168 BRITISH SHEEP AND SHEPHERDING. 



recent years the Marshes were very wet and humid, so much so 

 that few flockmasters resided on the Marsh, as ague was so prevalent. 

 Better drainage and improved management, however, have con- 

 siderably altered the climate, and ague is almost unknown. More- 

 over, the land is sounder for sheep. Much of the water is brackish, 

 and as salt water is inimical to the snails which carry the liver 

 fluke at one period of this pest's existence, the Marsh is singularly 

 free from liver rot. The climate is not so consistently dry as 

 apparently many have assumed, and the rainfall is far heavier 

 than on many parts of the East Coast and the South-east Midlands. 

 The Marsh, however, lies open and bleak, and at times is swept 

 by very cold easterly and northerly winds. The strong winds 

 had an effect on the degree of admixture of Leicester with the 

 indigenous breed a century or so ago, for it was found that although 

 the breed was greatly improved in many respects, it lost some of 

 its hardihood, and losses were heavy from the habit of the crossed 

 sheep seeking shelter on the ditch sides, whereby many were 

 drowned through getting into the dykes ; or, as one old writer 

 puts it, were blown into the dykes. 



Breeds Used. For a short time Leicester rams were freely used, 

 and then entirely withheld ; moreover, since that time there 

 has been no admixture of blood, all improvement going on within 

 the breed through selection. The Kentish sheep, however, 

 had one most valuable outside help through the Cheviot. At 

 the time previously to the advent of railways, large numbers of 

 Cheviot sheep were brought from Northumberland to the Thames 

 by boat ; and, in the ordinary course, they occasionally met bad 

 markets in London ; in such instances, to avoid certain market 

 and shipping dues, the shippers unloaded on the Kentish Coast, 

 selling the sheep locally. In this way there was admixture with 

 the uncouth sheep of that time, described long ago as having 

 coarse heads, thick necks, long, stout limbs, broad feet, narrow 

 chests, flat sides, and great bellies, fattening slowly, wethers being 

 rarely fit for use until they had completed their third year. 



Influence of the Cheviot. The influence of the Cheviot is very 

 clearly shown in the outward form of the sheep ; the distinctive 

 ruff or frill of wool on the upper part of the neck being very marked. 

 Doubtless, too, the very distinctive quality of the mutton making 

 it superior to that of any long-woolled breed is largely due to this. 

 Those who have been accustomed to the finer quality muttons 

 find some of the long-woolled mutton insipid, and the fat too tallowy ; 

 but so tender and well flavoured is the Romney mutton, and 

 free from the deficiencies of the coarser-fleshed long -wools, that 

 it is popular in the markets, and realises a relatively high price. 

 The Romney Marsh sheep, however, is not a product wholly of the 

 Marshes, for although a greater portion is born on them, it is 



