56 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



shires with heads both black and bold. Suffolks 

 have smaller heads than Hampshires, with thinner 

 ears. They differ in other particulars, one being* habit 

 of keep. While Hampshires are nearly always with- 

 in the hurdles, Suffolks are nearly always on grass. 

 They have peculiar ability to make much growth on 

 grass alone, and to make with a little added grain 

 splendid gains. Suffolk lambs have more than once 

 won in the carcass contests at the London Smithfield 

 show. The breed is not so common in America as 

 its merits warrant. Perhaps the bare legs, head and 

 light-wooled bellies of the ewes have been displeas- 

 ing to American flockmasters. For cross-breeding 

 on grade Merino ewes there is hardly a better breed, 

 and for this use the amount of wool on the ram cuts 

 little figure, if the lambs are all sold, as they 

 should be. 



THE LONG- WOOLS. 



LEICESTEKS. 



The Leicester is an old breed little known in the 

 United States at the present time but much kept in 

 Canada. It is notable as being the first recorded 

 sheep to feel the improvement of a genius in breed- 

 ing, Eobert Bakewell having undertaken the im- 

 provement of the breed in about 1755. Bakewell 

 conceived the idea of improving this old, coarse- 

 boned, long-wooled breed. Just how he did it we 

 would like to know and never will, but it was en- 

 tirely by selection, so we are told, and he evidently 

 had the master eye for seeing virtues in animals 



