SHEEP. 



and far from possessing a good shape, 

 being long and thin in the necli, high 

 on the shoulders, low behind, low on 

 the loins and on the rumps, the tail 

 set very low, perpendicular from the 

 hip-hones, sharp on the back, the ribs 

 Hat. but good m the leg, although 

 having big bones.' 



" It is pleasing to compare this with 

 the account given by the same breed- 

 er of the South Downs {Fig. 1) of the 

 present day, the change being effect- 

 ed by him and a few spirited individ- 

 uals : ' The head small and hornless ; 



the face speckled or gray, and nei- 

 ther too long nor too short ; tiie lips 

 thin, and the spaces between the 

 nose and the eyes narrow ; the un- 

 der jaw fine and thin ; the ears tol- 

 erably wide, and well covered with 

 wool ; the forehead also, and the 

 whole space between the ears, well 

 protected by it, as a defence against 

 the fly. 



" ' The eyes full and bright, but 

 not prominent ; the portion of the 

 frontal bone arching the eye not too 

 prominent, that it may not form a fa- 

 tal obstacle in lambing. 



" ' The neck of a medium length, 

 thin towards the head, but enlargmg 

 towards the shoulders, where it 

 should be broad and high, and straight 

 in its whole course above and below; 

 the chest wide, deep, and projecting 

 between the fore legs, indicating a 

 good constitution and a disposition 

 to thrive ; the shoulders on a level 

 with the back, and not too wide above, 

 but bowing outward from tlie top to 

 the breast, leaving room for the 

 springing rib beliind. 



" ' The ribs coming out horizontal- 

 ly from the spine, extending far back- 



69<1: 



ward, and the last nb projecting more 

 than the others. The back flat from 

 the shoulders to the setting on of the 

 tail ; the loin broad and flat ; the 

 rump long and broad, and the tail set 

 on high, and nearly on a level with 

 the spine ; the hips wide ; the space 

 between them and the last rib on ei- 

 ther side as narrow as possible, and 

 the ribs presenting a circular form, 

 like a barrel 



" ' The belly as straight as the back. 



" ' The legs neither too long nor 

 too short ; the fore legs straight from 

 the breast to the foot, not bending in- 

 ward at the knee, and standing far 

 apart both before and behind ; the 

 hocks having a direction outward, 

 and the meeting of the thighs being 

 particularly full ; the bones fine, but 

 having no appearance of weakness ; 

 andthe legs of aspeckled.dark colour. 



" ' I'he belly well defended with 

 wool, and the wool coming down, be- 

 fore and behind, to the knee and to 

 the hock ; the wool short, close, curl- 

 ed, and free from spiry, projecting 

 hairs. 



" 'The South Down is adapted to 

 almost any situation in the northern 

 and middle parts of the United States. 

 It has a patience of occasional short 

 keep and an endurance of hard stock- 

 ing equal to any other sheep ; an ear- 

 ly maturity scarcely inferior to the 

 Leicesters, and the flesh finely grain- 

 ed and of good flavour.' 



" According to Mr. Ellman, the ar- 

 tificial food resorted to at the begin- 

 ning of spring, and soon after lamb- 

 ing, is green rye ; but it must be very 

 cautiously given, on account of its 

 occasionally producing diarrhoea or 

 dysentery. This bad effect, howev- 

 er, may be prevented by removing 

 the ewes, once in the day, to old pas- 

 ture ground. 



" The rye being fed off or running 

 to seed, the ground is ploughed in 

 May for turnips or rape. Rye grass 

 succeeds to the rye until the latter 

 end of June, when clover, lucern, or 

 sainfoin will come in. One crop 

 should follow another in proportion 

 as it is wanted. 



*• Tares, clover, or rape next take 



