162 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER 



would be a valuable variety, for the flat and 

 marshy landa which prevail in m;iny prirts of ihc 

 norlh-vvestcrn states, and which are found in 

 some places on the borders of ihe Ohio and other 

 rivers of Kentucky. 



TliG Darlraoor or Bampton variety are pre- 

 valent in the dislricfs froni which ihey derive 

 their name, the length of their wool is about 

 ihesameas of the Romney Marsh sort. These 

 breeds have been improved by a cross with the 

 New Leiccsters, which it is said " will in son)e 

 situations bring forward wethers at 20 months 

 old weighing twenty pounds the quarter, with a 

 shear of eight pounds of yolk wool to the fleece." 

 The mutton is said to be of good quality. It 

 should be remarked that in England all the large 

 breeds of sheep are raised chiefly/or ihe midtun, 

 and that wool is only a secondary object. The 

 following statement will give a pretty correct idea 

 of the usual price of mutton in England : 



Mr. Dawson, of Buihorp, in the year 1796, 

 sold two hundred iwo s/iear wethers, (two and a 

 half years old,) at three pounds sterling round. 

 An average of his sales for the six preceding 

 years was as /bllows : 1790, 3os. ; 1791, 35s.; 

 1792, 43s. ; 179.3, 38s. ; 1794, 44s. ; 1795, 50s. 

 These were New Leicesters, which had been 

 twice sheared. If each shearing produced eight 

 pounds, (a large allowance for young sheep,) 

 the wool at lOd. would have yielucd 13s. 4d. or 

 6s. 8d. per annum. But the average of the sales 

 of each wether during the seven years was 43s. 

 7d. Thus the amount received for mutton was 

 six and a half times as much, annually, as was 

 received for wool. It will be perceived that the 

 price of mutton gradually rose from 35s. to 60s. 

 At the latter rate, the muiion produced, annually, 

 nine times as much as the annual produce of 

 wool. The contrast between the wool and mut- 

 ton, of the larger breeds, such as the Teeswater, 

 Lincoln, Bampton and Coiswold, would be still 

 more remarkable. It should also be recollected 

 that since the year 1796, all kinds of meat have 

 risen, whilst coarse wool has remained about sta- 

 tionary, and con.^('quenlly that, at this lime, the 

 disparity betvi^een the price of wool and mutton 

 would be still greater than it was in the year 

 1796. 



I desire that these circumstances may be 

 borne in mind, when i come to treat of fine 

 vvoolled sheep and of the sheep husbandry of 

 Kentucky. 



Of the various native breeds o\' fine looollad 

 sheep in England, I propose to speak only of the 

 Southdowns and Ryelande. The latter were 

 formerly held in high repute, in consequence of 

 their extreme fineness of wool, but since the in- 

 troduction of the Spanish Merinoes, (1792.) which 

 far excel the Ryelands in fineness of staple, they 

 have, in some measure, lost their former hiuh re- 

 putation. They are, however, considered an ex- 

 cellent stock on which to cross the Merino breed. 

 The half blood from this cross produce a fleece, 

 it is said, averaging five pounds in the yolk, and 

 worth 3s. sterling, (72 cents.) 



The Southdowns are next to (he Ryelands, as 

 regards fineness of wool. Mr. Culley deiscribes 

 this variety " as having no liorns, gray faces and 

 legs, fine bones, long small necks, and rather low 

 before, high on the shoulders, and light in the fore 

 quarters, sides good, loin tolerably broad, back 



bone rather high, ihigh lull, twist good, mutton 

 fine in grain and well flavored, wool short, very 

 close and fine, in the length of ihe staple from two 

 to three inches, weight per quarter o( weihers, 

 at two years old, righieen pounds." This breed 

 prevails " on the dry chalky downs in Sussex, aa 

 well as in the hills of Surry and Kent." It is 

 said to have been " much improved, recently, 

 both in carcaea arjd v/ool, being much enlarged 

 forward." They are considered as an excellent 

 sort lor less fertile and hilly pastures, as feeding 

 close." They are " hardy, and disposed to lat- 

 ten quickly." They oom<> quickly to maturity, 

 the wethers " being seldom kept longer than two 

 years old, and often led at eighteen months--." 

 They are also " capnble of travelling well and of 

 resisting the eflecls of exposure lo cold." The 

 celebrated Mr. Coke, now Lord Leicester, ia 

 said to have ihe best and finest Souilidowns in 

 England." 



I have extracted the above from Judge Bi-aity, 

 but as the author from whom he quotes spoke of 

 the Soulhdowns of hi-! diiy, i thought it proper to 

 give the opinions of some later writers upon iliesa 

 sheep, and shall then proceed with my quotation. 

 At present Mr. Eilmau o! Glynd is "said to have 

 ihe finesi Soulhdowns in England." The fol- 

 lowing exiract is taken from Blacklock's Treatise 

 on Sheep, writien in England in 1838 and repub- 

 lished in the United Siates in 1841. Ou page 20, 

 Amcriciin edition, i\e says ; 



" 77/e Soulhdown, like the Ryeland, are, from 

 the delicacy of tlieir constitution, unadapted lor 

 bleak situations, but suffi really hardy and active 

 lor a low country ; their average weight is frooi 

 15 lbs. to 18 lbs. a quarter; that of the fleece, 

 which is very short and fine, being li-ora 2| lbs. 

 to 3 lbs. They are without horns, have gray 

 faces and legs, a neck low sel and sniall, and a 

 breast neither wide nor deep ; their mutton is fine 

 in the grain and of excellent flavor, having been 

 brought to great peredion by Mr. Ellman of 

 Glynd, and other intelligent breeders. They are 

 mostly found in Sussex, on dry chalky downs pro- 

 ducing short fine herbage, and arrive early at 

 maturity ; in which respect they are equal lo the 

 Cheviot; ihough inferior lo them in quantity of 

 tallow. Formerly they would not take on liit un- 

 til four years old ; now they are always at mar- 

 ket when aboui 2 years of age, and many are 

 killed before that period." 



From the above quotation it appears that the 

 Southdown sheep of the present day have " deli- 

 cate constitutions" and are not calculated for 

 " bleak situations," but are well suited lor a low 

 country. Neither Southdown, Bakewell or New 

 Leicester, nor Cost wold would suit our moun- 

 tain land.^. The Merino, and their crosses upon 

 our native sheep, would be Ibund to suit our 

 mountains best. 



These Southdowns formerly were slow in com- 

 ing to maturity, requiring four years ; what means 

 have been resorted to Ibr producing their early 

 maturity in the present race we are not informed. 

 Whether it was the introduction of some foreign 

 blood or judicious selection and breeding we know 

 not. 



It appears that, whatever the means may have 

 been, the constitution has been so much in- 

 jured that they are not now the same hardy sheep 

 they were forty years ago. 



