tHfe 



aghicultural museum; 



bMNIS FERET OMNIA TELLUS. Viae. 



Vol. I.] Gcorge.toiv7i, Ca. Aug. 29^ 1810. [No. 5. 



Extracts from Lord SomervUh^s Essay on Sheepf 



Continued from page 64. 



No desire of change, or love of innovation, led 

 mc to abandon the long vvoolled sheep of my own neigh- 

 bjiii-hoad, the 3amptoabreeddashed\vilhthe new Leices- 

 ter ; an undoubted improvement was visible fio n the intro- 

 duction ofthe new Leicester; but there was a prejudice 

 so strong among our butchers against the latter breed, 

 that we were compelled to look to Bristol market for 

 purchaser?, al the distance of A.^ty miles from ti^mr. This 

 stock continued to decrease in size considerab!}', in spite 

 of all attemptSj consistent with profit, to maintain it, 

 notwithstanding fresh rams were three times brought 

 from Leicestershire in the twelve years these sheep were 

 in my possession; the loss of size in each four years, 

 amounted nearly to five pounds per quarter^ It will 

 natur.illy be asked what sort of poor hungry soil this 

 must have been, which could not maintain such sheep? 

 It was the vale of Taunton, proverbially known toi 

 be one of tlie most fertile spots in this kingdom, and 

 much of the grass land, in which these slieep were de- 

 pastured, was eq-ial in strength to any in the vale. 



A man must be blind who could withstand .such evi- 

 dence as this. Nature pointed out that the stock wa? 

 too coarse in quality, or our climate unfit, it matters not 

 which : the fact was plainly marked, and it was merely^ 

 an act of common prudence to follow her dictates. 



These sheep were sold ; and the same land, whidl 

 carried forty. five breeding ewes was immediately^ 



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