[61] 



Southdowns, or whatever cross he adopts. Each year of 

 crossing will bring him nearer to the full stock, and when 

 the flock has been crossed five times, they are in all respects 

 full blooded, with this advantage, that the frequent crosses 

 with fresh rams will have infused more life and vitality than 

 was possessed by either before the process began. Nor should 

 it end with the fifth, but continued ad infinitum, to prevent 

 a retrograde of th? flock, as there will continue to be a 

 tendency to a relapse now and then for many yeara. It 

 should be the duty and care of the farmer to watch closely 

 any tendency to relapse, and the lambs exhibiting it should 

 be promptly removed and consecrated to the shambles. 



Should it be the desire of the farmer, on the contrary, to 

 convert a flock of native ewes into long wooled sheep, the 

 Cotswold and Leicester, independent of others, present 

 as many advantages as he may require. The same rule as 

 for producing a carcass must be observed, only the eye, in- 

 stead of being directed to the frame alone, must keep in 

 view the character, length, and texture of the wool. Of 

 course he must also bear in mind that the better carcass the 

 wool is on the better will be the fleece, so he must combine 

 all these qualities in the ram. A very sightly broad-backed 

 flock of ewes will soon satisfy his vision. The last named 

 of the above species, the Shropshires, are little known in 

 this country, being of comparatively recent origin even in 

 England. But in the short time they have been before the 

 country, they have attained a vast amount of popularity, 

 chiefly on account of the prolific quality of the ewes. For 

 the sake of those unacquainted with the breed we are in- 

 duced to clip the following description of them from the 

 " London Field," a high authority on all subjects connected 

 with stock raising : 



SHROPSHIRE SHEEP. 



" The Shropshire sheep, though of comparatively recent 

 origin, are at the present widely spread and much valued. 



