SHEEP 341 



than the Southdown, and shears a heavier fleece, while at the same 

 time preserving, to a large degree, the compact mutton form, for 

 which the latter is so deservedly noted. The breed had its origin in 

 the mingling of the blood of a diminutive black or brown-faced and 

 horned sheep, called from its habitat, the "Morfe Common sheep," 

 with that of the Leicester, Cotswold, and Southdown. These Morfe 

 Common sheep dressed, when matured, about forty to fifty pounds of 

 mutton, and sheared about two (2) pounds of wool. A comparison 

 of this sheep with the modern Shropshire ought to convince anyone 

 of the possibilities there are for stock improvement through the per- 

 sistent use of high-class sires of the type sought after. In sixty years 

 the Shropshire sheep as compared with their ancestors, doubled their 

 carcass weight, and more than trebled the weight of their fleeces. 

 Since about the middle of the Nineteenth Century the breed has been 

 kept pure. 



The type of the Shropshire is, as stated, veiy similar to the 

 Southdown, except that it is on a larger scale. The head is of mod- 

 erate size, short, wide and clean cut. It should be closely covered 

 with wool right down the bridge of the nose. There should, of 

 course, be no appearance of horns. The ears should be far apart, 

 pointed and moderate in thickness and preferably covered with fine, 

 curly wool. The fleece should be strong and fine in fibre, with all 

 the density possible, extending from the bridge of the nose all over 

 the body and right down to the hind fetlocks. Black wool fibres are 

 objectionable, though sometimes hard to avoid forward of the ears. 

 The characteristic color of the face and legs is a rich, dark seal brown. 

 No breed of sheep will adapt itself to varying conditions better than 

 the Shropshire. 



The greatest rivals of the Shropshire are the Oxford and Hamp- 

 shire Downs. Of these two, the Oxford very much resembles the 

 Shropshire, so that it is sometimes almost impossible to distinguish 

 a coarse Shropshire from a fine Oxford. The chief points of differ- 

 ence are to be seen in the greater size, larger, heavier head and ear 

 and the longer but more open fleece of the Oxford as compared with 

 the Shropshire. 



Hampshire. These have not, as yet, been extensively bred in 

 America. However they are gradually coming into favor. The 

 Hampshire is one of the more recent additions to the 'breeds of Eng- 

 lish sheep and is the result of the skillful mingling of bloods of an 

 old, white faced, horned breed called the Wiltshire (somewhat simi- 

 lar to the Dorset), the Berkshire Knot (<a similar though smaller 

 breed), the Southdown and, perhaps, the Cotswold. The result has 

 been the evolution of the largest and heaviest of the Down breeds, 

 almost rivalling the Cotswold and Lincoln in size. 



The face and legs of the Hampshire are darker in color than in 

 any of the Down breeds, except the Suffolk. The head is large, 

 strong and bold. Though its features cannot be too dark in color, 

 yet the wool of the body must be perfectly white, even a dark tinge 

 around the poll being objectionable. The head is well covered with 

 wool, both between the ears and on the cheeks, the wool not, however, 



