THE SOUTHDOWN 



385 



The principal criticism of the Southdown on the part of the 

 American farmer is the lack of wool production as well as insuf- 

 ficient size, though the size is not a serious objection. Wallace, 

 a leading Scotch authority of to-day, says, " They are not good 

 rent payers, except in their native district, being too small and 

 also liable to foot rot." Notwithstanding the intrinsic merit and 

 value of this breed, until it presents more scale and fleece it 

 will not succeed in meeting equal favor in America with the 

 Shropshire, Oxford, or Hampshire. 



The distribution of the Southdown is world-wide. It has been 

 exported from England into almost every country of Europe, 



FIG. 173. A pen of three Southdown wether lambs, winners of first prize at the 

 Smithfield Show, London, 1 903. At i o months of age these lambs averaged 

 154! pounds each. Bred and exhibited by C. Adeane, Babraham, Cam- 

 bridge, England. Photograph from F. N. Webb, Agent, Cambridge 



Africa, Australia, and America where civilization and sheep 

 husbandry at all prevail. Even as late as 1903 exports were 

 made to the United States, France, Russia, Australia, Argentine 

 Republic, Chile, and Japan. Perhaps no breed of sheep during 

 its career has had an equally wide distribution. In the United 

 States Southdowns are recorded as bred in nearly fifty states, 

 important flocks being kept in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, 

 Illinois, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Kentucky. The breed is also 

 well represented in Canada, notably in Ontario. 



Organizations to promote Southdown sheep exist in England 

 and America. The Southdown Sheep Society, with headquarters 

 in London, England, published its first flock book in 1893, and 



