284 THE SHEEP OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



was singularly and suspiciously reticent as to his operations; 

 lience we have rumours of crossing in various directions, and 

 there are not wanting those who would claim the honour of 

 supplying the foundation stock for his wonderful success. We 

 believe that he adhered entirely to the Leicester, and possibly 

 -did not at first go far from home, or even beyond his own flock, 

 but trusted principally to selection. Observation would 

 convince him that like would produce like ; he went for quality 

 rather than size, and, finding great jackets associated with 

 strong bone and coarse offal, he was more careful as to frame, 

 quality, and aptitude to feed than as to wool ; hence one result 

 of his operations was some diminution of fleece. Depending so 

 much upon his own stock, and desiring to see what the males 

 grew into before using them, the plan of letting, instead of, as 

 was then the practice, selling the rams, would, of course, be 

 very advantageous ; hence Bakewell commenced a practice 

 which has been pretty generally followed by his successors. At 

 first the plan was not popular, and it is recorded that the first 

 ram let in 1760, to a Mr. Wilmore, of lUston-on-the-Hill, only 

 made 17s. 6d., the same price being taken for two others. His 

 ideas were ridiculed more especially by his neighbours. He was 

 not a man to be easily daunted, but held on his way, making 

 sometimes a guinea, and occasionally double that sum, for the 

 use of a sheep. It was not until 1780, or twenty years from his 

 start, that he got a paying price, viz., 10 guineas, for the use of 

 a ram. By this time his fame was extending, and prices rose 

 rapidly, until in 1784 and 1785 his best animals were let for 

 100 guineas. Having gained this high position, Bakewell 

 thought to protect himself by establishing a ram club, known 

 as the Dishley Society. We take the following interesting 

 account from an article by the late lamented H. H. Dixon in the 

 fourth volume (N.S.) of the " Eoyal Agricultural Society's 

 Journal " : " Mr. John Breedon, of Eotherby, was the last 

 survivor of the Bakewell Earn Club, whose rules bear date 

 January 5, 1790, and pledged the twelve members (who paid 

 10 guineas each) to ' keep the transactions ' secret upon their 

 honour. Mr. Paget was the president of the club, which held 

 its earlier meetings at the Bull's Head and the Anchor, at 

 Loughborough, alternately, and fined each member a guinea for 



