ENGLISH SHEEP 17 



ears were a characteristic of the breed, and it was good to see 

 them. The shoulders should be well set up, although it was not 

 good to have the head and neck too thick, as it made trouble 

 at lambing time. It was better to have a moderate length of loin 

 in view of the weight of wool a Lincoln had to carry. He lays 

 particular stress upon the importance of good bone. When 

 judging an undeveloped sheep, the first consideration was the 

 head, and, second to that, bone. If the wool of a sheep under 

 the jaw was soft, it was a sure indication that it was soft all over. 

 The hair on the face and legs was of great importance. He liked 

 to see it " downy," and if inclined to show darkness it was a sign 

 of constitution and quality, although this could be overdone, as it 

 was quite possible to rear a black sheep by sticking to sheep 

 inclined to darkness. He preferred a medium lock, but it was 

 of the utmost importance to have good wool on the back. The 

 back wool had to stand rain and sun, and if not strong would 

 become light and fuzzy. The wool should be strong near the 

 shins and well set on. 



LEICESTER SHEEP. 



The Leicester is another of the British long-woolled sheep 

 well known to the Australian pastoralist. This breed possesses 

 a good carcase, with a small head. They are very prolific. Their 

 wool is very light-conditioned, usually possessing great lustre and 

 length of staple, the quality being about 4o's. The Leicester 

 makes an excellent cross with very small-framed Merino or 

 Comeback ewes, which would have great trouble at lambing time 

 if mated with a sire possessing a large head, such as the Lincoln. 

 The Leicester does not cut as heavy a fleece as the Lincoln, but it 

 is lighter-conditioned and more lustrous. In fact, Leicester wool 

 is one of the most lustrous wools grown. This breed owes its 

 present high standard to Robert Bakewell, of Dishley, Leicester- 

 shire, England. In season 1910-11 a Cross-bred wool, the result 

 of Leicester ram and Merino ewe, topped the London market 

 for Cross-bred wools. 



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