20 THE SHEEP AND WOOL INDUSTRY 



BORDER LEICESTER SHEEP. 



There are contradictory reports as to the origin of the above 

 breed, as writers on English breeds of sheep give them a different 

 origin. A good many say that the original Leicester was crossed 

 with the Cheviots a breed of sheep used greatly in the North of 

 England and in Scotland while others contradict this. A well- 

 bred Border Leicester is a fine-boned sheep, possessing a small 

 head, with a broad chest and good round quarters. The wool 

 is very lustrous and has a long staple. The spinning quality is 

 from 40*8 to 46's, The average Border Leicester will cut about 

 12 Ib. of wool. They are excellent sheep for crossing with small- 

 framed Merino or Comeback ewes, and are best suited for country 

 which has fairly good pastures. The progeny will grow very 

 bright, light-conditioned cross-bred wool, such as is bought by 

 the Americans. 



ROMNEY MARSH SHEEP. 



The Romney Marsh is another of the well-known English 

 breeds of sheep. These sheep have been bred for years in the 

 Romney Marsh, England damp, poor country, facing the sea- 

 coast and exposed to all its violent gales. Consequently they 

 have developed into a very hardy breed of sheep. One of their 

 noted points is that they resist footrot better than any other 

 breed of sheep yet known, and will thrive on poor, damp country, 

 where many another type would quickly perish. The quality of 

 this wool is from 40*8 to 5o's. When crossed with the Merino the 

 result is a long-stapled, bright/ fine-woolled, Cross-bred sheep, 

 possessing a good carcase, and being very hardy a suitable sheep 

 in every way for the farmer whose pastures are clamp. There are 

 several stud flocks of Romney sheep in the Commonwealth and 

 New Zealand, where they claim to have improved on the best 

 English types of these sheep, as Mr. Short's Romney exhibits bred 

 in New Zealand carried off most of the important events against 

 the best English-bred types exhibited at the Argentine Show 

 in 1910. 



