96 



Kerry Hill Classes at the Smithfield Show, 1908-1911. 



THE CLUN FOREST. 



The Clun Forest breed, although related to, differs from the Kerry 

 and Radnor breeds. Its main centre is the Clun district of Shrop- 

 shire. The original sheep was small and speckle-faced. The 

 modern type was produced by crossing it with rams of the hardy 

 black-faced Longmynd breed, now extinct, and latterly with 

 Shropshires. It now contains so much Shropshire blood that it 

 may be classified as a hardy variety of that breed, specially adapted 

 to suit its own locality. The ewes are excellent mothers. 



THE WESTERN, OR WILTSHIRE HORNED. 



The Western Sheep is an improved and modernised remnant of 

 the old white-faced, long-tailed, horned Wiltshire breed, described 

 by Low as the " largest of the fine-woolled sheep of England. Its 

 fleece was not only light (about 2| Ib.) but its belly was destitute of 

 wool," a condition attributed to the warm, dry, chalky soil of the 

 Like the original Hampshire breed, which it strongly 



area. 



resembled, it was rapidly supplanted or obliterated by crossing with 

 the early-maturity and symmetrical South Down. A number of 

 farmers in the neighbourhoods of Aylesbury, Bucks, and North- 

 ampton keep small flocks, the largest numbering about 60 ewes. 



! Characteristics of the Breed. The outstanding peculiarity of 

 the Western sheep is that it produces a very small quantity of 

 wool which usually falls off in April or May from old sheep, 

 and from lambs in July, leaving the skin as bare as if it had 

 been shorn. It then somewhat resembles a newly-shorn Dorset 

 Horn, although its horns rise much higher from the crown, and do 

 not curve so closely to the face. It may also show grey round the 

 muzzle, and numerous black spots on the pelt. 



Owing to the difficulty of procuring fresh blood among the small 

 numbers of sheep now representing the pure breed, some farmers 

 have crossed their flocks with Dorset Horn rams. Rams of the 

 Western breed are in request for crossing with all kinds of ewes 

 to produce fat lambs. They are used to a great extent in 

 North Wales with the draft mountain ewes, though in recent years 

 they have had to face the competition of Southdowns and Kerry 

 Hills. 



