378 



Robert BaJieinell, of Dishley. 



Vol. IV. 



and true symmetry of the parts." Before 

 Bakewell's day, the rules which governed 

 breeders of live stock, Mr. Young pronounces 

 a " tissue of absurdities." 



Mr. Bakevvell began his improvement of 

 sheep by selecting from the best in the 

 neighbourhood. And so little had any cor- 

 rect principle of improvement been known 

 or regarded, that a guinea or half a guinea 

 extraordinary would give Mr. Bakewell the 

 choice of any sheep of any flock. And his 

 uncommon sagacity enabled him, by the best 

 selections and judicious crossings, to form a 

 breed distinguished above all others for the 

 disposition to fatten, early maturity, a form 

 indicating strength of constitution, weight in 

 the most valuable parts, with lightness rf offal. 

 Mr. Young expresses his opinion, that there 

 is not a breed of any sort of live stock in 

 Great Britain, that does not derive its im- 

 provement from the skill, knowledge, and 

 principles of Mr. Bakewell. Another emi- 

 nent agriculturist declares, "that Mr. Bake- 

 well enabled those who followed his ideas, 

 to produce two pounds of mutton where only 

 one was produced before." 



Mr. Young adds, that Bakewell was the 

 most careful feeder of stock that he ever met 

 ■with, and who made his food go farthest. 

 To horses and cattle in stalls, he did not 

 permit more than a handful of hay to be 

 given at a time ; and the same economy was 

 used in all other feeding. But his stocks 

 were so large as to require one or more per- 

 sons to be appropriated to that service. 

 This practice on our small farms, and with 

 our small stocks, cannot be fully adopted ; 

 but it may be imitated, in some degree, du- 

 ring the season (winter) most requiring such 

 attention. By feeding them in this manner, 

 the cattle will doubtless eat more, but they 

 will waste less ; so that while, in the whole, 

 no more fodder will be consumed, the stock 

 will be put into much better plight. 



He was the most successful and celebrated 

 experimental farmer ever known in England. 

 He was born at Dishley, in Leicestershire, 

 about the year 1725 or 6. His grandfather 

 and father had resided on the same estate 

 since the beginning of the present century ; 

 and his father, who died about the year 1762, 

 had always the reputation of being one of 

 the most ingenious and able farmers of his 

 neighbourhood. • 



Mr. Bakewell, having conducted the Dish- 

 ley farm several years before the decease of 

 his father, began, about forty years since, 

 that course of experiments which had pro- 

 cured him such extensive fame. He then 

 made excursions into different parts of p]ng- 

 land, to inspect the various breeds, and to 

 ascertain those which were best adapted to 

 his purposes, and the most valuable of their 



kinds. His next step was to select and 

 purchase the best of all the sorts v/herever 

 they could be found ; and this selection, the 

 result of several years' experience, was the 

 original stock from which he afterwards 

 propagated his own. 



About the year 1770, Mr. Bakewell sold 

 his sheep by private contract, at not more 

 than two or three guineas each. Sometime 

 afterwards he began to let some of his rams, 

 and for a few seasons received only 15s. and 

 a guinea apiece for them ; but as the fame 

 of his breed extended itself, he advanced his 

 prices, and by the year 1773, was enabled 

 to let some of his rams for the season, for 

 25 guineas. Since that time the price and 

 credit of his stock have been progressively 

 increasing; and of late years single rams 

 have been let for the season, for the enormous 

 prices of 100 guineas and upwards. It is a 

 fact which has no other example, that one 

 ram, called the Two Founder, produced, in 

 one season, the sum of 800 guineas, inde- 

 pendent of ewes of Mr. Bakewell's own 

 stock, which, at the same rate, would have 

 made a total, the produce of one single ram, 

 of 1200 guineas ! 



The race of Dishley sheep are known by 

 the fineness of their bones and flesh, the 

 lightness of their offal, the disposition to 

 quietness, and, consequently to mature and 

 fatten with less food than other sheep of 

 equal weight and value. Mr. Bakewell im- 

 proved his black horses by an attention to 

 the form, which is best adapted to their use. 

 His stallions have been let out for the season 

 for 100 guineas and upwards. About ten 

 years since, he exhibited his famous black 

 horse to the king, and many of the nobility, 

 in the court-yard of St. James's. 



In this place it may be worth while to in- 

 sert the following statement of the prices 

 given at an auction for stock, bred from Mr. 

 Bakewell's. 



The sale w'hich we advert to, was that of 

 Mr. Fowler, of Rollright, in Oxfordshire. 

 After his death, one article of live stock, the 

 horned cattle, sold for a value equal to that 

 of the fee simple of his farm ! Fifteen head 

 alone of bulls and cows sold for 2460/., or at 

 the rate of 164/. each ! 



Mr. B. at the time of his death, was verg- 

 ing on his 70th year. In person he was tall, 

 broad set, and in his latter years, rather in- 

 clined to corpulency: his countenance be- 

 spoke intelligence, activity, and a high de- 

 gree of benevolence. His manners were 

 frank and pleasing, and well calculated to 

 maintain the extensive popularity he had 

 acquired. His domestic arrangements at 

 Disliley were formed on a scale of hospital- 

 ity to strangers, that gained him universal 

 esteem. Of the numerous visitants induced 



