snEEP-BEAra:s"G.] 



SHEEP, 



[SHEEP-EEAEING. 



CHAPTER V. 



BREEDING AND EEARING OF SHEEP. 



"Whatever may be the object of the scieutific, 

 wealthy agriculturist in cattle or sheep breed- 

 ing, it is evident that, in the case of the farmer, 

 it resolves itself into a question of plain pounds, 

 shillings, and pence. In breeding the sheep, 

 however, the same principles which regulate 

 the production and improvement of any other 

 class of animals, must, in a great measure, be 

 acted upon ; and should one person be more 

 successful than another in the production of 

 stock, that person will be found to have given 

 greater attention to the subject, to have been 

 more persevering, and to be possessed of 

 qualities better adapted for carrying out the 

 object in view than the other. The question 

 for the consideration of the farmer is, what 

 kind of animal will ultimately become the 

 most profitable? This is the all-important 

 interrogatory whicli he must put to himself. 

 The present or immediate he must sink in the i 

 comparatively distant ; and, whatever may be 

 liis diappointment, he must persevere, and 

 try again and again, until the arrival of the 

 triumphant day which is certain to crown his 

 efforts with success. It was thus that Bake- 

 weil acted. It was by unwearied perseverance 

 that he succeeded, at last, in producing his 

 New Leicester, which, in the end, rewarded 

 him for all his labours. 



The New Leicester and the Southdown 

 are the two breeds which have occupied the 

 attention of the agricultural world in putting 

 forth their claim to favour. As far as a ten- 

 dency to fatten and to arrive at an early 

 maturity are considered, there is no doubt 

 that the Leicester stands foremost in every 

 known breed of sheep whatever. For the 

 attainment of thfjse qualities, its form is a 

 perfect model ot adaptation; and all other 

 breeds which most closely resemble this form, 

 will possess these qualities in a more or less 

 degree. Even tlie Southdown is no exception 

 to this rule ; for if one of the improved, and 

 another of the neglected specimens were 

 placed together, the excellences of the former 

 728 



would at once appear to lie in those points 

 whicli had the nearest approximation to the 

 Leicester. The production of wool, too, is 

 also to be considered ; for the fleece of the 

 Leicester is much longer than that of the 

 Southdown. "Where, therefore, the pasture 

 is favourable, and the sheep taken care of, and 

 not unduly exposed to cold and wet, the 

 Leicester must be esteemed the most remune- 

 rative of the pure breeds. What, however, are 

 its drawbacks ? These are, says Mr. Spooner, 

 the incapability of the animal to bear exposure, 

 for travelling, or living hard, being weak in 

 constitution, and very liable to inflammatory 

 disorders. Erom these circumstances, it is 

 unfitted for folding purposes, or to stand the 

 exposure of the Southdowns, and still more 

 for bearing up against the severities of the 

 Grampian Hills, or the Welsh mountains. In 

 the climatic variations of these localities, the 

 sheep would soon perish. Besides these draw- 

 backs, their mutton is by no means so good 

 as that of the Southdowns, which, however, 

 is partly owing to the early period (twenty 

 months) at which they are ready for the 

 butcher, and partly to the very large quan- 

 tity of tallow they make in proportion to 

 the lean. © Their mutton, therefore, is not 

 much esteemed in the London markets. Ac- 

 cordingly, the first cross between the Leicester 

 and the Down has been raised instead of the 

 Leicester ; and it is said that this first cross is 

 the most profitable sheep that can be fattened, 

 making greater and more rapid progress than 

 the Down, and yielding a better quality of 

 meat than the Leicester. 



The improved Southdown is also possessed 

 of most valuable qualities; its tendency to 

 fatten being inferior only to the Leicester. It 

 is also later in coming to maturity, taking 

 from thirty to thirty-two months ; but it is an 

 excellent traveller, folds well, is haidy, com- 

 pared with the Leicester; can live on short 

 pastures ; and is, perhaps, the best of all the 

 breeds for the Down farmers in the south of 



