 

 then sold for about 18s. each ; or the ewes forward with lamb 

 were sold for about 35s. in October (though folded up to 

 the time of sale) to the London butchers. Other farmers at- 

 tended the Midsummer markets and bought wether lambs, 

 which they folded continually for twenty-two months, and 

 then sold to graziers occupying marsh lands for from 27s. to 

 38s. each. This practice, though requiring less care and atten- 

 tion, enabled the farmer to manure more land. 



Within a six miles radius of the town of Dorchester there 

 were, in 1769, some 600,000 sheep ; and on Salisbury Plain 

 flocks of from 3,000 to 5,000 each might be counted, several 

 of which often belonged to one individual farmer.^ 



In Hants the Southdown breed had been only partially intro- 

 duced, principally by amateur farmers. The Berkshire Nott 

 sheep, often crossed with the horned variety, was most in 

 fashion, and being more hardy than other kinds was thought 

 best adapted to the poor downs of the Chiltern district. They 

 required less change of pasture than more delicate varieties, 

 and were favourites with the butcher. On the Wiltshu'e 

 Downs the endeavour of the flockmaster was to obtain a breed 

 which was sufficiently hardy to flourish on a close-fed pasture 

 and walk six miles daily to and from the fold. The farmer's 

 first object seems to have been the manure, his second the 

 wool, his last the meat and tallow. For this purpose he gene- 

 rally bred the Wiltshire horned sheep, from whose fleece the 

 second or super broad cloth was obtained, the weight of which 

 was from 2 to 3 lbs. , and value from tenpence to thirteen pence 

 per lb. 



Turning now to Sussex, the chief centre of the Southdown 

 breed, we And this sheep in great request on account both of 



* A Tour through Britain, vol. i. p. 310 et seq., Tth ed., 1769. Defoe. 

 n. T 



