THE DORSET HORN 



595 



being used for all-white or pale-colored woolen goods. This expert 

 regards it as a little finer than Shropshire and a little coarser than 

 Southdown wool. It is especially adapted for high-class winter 

 hosiery and "is exclusively used for this purpose- in England." 



Horns a protection to the Dorset Horn. Early advocates of the 

 breed argued that by means of its horns the Dorset would pro- 

 tect itself better from dogs than would hornless sheep, but this 

 claim has been very generally discarded in recent years as not 

 being worthy of special distinction. 



The distribution of the Dorset Horn is not so widespread as 

 most other British breeds. In England it is found most abun- 

 dantly in Dorset and Somerset counties, especially on the island 





FIG. 279. A view in Dorsetshire, showing part of the Flower flock of Dorsets 



soon after shearing. From photograph by H. B. Arbuckle, by courtesy of the 



National Stockman and Farmer 



of Wight, and about Purbeck and Portland, where superior flocks 

 exist. In 1903, at the annual meeting of the Dorset Horn Asso- 

 ciation, 46,878 head were reported in Dorset, 9458 in Somerset, 

 and 6728 on the Isle of Wight, these all being registered sheep. 

 In 1913 the Dorset Down Association in England had ninety- 

 two members, possessing flocks which aggregated 43,194 sheep. 

 At the annual sale of Dorsets at Dorchester as many as 15,000 

 head are sold. The breed has not been taken up with much 

 activity abroad. In the United States high-class flocks are found 

 in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, Pennsylvania, 

 West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, but the breed is 

 found in many other states and also in Canada. Dorsets have 

 also been exported to Australasia and other British provinces. 

 Of nearly 20,000 pure-bred sheep in Canada in 1908 but 350 

 were Dorset Horns. The breed seems well adapted to the level 



