86 BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



quite black; the nose is very strong, or Roman in character; 

 and the ears are dark, very large, and incline forward in a 

 heavy style. Wool rarely extends much beyond the fore- 

 head. The body is large, and the form is of the usual mut- 

 ton type. Hampshire sheep often seem somewhat coarse of 

 bone and large of limb. The fleece is about 4 inches long, 

 inclines to be coarse and open, and usually does not shear 

 much above 7 pounds with 12 months' growth. Hampshires 

 have long been popular for early or spring lambs, which are 

 considered of excellent quality. The breed is undoubtedly 

 growing in favor, and during the past few years large importa- 

 tions have been brought to the United States. In the more 

 fertile sections where feed is abundant, the Hampshire 

 makes an excellent showing, as it does in its native home in 

 England. The breed is widely distributed in North and 

 South America, in Europe and Australia. In the United 

 States, the important flocks are kept mostly in the Northern 

 states east of the Mississippi. 



The Dorset Horn sheep receives its name from the 

 county of Dorset, in southern England, where it has long 

 been bred. It is an improved form of two native, horned, 

 white-faced breeds found in Dorset and Somerset counties. 

 The modern Dorset Horn belongs to the middle-wool class, 

 and is of medium to large size, rams weighing about 225 

 pounds and ewes 165. Both sexes have horns, those of the 

 ram at maturity being large and having spiral turns, while 

 those of the ewes are small, and bend in a simple curve 

 around toward the face. The head, ears, and legs have a 

 covering of white hair, and the nostrils are of flesh color. 

 The neck is often short, the back wide, and the body of large 

 capacity, with a fair leg of mutton. Dorsets are popular 

 as lambs, and for mutton, although the quality of the mutter 

 is not of the best. The lambs feed well and lay on flesh 



