1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



155 



XI. The Southdown, of which the specific 

 characters are — faces and legs gray; bones fine; 

 head clean; neck long and small; low before; 

 shoulder widej light in the fore quarter; sides and 

 chest deep; loin broad; back bone rather too high; 

 thigh full, and twist good; wool very fine and 

 short, (the staple being from two to three inches 

 in length,) weighing an average of three pounds 

 and a half per fleece, when killed at two years 

 old. Flesh fine grained, and of excellent flavor; 

 quick feeders; constitution hardy and vigorous. 

 They are round in the general appearance of the 

 barrel; and, from standing wide on their hind legs, 

 and being shut well in the twist, the leg of down 

 mutton is remarkably round and short, not only 

 cutting handsomely for the table, bat weighing- 

 heavier than common in proportion to the lore 

 quarter — which are material advantages to the 

 butcher, as they command a ready sale, at an ad- 

 vance of a penny per pound over the other joints. 

 Fat wethers usually average about 18 lbs. per 

 quarter; but this has been, in many instances, in- 

 creased by late attempts to improve the size of the 

 carcass. Whether these have been judicious, 

 time alone can determine; but it does appear from 

 the evidence of some of the persons examined be- 

 fore a select committee cf the House of Lords, ap- 

 pointed in 1823, to take into consideration the 

 state of the British wool trade, that they have in- 

 jured the quality of the fleece.* This has, indeed, 

 been denied by the breeders; but in all other in- 

 stances, it has been uniformly ibund that efforts to 

 increase the flesh have been attended with similar 

 effects. In the present state of the wool trade, 

 this may, however, be of less consequence than it 

 might have been some years ago, for it appears 

 from all the concurrent evidence produced before 

 that committee, that the British carding, or short 

 clothing wools, have been entirely superseded in 

 our manufactories, by the German and other fo- 

 reign kinds. But too great an increase of carcass 

 may also injure the quality of the mutton, which 

 is now of the very finest kind. 



These sheep have been bred for ages past on the 

 chalky soils of the Southdowns, in Sussex, and 

 on such short pasture, and in such exposed situa- 

 tions, they are perhaps the most valuable breed in 

 the kingdom; but they are spreading fast not only 

 into similar districts, but into counties better calcu- 

 lated tor long-woolled and larger sheep. That the 

 breed will, on those rich soils, degenerate in the 

 superior properties of their flesh and wool, there 

 can be little doubt; but it will still be matter of 

 calculation, whether that disadvantage may not 

 be more than balanced by superior weight. On 

 their native downs, it will probably be found better 

 to preserve them as near to their original size as 

 possible: for, if too large lor the constitution of 

 the soil, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to 

 maintain the increase of weight; or, if maintain- 

 ed, it probably will be with some loss either of the 

 hardiness or activity requisite to their thriving on 

 the land for which they are most appropriate; or 

 with detriment to the qualities of the flesh and 



* See the Evidence in the Printed Report, of Mr. 

 C. Bull, of Lewes, Woolstapler; Mr. Sutcliffe, of 

 Huddersfidd, ditto; Mr. Brooke, of Honley, near 

 Huddersfield, Cloth-manufacturer; Mr. G. Goodman, 

 of Leeds, Wool-factor; and of Mr. Sheppard, of Lon- 

 don, Blackwell-Hall factor, Chairman of the London 

 Committee of the Woollen Trade. 



wool; and thus an apparent advantage may lead 

 to serious future injury. 



XII. The Cannock Heath sheep are bred upon 

 an extensive waste, so named, in Staffordshire; 

 they are very generally gray faced; without horns; 

 bear fine wool; and from many points of simili- 

 tude between them and the Southdown breed, it 

 has been thought that they were originally de- 

 rived from the same stock. The bone, however, 

 is coarser; nor do they possess the same beauty 

 and compactness as the downs; but these defects 

 probably arise from inattention on the part of the 

 former breeders, which the present flock-mastera 

 are making efforts to rectify; and, to counterba- 

 lance them, the carcass is heavier, and the mutton 

 equally good. 



XIII. The Ry eland Breed is so called from a 

 district in the neighborhood of Ross in Hereford- 

 shire. They are small, white faced, and horn- 

 less; the wool growing close to their eyes; are 

 light in the bone; have small, clean legs; and, 

 when proper attention has been paid to the breed- 

 ing stock, possess great compactness and symmet- 

 ry. The ewes weigh from nine to twelve and 

 fourteen pounds, and the wethers from twelve to 

 sixteen pounds per quarter, when fatted, at three 

 to four years old, and their flesh is equal to any 

 mutton in the kingdom. The fleece does not 

 average more than two pounds; but the quality of 

 the wool is unrivalled by that of any of our na- 

 tive stock. They are patient of hunger, and no 

 breed is supposed capable of subsisting on a 

 smaller quantity of food; they are, therefore, 

 adapted to the pasturage of down land; but they 

 require a fine herbage, and are so tender as to re- 

 quire shelter in the winter; and particularly at the 

 time of lambing. They are not, as many per- 

 sons imagine, wholly a mountain breed, being kept 

 in the vale lands as well as on the hills, and are of- 

 ten fatted on the same soil with the Hereford 

 oxen. 



A cross has been made between this breed and 

 the Spanish sheep, the produce of which are 

 termed Merino Ryelands, and the wool Anglo 

 Merino. The first stage of the cross materially 

 detracts from the beauty of the Ryeland's form; 

 but the fleece is much improved both in weight 

 and quality, and the carcass is increased, while 

 the flavor of the mutton remains uninjured. It 

 has been affirmed, that the characteristic proper- 

 ties of the Merino Ryelands correspond with 

 those of the Spanish race as far as the fourth ge- 

 neration, and that the wool is nearly of equal 

 quality to that of the pure merino. Great exer- 

 tions were made by the late Dr. Parry, of Bath, 

 and other spirited wool-growers to introduce them 

 to general notice; but it appears, from the evidence 

 produced before the Committee of the House of 

 Lords, already mentioned, that this new breed 

 has declined; and that, either from the general de- 

 preciation in the value of short wool, or, as some 

 allege, from deterioration of the quality of this 

 species, the anglo wool is now nearly unsaleable, 

 though it still commands a higher price, when 

 sold, than the finest pure British.* 



* See the evidence of Mr. Cunnington, of Upavon, 

 Wilts, Woolstapler; Mr. W. Ireland, of London, and 

 Chalford, in Gloucestershire, Manufacturer; and of 

 Mr. G. Webb Hall, of Sneed Park, Gloucestershire, 

 Farmer. 



