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THE LINCOLN. 



The Lincoln Longwool is a white-faced breed with a woolly tuft 

 on the forehead. It easily holds the first place in this country as a 

 wool producer, and is the largest and heaviest of all breeds 

 of domesticated sheep. 



Characteristics of the Old Type of the Ureed.The old Lincoln 

 was classed by Professor Low in Domesticated Animals of the 

 British Isles, along with the Romney Marsh, as " Longwool sheep 

 of the fens and alluvial country," distinct from long-woolled 

 sheep of the plains such as the Leicester and Teeswater. It was 

 " of large size and coarse form ; the wool long, thick, and tough in 

 the filaments, of inferior felting properties, but soft to the touch, 

 and rarely approaching to the harsh and wiry character of hair, 

 unsuitable for carding, and never prepared except by combing for 

 worsted yarn. The fleeces weigh from 10 to 12 Ib. and those of 

 the rams and fat wethers often greatly exceed that weight. The 

 animals fatten slowly, and consume much food, but are valued by 

 the butchers for their tendency to produce internal fat." Youatt's 

 description completes the picture : " They had white faces and 

 legs, forward, loose shoulders, and heavy head, with a large neck, 

 and sinking dewlap ; the bones large, and the carcase long and 

 coarse ; the back long and hollow, with flat ribs, but good loins and 

 a deep belly ; the hind quarters broad, and the legs standing well 

 apart. The pelt was particularly thick, and the fleece consisted of 

 very long combing wool of a rather coarse quality, weighing 

 generally from 12 to 14 Ib. The flesh was coarse-grained and 

 inferior, but it frequently reached the weight of 35 Ib. per quarter ; 

 and fat wethers generally averaged 25 Ib." 



Subsequent Improvement in the Type. For a time Lincoln 

 breeders were jealous of the Leicester breeders, and confined their 

 operations to their own flocks ; but ultimately a rapid way to 

 improvement was found through the introduction of improved 

 Leicester blood, and by frequent crosses with the Leicester the 

 present day Lincoln was evolved. The change was said to have 

 reduced the size and increased the aptitude to fatten and tendency 

 to early maturity, " while the wool is shorter and finer, though it 

 wants the toughness, softness, and length of fibre of the true old 

 Lincoln breed," the wool of which was " altogether peculiar, and 

 such as no country in Europe possessed." Whatever the original 

 results may have been, the objectionable features of the first 

 crosses have long been removed, and there is little doubt that the 

 long, strong, lustrous wool of the Lincoln breed of to-day is superior 

 to that of any former time. The staple (or locks consisting of many 

 fibres of wool arranged in natural bundles) of well-bred hoggs should 

 be as broad as two of a man's fingers, and may be up to 20 inches 

 in length, and is characterised by its bright lustre and wavy appear- 

 ance. Rams have been known to yield fleeces of 28 Ib., and ewes 

 will clip up to 14 Ib. 



It cannot be claimed that the mutton of the Lincoln is of the 

 highest quality, but the carcases contain a greater proportion of 

 lean meat than those of some others of the Longwool breeds. The 

 breed is kept in very large numbers both in commercial and 

 registered flocks (of which there are nearly 300) in Lincolnshire 



