THE GENESEE FARMER. 



53 



f)aration by the card. Their size varies with the 

 ocality, and the taste and opinions of the brcedere; 

 but they are of greater weight and bear heavier 

 fleeces than the older sheep of the Sussex Downs. 

 They are adapted to a lower range of pastures than 

 the Black-faced sheep and Cheviot breeds, and are 

 better fitted for a dry and temperate dinaate than for 

 a cold and moist one. 



For mutton, and wool for home consumption, we 

 regard the South Downs as about the best breed of 

 sheep a farmer can keep; and this is becoming the 

 opinion of all, or nearly all, who have tried them in 

 the Middle and Southern States. They yield weighty 

 fleeces of fair wool, adapted to the manufacture of 

 every-day cloth for laboring men, and the article so 

 largely consumed in the planting States, in the form 

 of blankets for both sexes of their negroes. We 

 know several small flocks of South Downs at the 



losses that accrue to the owners of sheep from the 

 attacks of dogs, in all cases where the keeper of the 

 offending dog or dogs is not laiown, or is unable to 

 respond in damagea In this way, dogs, as a whole, 

 are made to guarantee the good behavior of all their 

 race. If they kill no sheep, no tiLx is assessed upon 

 them; but if they do destroy this kind of property, 

 let the loss fall not on the owner of the sheep alone, 

 but on all the ownei-s of dogs in the county or Stata 

 So far as our observations have extended, South 

 Downs are distinguished for their quiet habits, docility, 

 and disposition to keep in good condition on a mod- 

 erate allowance of food. Perhaps these commend- 

 able qualities constitute their strongest claims to 

 popular favor. Be that as it may, were we about to 

 breed sheep to sell (as we should do, were it not for 

 the vast number of dogs that infest the Distinct of 

 Columbia), the South Downs would be our choice 



SOUTH DOWN sm:EP. 



South; and while their flesh is all that can be desired 

 in the way of lamb and mutton, and the ewes are the 

 best of nurses, the return in wool is most satisfactory. 

 Where one desires to keep large flocks of sheep for 

 their wool, as a staple to be sent to market, the 

 Merino is perhaps better than any other variety, for 

 general breeding and use. Some, however, find the 

 Saxons more profitable, if we are to credit their 

 statements in the matter. 



Sheep husbandly and wool growing are sadly neg- 

 lected in this country, and mainly because the people 

 think more of the luxury of keeping worthless dogs, 

 than of the benefits and advantages of sheep. Thou- 

 sands would embark in the breeding of these valua^ 

 ble ammals at the South and West, where sheep 

 walks abound, if legislatures would only enact laws 

 that should eSectually indemnify their owners from 

 all losses by the depredations of vicious dogs. A 

 tax ought to be imposed on the canine species in 

 eveiy State and Territory, just sufiicient to cover all 



over all others, for Maryland and Virginia marketa 

 They are not so large as the Leicester or New Of- 

 fordshire sheep, some of which, kept in Virginia, have 

 weighed 400 pounds; but they are large enough for 

 aU useful purposea No better mutton can be found 

 in the world than that brought to Washington and 

 Baltimore markets, fi'om the mountain ranges which 

 di\nde the waters that fall into the Ohio river from 

 such as flow into the Atlantic. The wild herbage 

 of that elevated region imparts to the flesh of sheep 

 a flavor not unlike that of the best venison; while 

 the lil-ieral amount of travel and rambling about of 

 small flocks, develops a great deal of fiiuscle as com- 

 pared with the quantity of fat. Sheep overladen 

 with tallow, may do for fat-eating Englishmen and 

 would-be Aldermen, but they are not adapted to 

 plain, unsophisticated tastes. To produce first rate 

 mutton, sheep need a reasonable amount of exercise 

 in the open air, and a considerable variety of food. 

 Beside grass and legumes, they cat the leaves of 



