98 MODERN SHEEP : BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



by year, and I should think will continue to do so as the breed 

 becomes better known. The chief countries to which it is exported 

 are Argentina (largely), Punta Arenas, Uruguay, New Zealand, 

 Australia, Falkland Islands, Patagonia and Chili. These sheep 

 are bred and reared chiefly on the open marsh land (which lies 

 close to the sea) and are very hardy and in consequence can stand 

 climatic changes, I should say, better than any other breed. They 

 are never housed nor sheltered in any way and are kept on grass 

 in the marsh all the year, except the lambs, which are brought 

 on to the uplands in the autumn and wintered either on grass or 

 roots with hay and return to the Marsh in the early spring. It is 

 the best breed for grazing a large expanse of land, as they will 

 distribute themselves all over the ground and therefore graze it 

 more evenly, and do not foul it as much as other breeds which 

 usually herd together. They are also very suitable for wet, low- 

 lying lands, as they are not subject to footrot. The chief points 

 of the Eomney are: Head wide, level between the ears (which 

 should be thick) ; no horns nor dark hair on the poll, which should 

 be covered with wool; nose black; neck short, strong and thick, 

 well set on the shoulders, which should be wide; chest wide and 

 well let down ; back straight with wide good loin ; rump wide, long 

 and well turned; thighs well let down and developed. The fleece 

 should be of even texture, good staple and thick on the pelt. It is 

 a good mutton sheep, growing to good weight, carrying plenty of 

 lean flesh and comes to maturity fairly early. It is crossed 

 chiefly with the Hampshire and Southdown, which crosses answer 

 very well, especially for fat lambs, as the ewes make good mothers 

 and the lambs attain a good weight. I herewith enclose photo 

 of my ram 'Syndale No. 75 of 1904/ which has won the cham- 

 pion honors this season in the show yards. Have already sold 

 several of his lambs for export. The lambing season is the end 

 of March or beginning of April." 



Mr. Price, nearly a century ago, described this breed as fol- 

 lows: "The pure Romney Marsh bred sheep are distinguished by 

 thickness and length of head, a broad forehead, with a tuft of wool 

 upon it, a long and thick neck and carcass ; they are flat-sided, have 

 a sharp chine, are tolerably wide on the loin, have the breast nar- 

 row and not deep, and the forequarter not heavy or full; the 

 thigh full and broad, the belly large and flabby, the tail thick, long 

 and coarse; the legs thick with large feet, the muscle coarse and 

 the bone large; the wool long and not fine, and coarsest on the 

 thighs; they have much internal fat, and are great favorites with 

 the butcher. They have much hardihood, they bear their cold and 

 exposed situation well, and they require no artificial food during 

 the hardest winter except a little hay. The wethers seldom reach 

 the market until they are three years old; then they weigh from 

 10 to 15 st. and the ewes from 9 to 11 st." 



