MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 123 



important part. There is nothing new that I can give you in re- 

 gard to the method of feeding this show flock, as Mr. Williams 

 spares no expense in getting it up. 



"As I said before, Mr. Williams' 400 acres of mountain or 

 heather land is unenclosed, yet the sheep keep within their own 

 boundary. This has always been a mystery (and is -yet an un- 

 solved one) to sages. of old, how the different flocks grazing on 

 the same mountain keep within their own bounds. Some of them, 

 of course, do stray, 'and the man a sort of shepherd in charge 

 of the whole mountain appointed by the Lord of the Manor has 

 an annual muster of stragglers, where men, providing they de- 

 clare their ear-mark, go into the corral and pick out their own 

 stray sheep. This is a very old Welsh custom, but I am not well 



Welsh Mountain Sheep. Property of Mr. W. E. Williams, North Wales. 



enough versed in Welsh folk lore to describe it minutely to you. 

 In Montgomeryshire most of the sheep wolds are fenced with, wire 

 fencing. 



"I spent a very pleasant day last week with Mr. John Jones, 

 Dinarth, Llanduduo. Mr. John Jones is a large butcher in Llan- 

 duduo. He told me that he kills 600 lambs every month in sum- 

 mer for his trade. He a few years ago had a splendid show flock 

 of Welsh sheep; but had a dispersion sale. He breeds South- 

 downs now and also the old Horned Wiltshire sheep, which I had 

 never before seen. The Wiltshire Horned sheep are largely used 

 in Wales now, chiefly in Carnarvonshire to -cross on Welsh ewes for 

 fat lambs. Mr. Jones does not breed many himself, but he buys 

 annually in England about 700 of them, yearlings, etc., and sells 

 them to the Welsh farmers. This was something new to me. This 

 cross makes excellent fat lambs from 60 to 80 lb. off grass about 

 July. Mr. Jones buys all the. lambs back again for his trade. He 

 sells and distributes a large number of Southdown rams, too, 



