No. 12. 77/e Dishley, or Bakewell Ram.— Robert Balewell. 



37? 







THE DISHLEY, OR BAKEWELL RAM. 



Hif5 head should be fine and small, his 

 nostrils wide and expanded, his eyes pronni- 

 nent and rather bold and daring; ears thin, 

 his collar full from his breast and shoulders, 

 but tapering- gradually all the way to where 

 the head and neck join, which should be 

 very fine and graceful, being perfectly free 

 from any coarse skin hanging down. The 

 shoulders broad and full, which must, at 

 the same time, join so easily to the collar 

 forward, and chine backward, as to leave 

 not the least hollow in either place. The 

 mutton upon his arm, or fore-thigh, must 

 come quite to the knee; his legs upright, 

 with a clean, fine bone, being equally clear 

 from superfluous skin and coarse hairy wool, 

 from the knee and hough downwards. The 

 breast broad and well forward, which will 

 keep his fore-legs at a proper wideness; his 

 girth, or chest, full and deep, and instead of 

 a hollow behind his shoulders, that part, by 

 some called the fore-flank, should be quite full ; 

 the back and loins broad, flat, and straight, 

 from which the ribs must rise with a fine 

 circular arch ; his belly straight, the quarters 

 long and full, with the mutton quite down 

 to the houcrh, which should neither stand in 

 or out; his twist* deep, wide and full, 

 which, with the broad breast, will keep his 

 four legs open and upright ; the whole body 

 covered with a thin pelt, and that with fine, 

 bright and soft wool. 



* Twist— the junction of the inside of the thighs. 



The nearer any breed of sheep comes up 

 to the above description, the nearer they ap- 

 proach towards excellence of form ; and 

 there is little doubt but, if the same attention 

 and pains were taken to improve any par- 

 ticular breed, that has been taken with a 

 certain variety of the Lincolnshire, tiie same 

 consequences would be obtained. The va- 

 riety here meant, is "that which was first se- 

 lected by Mr. Bakewell, of Dishley, who, 

 with singular discernment and great attention, 

 has raised a breed of sheep, unknown in any 

 former period, and which surpass all other 

 breeds in their propensity to get fat, and in 

 paying the most money for the quantity of 

 food consumed. The weight of the carcass 

 of this fine breed is generally — ewes, three 

 or four years old, from eighteen to twenty- 

 six pounds per quarter ; wethers, two years 

 old, from twenty to thirty pounds per quar- 

 ter. The wool, on an average, eight pounds 

 per fleece ; the length of the wool, from six 

 to fourteen inches. Cullev. 



Robert Bakewell, of Dishley. 



This gentleman, as the improver of live 

 stock, on principles peculiarly his own, will 

 descend to posterity as a distinguished patron 

 of agriculture. "The principles he began 

 upon (says the celebrated Arthur Young) 

 were fine forms, small hemes, and a (rue dis- 

 position to make readily fat, which is indeed 

 inseparable from small bones, and fine forms, 



