CHAPTER LV 

 THE CHEVIOT 



The native home of the Cheviot breed of sheep is in the border 

 country between England and Scotland, especially in the counties 

 of Roxburgh (Scotland) and Northumberland (England). The 

 country is hilly or mountainous, rising to an elevation of nearly 

 3000 feet in the section known as the Cheviot Hills. The hill- 

 sides are free of timber, excepting in the case of small artificial 

 plantings, but are covered with short, nutritious grass. The 

 climate is moist and rough, snow falling frequently in winter, 

 although not usually attaining much depth. 



The origin of the Cheviot is obscure, like most other breeds. 

 Cheviots have been bred in the border country from very early 

 times. In 1791 David Irving published a letter in the Annals of 

 Agriculture relating to experiments by him on Cheviots, com- 

 mencing in 1777. The Cheviot has been crossed more or less 

 with Black Faced Highland, Leicester, and Merino, but the 

 character of the breed has undergone great changes through 

 careful selection, for the influence of the breeds mentioned has 

 not been notable. In 1796 Naismyth wrote that the Cheviot 

 was well polled, was smooth and white of face and leg, or some- 

 what mixed with black or brown. There was a tendency to too 

 much leg, the shoulders were thin in some individuals, and the 

 fleece was generally close and even, the wool soft and fine, from 

 two to three and one-half inches long. He further says : " The 

 same kind of sheep have fed in this district (Cheviot Hills) from 

 time immemorial ; nor does anybody allege that they were even 

 natives of any other region." The British Wool Society over a 

 century ago did much to popularize the breed, and at one time 

 it became generally distributed over Scotland. The improve- 

 ment of the Cheviot was gradually brought about by the breeders 

 in general, although after the middle of the eighteenth century 



415 



