No. 3. 



Tlie Southdown Buck "Prince."' 



89 



^1 





PORTRAIT OF THE SOUTHDOWN BUCK "PRINCE," 



The properly of Aaron Clement, Esq., of Philadelphia. 



^^' 



Prince is descended directly from an importation of pure bred Southdown?, made by E. 

 P. Prentice, Esq. He is four years old, and produced at last shearing- seven pounds of 

 wool of excellent quality. He is remarkable for his proportions, neatness and beauty of 

 form, as well as his great size, weighing in May last, 2^30 lbs. 



The Southdowns combine the two great qualities most desirable in sheep, viz: wool 

 sufficiently fine for general purposes, and superior mutton. 



They are a hardy race of sheep, much disposed to fat, and when fatted, are capable of 

 travelling a reasonable distance to a market. They are admirably suited to the high lands 

 of the Southern States, perhaps more so than any other breed of sheep. 



In describing these sheep, Ellman says, as quoted by Baxter in his Library of Agri- 

 culture, " The head siiould be neither too long nor too short, the lip thin, the neck neither 

 too long nor too short, but thin next the head, and tapering towards the shoulders. South- 

 down breeders object to a long, thin neck; it denotes delicacy. The breast should be 

 wide and deep, projecting forward before the fore-legs ; this indicates a good constitution, 

 and disposition to feed. The shoulders should not be too wide between the plate-bones, 

 but on a level with the chine; if the shoulderblades are wide on the top, the animal gene- 

 rally drops behind the shoulders. The chine should be low and straight from the should- 

 ers to the tail ; the ribs should project horizontally from the chine, for the animal will 

 then lay its meat on the prime parts; the sides high and parallel; the rump long and 

 broad ; the tail set on high, and nearly on a level with the chine; the hips wide; the ribs 

 circultfr, and barrel-shaped; the legs neither very long nor very short; the bones mode- 

 rately fine." 



