MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 45 



original flock was f of the Sussex breed.' He commenced by draft- 

 ing all the small and delicate ewes, and crossing the larger and 

 stronger ones with Hampshire Down rams. Mr. Rawlence fre- 

 quently used Mr. Humphrey's rams, and thus obtained a fresh 

 mixture of the Hampshire Down and Babraham Southdown blood, 

 which was introduced with great skill and caution. The flock was 

 further refreshed by purchases of Hampshire Down ewes, to which 

 he put his own rams and used their produce. Mr. Humphrey's 

 rams were used on some of the best of his ewes, and they again 

 furnished sires for his flock. This process of infusing new blood 

 gradually, and of rigorous selection, at length resulted in a flock 

 of the highest possible merit, and Mr. Eawlence, in consequence, 

 is regarded by many as the father of the breed. No one has done 

 more to fuse the various elements into one compact and typical 

 breed of sheep, and the Bulbridge flock became at length the 

 foundation of many others. Mr. Spooner, in 1859, speaks of Mr. 

 Humphrey's flocks as distinct from any others, and applies to them 

 the expression of sui generis, from which we infer that one more 

 step was necessary before the Hampshire Down could be regarded 

 as a uniform and homogeneous race. In the accomplishment of 

 this object Mr. Rawlence took the leading part, and we may look 

 upon the Bullbridge flock as fairly representing the Hampshire 

 Down as we see him at the present time. Among other breeders 

 of the district which may be considered as the particular native 

 home of the Hampshire Down, I would especially mention the 

 late Mr. James Read, of Homington; Mr. Alfred Morrison, of 

 Fonthill, who early brought his ample means and skill to bear 

 upon the improvement of these sheep ; Mr. Dibbin, of Bishopstone ; 

 the late 'Mr. Newton, of Dogdean; Mr. Parsons, of Micheldever; 

 and Mr. R. Coles, of Middleton Farm, Warminster. Other early 

 breeders have already been mentioned, amd others are, no doubt, 

 equally worthy of notice. 



"The improved Hampshire Down sheep is the heaviest of all 

 the Down breeds, and is only - excelled in weight by the Lincoln, 

 and occasionally by the Cotswold, among the long-wooled races. 

 Its extreme earliness of maturity is well known; and although it 

 has recently been contested that the Cotswold may be brought up 

 to as great a weight, or even greater, by careful feeding from birth, 

 the entire habit of the Hampshire sheep is more in favor of early 

 maturity than any other largely distributed breed. The fact that 

 Hampshire ram lambs are habitually sold for service at seven and 

 eight months old illustrates this fact. The rapid growth of the 

 lambs is most striking to witness, and one pound increase per day 

 is a record which could be surpassed any year in particular cases. 

 The late Mr. Coleman, of the Field, pointed out that the Cotswold 

 did not appear at advantage as a lamb, but with the Hampshire 

 it is just the reverse, as he appears at the greatest perfection in 



