SHEEr-EBAEING.] 



SHEEP, 



[SHEEP-REARINa, 



successful, it may be taken as a general rule, 

 that there should be some affinity of consti- 

 tution between the intended improvers, and 

 those sought to be improved ; and this affinity 

 is sometimes denoted by the character of the 

 -n-ools. The most usual crosses are those of 

 the Leicester with the SouthdotV7i. The true 

 Leicester is unfashionable, is fed too early, 

 and is said to be too fat for its amount of 

 muscle to secure favour at the tables of the 

 rich epicure. Luxury seems greatly inclined 

 to discard that profitable animal; whilst the 

 Southdown has been selected to impart a 

 quality to the mutton, a fineness to the fleece, 

 and a tendency to lay on fat, with hardihood. 



Some of a flock of this breed were seen by 

 Mr. Milburn, at the farm of Mr. Johnson, of 

 Chevet Grange, near Wakefield, in the West 

 Eiding of Yorkshire ; and he speaks greatly in 

 their praise. He says — " We happen to have 

 seen some extraordinary specimens of his flock, 

 embracing, perhaps, more of the qualities of 

 the two breeds than could be conceived pos- 

 sible. There was considerable size; a heavy 

 fleece of the finest wool ; large frame ; plenty of 

 fine-grained mutton ; with early maturity, and 

 a fair mixture of fat and muscle. These are 

 qualifications seldom realised in one animal. 

 AV^hat is more, they were precisely like each 

 other. The result seemed uniform ; and though 

 they cannot be considered as stereotyped cha- 

 racteristics, yet they are qualities preserved 

 with considerable tenacity, and, we are as- 

 sured, not at all obliterated by continuing to 

 breed in-and-hi with the crosses. Be this as 

 it may, the result is pretty certain ; and a good 

 flock of Southdown ewes, put to a Leicester 

 ram, may, with pretty considerable accuracy of 

 calculation, be depended upon as a successful 

 cross of sheep — fashionable to the butcher 

 and wool dealer, profitable to the farmer, and 

 more to be depended upon to meet a market 

 than, perhaps, any other class of sheep, if we 

 take the average of the run of seasons. We 

 have heard of the reverse. Mr. Johnson has 

 himself succeeded in breeding good produce 

 from Leicester ewes and a Southdown ram; 

 but we think that evidence is entirely in favour 

 of the reverse of tliis cross." 



The Colsivold is sometimes crossed tvith the 

 Leicester, to wliicli size is thereby given, as it 

 is the custom to feed them at one year old. 

 7:32 



A successful cross has, also, been made between 

 the Hampshire Down and the improved Cots- 

 wold. The Cotswold or Gloucester sheep is 

 of large proportions^ and has for centuries 

 been famous for the length and weight ot its 

 fleece. As one of the long-wooUed races, it is 

 superior to most others ; but its carcass could 

 not bear comparison with the Leicester. After 

 being crossed with it, however, it greatly im- 

 proved in its fattening properties, and attained 

 an earlier maturity, whilst it continued to 

 preserve the quality of its fleece. The Hamp- 

 shire was originally, in a great measure, derived 

 from the flocks of Essex, and is a larger variety 

 of the Southdown. Either from choice or 

 economy, the largest and coarsest animals were 

 selected and crossed with the native horned 

 sheep, and this breed has been perpetuated oa 

 the farms of North Hampshire for years. 



A cross between the Leicester and the Black- 

 face is now well established, notwithstanding 

 the wide difference which exists in the cha- 

 racter and habits of the two breeds. The ex- 

 cellent mutton qualities of the one, and the 

 fattening tendencies of the other, have caused 

 this race to be extensively cultivated in the 

 north, where large numbers of them are reared, 

 and where they are held in very high estima- 

 tion, not only on account of their mutton 

 and their hardiness, but for the excellence 

 of the wool which they yield. Eor this cross, 

 however, it is not the very highest kind 

 of Leicester that is chosen to produce it. It 

 is the good and the useful, rather than the 

 delicate. Therefore, they possess in them- 

 selves a certain degree of hardiness, which 

 renders it more easy to acclimatise them to the 

 temperature and hill pastures of Scotland. 

 The cross between the Leicester and the 

 Cheviot is also established, and the produce of 

 this cross is rapidly taking the place of the 

 pure Cheviot. Its size is greater, its fatten- 

 ing tendencies better, and it attains to an 

 earlier maturity. Another cross, in the north, 

 is noticed as being somewhat successful. It 

 is between the Cheviot and the Black-faced — 

 the rams of the latter, and the ewes of the 

 former. This cross, Mr. Milburn says, is cal- 

 culated for barren pastures, and such exposed 

 situations as cannot be so well borne by any of 

 the other crosses already specified. This cross, 

 as might be expected, produces an extremely 



