82 



DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



[Cnxp. I. 



Tliey -H-crc originally heavy, coarec animals, with a thick, heavy fleece, well 

 a(lai)tc(l to tlic hloak, nniiich'sod Cotswi>l(l hills. Tiiey are now very hardy, 

 and will succeed well in almost any situation, and produce a great amount 

 of wool and mutton at an early age. They sometimes reach 86 lbs. to the 

 quarter. Tlic average weight of an ordinary flock when fit for the butcher, 

 at fourteen or iifteen months old, is about 180 lbs., and the weight of wool 

 of the whole flock would be about T^lbs. each. Many of these sheep arc 

 now being exported to Australia to produce mutton for the miners. 



V. LiNcoi.NsuiKES. — " As the western part of Great Britain is famous for 

 its Cotswolds, so is the northeastern esteemed for the heavy-wooled and 

 large-framed Lincolns, to which district they especially belong, and where 

 for many years they held their own. They, like the Cotswolds, have been 

 improved by an admixture of Leicester blood. The present improved Lin- 

 coln sheep partakes largely of the peculiarilics of the Cotswold and Leices- 

 ter, having the expansive frame and nobility of appearance of the one, with 

 the ([uality of flesli, compactness of form, beauty of countenance, and pro- 

 pensity to fatten of the other ; but they far exceed either in weight of fleece. 

 Tiiree-year olds sometimes weigh DGi lbs. to the quarter, and yearlings 71 

 lbs. Tlie weiglit of wool of an entire flock, under fair average management, 

 is about Sjlbs. each; weight of carcass at twenty-eight months, 100 lbs. 

 The Lincoln breeders consider the mutton excellent, having less fat and a 

 greater proportion of fine-grained, lean flesh than the Leicesters. The ewes 

 are good breeders, but, like the Cotswolds and Leicesters, they are not good 

 Bucklers. 



VL Shropsiiikes. — "These are crosses. Their merit consists in their su- 

 periority over any other breed in their own country. They possess hardiness 

 of constitution, excellent qualitj' of mutton, and are prolific breeders ; but 

 they are not equal to other breeds. 



VIL Oxr-or-DsniRE Downs. — " This breed of sheep was produced twenty, 

 seven years ago by crossing the Hampshire, and in some instances Soutli- 

 down ewes, with Cotswold rams, and then putting the crosses together. 

 They drop tlieir lambs in February, and at thirteen or fourteen months old 

 they are ready for market, weighing, on an average, 140 lbs. each, with a 

 fleece varying from 7 to 10 lbs. The ewes are good mothers, and produce a 

 great proportion of twins." 



"We might add here, as these last two breeds are crosses, that Mr. Howard 

 stated, at the conclusion of his experience and address, " that from a judicious 

 pairing of cross-bred animals, it is practicable to establish a new breed alto- 

 gether," and for some locations better fitted than most of the existing breeds. 



113. Production of Sexes among ^Mt^.—ThQ Journal rl Agriculture Pra- 

 i/'que has a paper giving a variety of facts on this subject — from which the 

 deduction is made, that tlie sex depends on the greater or less vigor of the 

 individuals coupled. This has long been known and acted upon. It is fur- 

 ther stated, as shown by careful observation and experiment, that more 

 males are born among the first and last births in a flock reared by a single 



