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straw." Such fame did the Dishley Leicesters gain that " within 

 little more than half a century they spread over every part of the 

 United Kingdom," and by 1837 there were " few flocks of Longwool 

 sheep in England, Scotland, or Ireland which were not in some degree 

 indebted to Bakewell's flock. No other sort of sheep possessed so 

 great a propensity to fatten or become fit for the butcher at so 

 early an age, but they could not travel far for their food, nor could 

 they bear, so well as many others, occasional scantiness or depriva- 

 tion of nourishment." Other drawbacks besides delicacy of con- 

 stitution were " shortness and lightness of fleece, and the scarcity 

 of doubles, which was a result of discarding the ewes that bore 

 twins to get large single lambs when they were high-priced. The 

 great value of the breed consisted in the improvement effected in 

 almost every variety of sheep that it crossed." 



For the greater part of the nineteenth century the Leicester well 

 held its own as a commercial sheep, but with the modern demand 

 for small lean carcases and high quality mutton, it has in some 

 districts, where it formerly occupied a leading position, been 

 replaced by other breeds, though probably the extension of dairying 

 in some of its former strongholds has affected it quite as seriously. 

 It is however still kept in large numbers for ordinary commercial 

 purposes in the north of England, and recently there has been a 

 considerable revival of interest in the breed. 



Since the formation of the Leicester Sheep-breeders' Association 

 in 1893, greater and more systematic attention has been paid to the 

 development of the breed, and as a result the Leicester is now a 

 sheep of greater size and weight of wool, while it retains its old 

 characteristics of early maturity*- and rapid fattening. The fleece 

 particularly has been improved. Shearling rams in the best flocks 

 will clip up to 17 or 18 Ibs., and the wool makes as good a price as 

 that of any Longwoolled breed. 



The chief area for the breed, both as regards registered flocks 

 and commercial stock, is now East and North Yorkshire, particu- 

 larly the Wold districts ; a good many flocks are also kept in 

 Cumberland, Lancashire, and Westmoreland, and a few in other 

 counties, including Leicestershire, the original home of the sheep. 



At present the best markets for breeding-stock abroad are New 

 Zealand and Australia, but large numbers are kept in Canada and 

 the United States, and the Leicester is well-known in all sheep- 

 breeding countries. 



Characteristics of the Breed. A few distinguishing points of the 

 present day Leicester are : Lips and nostrils black, nose slightly 

 narrow and Roman, but the general form of the face wedge-shaped, 

 and covered with short white hairs with a bluish tinge (a pinky face 

 and soft hair are believed to show lack of constitution) ; forehead 

 covered with wool ; no horns ; ears blue, but sometimes white, thin, 

 long, and mobile; black specks on the face and ears not uncommon; 

 neck short, and level with the back ; great thickness from blade to 

 blade of the shoulders and through the heart ; fine bone ; a fine, 

 curly, lustrous fleece (the sheep should be well woolled all over), 

 free from black hairs ; firm flesh, springy pelt, and pink skin. 



The impressiveness, early maturity and rapid fattening powers of 

 the breed make it a favourite cross in many districts, particularly 



