BTELAND SHEEP.] AND THEIR VARIOUS BREEDS. [uteland sheep. 



feeding tendencies, it is not bo severe (if the 

 impression bo cnrriod ra[)idly back to tho 

 Cheviot race) as to woaken materially the vital 

 power of tho animals. Tho pcnod, when 

 Cheviot and black-faced sheep shoukl bo 

 selected for breeding and rearing on moun- 

 tain pasture, is given by Mr. TMilburn : — AVhen 

 the produce of tho hills is simi^ly black furze, 

 or heather, the black- faced Highland sheep 

 will bo preferable. "When tho grass is green, 

 though ever so pOv)r, the Cheviot will yield a 

 greater amount of profit. Tho following, tak- 

 ing this princi[>le, will bo about tho compara- 

 tive merits of the two breeds : — 



Black-fared. Cheviot. 



Wool inferior . . . "Wool superior. 



Mutton superior . IMutton inferior. 



Harciinesi? equal . . Hardiness equal. 



Maturity later . . . Maturity earlier. 



Feeding less rapid . . Feeding more rapid. 



Less mutton .... j\Iore mutton. 



The balance, on the whole, on suitable lands, 

 seems to be decidedly in favour of the Cheviots. 



THE RYELAND SHEEP. 



This sheep is another old, if not original, 

 breed, and takes its name from a district in 

 the southern part of Herefordshire, where 

 a large quantity of rye used to bo grown, 

 and where many of this kind of sheep were 

 reared. It is a small breed, rarely exceeding 

 more than fourteen or fifteen pounds the quarter 

 in the wether, or from ten to thirteen pounds 

 in the ewe. Its wool is white, and covers the 

 sides of the face, coming over the top of the head 

 in a bushy tuft. It is in great favour for carding; 

 superior, indeed, for this purpose, to all other 

 kinds of British wool, and almost rivals the 

 Australian. It is, therefore, put down as 

 essentially a wool-producing animal. As the 

 desire for mutton began to extend in the 

 country, and improved turnips, cultivated in 

 the light lands, enabled farmers to produce 

 more of that material, the breeding of the true 

 Ryeland sheep somewhat declined. So far 

 back as 1343, it was noted for its wool; 

 but even then it does not seem to have been 

 considered the most valuable of the British 

 fleeces. The Shropshire, Staffordshire, and 

 Oxfordshire, were all sold at a higher price 

 than the Eyeland. " It is difficult to account 

 for this inferiority," says a writer on the Sheep, 



in the Library of Useful Knowledge, " at that 

 timt; for our earliest writers on tho sheep, 

 speak of tho liyelaiida as btaiiding at the head 

 of the short-woolled breeds. If, however, the 

 opinion of i\lr. Herbert bo correct, some light 

 is cast on the subject. Ho believes that tho 

 Ryelands, almost exclusively, in early times 

 of sheep-husbandry, extended longitudinally 

 through those districts, from the Thames to 

 tho Tyne ; and the Cotswolds were produced 

 by a cross between tho Ryelands and some 

 heavy sheep. Tho Herefordshire, Shropshire, 

 Staffordshire, and OxI'ordshiro wools, spoken 

 of in this record, were only varieties of the 

 Ryeland, and of which tho Herefordshire hap- 

 pened at the timo to bo the worst. In the 

 course of years, however, the Ryelands were 

 gradually displaced by a heavier sheep over 

 the greater part of the other counties, but 

 continued to be cultivated in a portion of 

 Herefordshire." Formerly these sheep were 

 taken great care of, and regularly housed at 

 nights — a practice which, no doubt, arose with 

 the view of preserving the sheep from the 

 inclemency of tho weather, as well as of im- 

 proving the quality of the wool. The race is 

 small, but it attains an early maturity. The 

 head and face, from being covered with wool, 

 have a large and heavy appearance, compared 

 with the short leg and compact carcass of 

 the animal. The ears are somewhat thick and 

 erect; the chest deep, but not broad; the 

 barrel round, but the back by no means flat. 

 The fat of the animal accumulates mainly on 

 the rump and tail, but not to such an extent 

 as to interfere with its activity. It is extremely 

 hardy, and is supposed to be capable of living 

 on less food than any English breed ; but re- 

 quires it to bo of a fine quality. Like all the 

 old races of sheep, it has a tendency to accumu- 

 late fat internally. 



To improve the Ryeland, ""the principal ob- 

 ject has been to assist the development of fine 

 wool by crosses with tho Merinos. Years ago. 

 Dr. Parry, of Bath, M.D,, stimulated by the 

 venerable Bath and West of England Agricul- 

 tural Society, crossed the ewes with tho 

 Merino ; and the first cross was most success- 

 ful. The fleece was increased one pound per 

 animal ; the texture was finer; and the carcass 

 was considerably enlarged ; while the flavour of 

 the mutton was said not to be deteriorated. 



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