26 MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



child of the Morfe Common, the Cannoek Chase, Cannock Heath, 

 or the Longmynd sheep, there are others who consider that its 

 foundation was laid from a sheep very similar in type to the 

 Cannock Chase breed and known as the "Whittington Heath 

 Sheep," which was considered to be one of the hardiest sheep exist- 

 ing in that day. Notwithstanding the evidence bearing on the 

 Shropshire as the result of cross breeding pure Cannock Chase 

 Shropshires and flocks of pure Whittington Heath Shropshires 

 exist to this day and Mr. J. K. Adderly, of Mansley Farm, situ-? 

 ated close to Cannock, holds an annual sale of these sheep. In 

 September of 1902 he sold thirty-eight shearling rams and 100 

 shearling ewes which were described in his catalogue as follows: 

 "The rams are of great scale, with lengthy frames, strong necks, 

 and big legs of mutton, and throughout are typical wether getters. 

 The ewes are of the same good size, and contain several pens of 

 exceptional merit. All the sheep have been reared on the poor 

 but healthy land of Cannock Chase, and will be found to main- 

 tain the reputation of the farm for producing sheep which are 

 very hardy and thrive on any land." 



In his essay on Staffordshire (1877) Evershed remarked that 

 the dry surface and the good climate favored a heavier heath sheep 

 than elsewhere. He stated, further, that the original Cannock 

 Chase sheep had a light fleece of about three pounds and a carcass 

 which at three years old weighed up to nine stone. * 



Mr. Charles Howard, of Biddenham, Bedfordshire, in an ad- 

 dress before the London or Central Farmers' Club in 1860, gave 

 his opinion in regard to the evolution of the Shropshire, as fol- 

 lows: "This breed has been established by a prudent selection 

 of breeding animals, and I learn from a gentleman who kindly 

 favored me with information upon the point that the late Mr. 

 Meire was the first to improve upon the original type. This he 

 did, in the first place, by the use of the Leicester. As their faces 

 became white he would then have recourse to a Southdown or 

 other dark-faced sheep. It was, however, left to the son to carry 

 out and bring to a successful issue what the father had. commenced, 

 and Mr. Samuel Meire may be looked upon as the founder of the 

 improved Shropshire Downs. We gather from his address to the 

 Wenlock Farmers' Club that he accomplished this, not by resort- 

 ing to any of the established breeds, but by using the best animals 

 from his own large flock. Lately a very great change has come 

 over the breeders of Shropshire; they have availed themselves 

 of larger sheep of heavier fleece and earlier maturity, so that 

 the only affinity they bear to the original Shropshire is dark faces 

 and legs. They now pride themselves in exhibiting some well- 

 fatted shearlings (yearlings past) weighing, upon times, 22 to 

 24 Ibs. per quarter, but this is not general." 



Mr. Spooner informs us that the Shropshire was first brought 



