489 



Wool. The Southdown of to-day has a small neat head, woolled 

 up to the ears and on the forehead naked ears being most objec- 

 tionable. Grey-brown is the uniform colour of the short hair on 

 the face and legs, though it was once speckled. The fleece is short, 

 close, thick and of fine quality, weighing 3 or 4 Ib. per ewe and 

 realizing the highest price per Ib. of any native British breed. Any 

 darkness or dullness of the wool when parted is an objection. 



Mutton. No breed surpasses the Southdown for rapidity of 

 feeding and early maturity. Lambs dropped early in January are 

 frequently sold fat in April at 455. to 50.$-. each. The mutton is 

 of excellent quality, but it can easily be fed too fat. Before early 

 maturity became the rage, wethers rising two years old could be 

 got to dress to 138 Ib. per carcase or 34 x / 2 Ib. per quarter, and 

 to yield 65.8 per cent, of their live weight. 



THE SHROPSHIRE SHEEP. General Utility and Value for Crossing. 

 -The Shropshire is a medium-sized sheep, and on its merits the 

 most cosmopolitan of all the Down breeds. It possesses at any age 

 a thick uniform cover of flesh on the back and ribs when handled 

 for the butcher. It is noted for its hardiness of constitution and 

 tendency to early maturity ; and its wonderful adaptability to many 

 different soils and climates. It can be crossed with unique success 

 with sheep of almost any pure breed, and with the common mong- 

 rels which constitute a large proportion of the sheep flocks of the 

 world. It has a fairly heavy fleece of good bright wool; and a 

 superior quality of mutton, indicated by darkness of the hair of the 

 lace and legs. 



Over 2 ooo registered Shropshires were exported in the great 

 export year, 1906, and they went to the following countries: 

 Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Japan, Canada, United States 

 of America, Argentine, Uruguay, Chili, Brazil, Jamaica, Demerara, 

 Natal, South Africa, Algiers, Germany, France, Russia, Spain, 

 Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. 



THE DORSET DOWN SHEEP. The Dorset Down, West Country, 

 or Improved Hampshire Down breed was brought to public notice 

 outside its home district in 1904 by the formation of a Dorset 

 Down sheep society and the issue of Volume I of its Flock Book. 

 This was about eighty years after the present type of the breed 

 had been established. 



THE HAMPSHIRE DOWN SHEEP. Origin of the Breed. The 

 Hampshire Down sheep, according to the Flock Book (1890) of the 

 Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders' Association, " undoubtedly dates 



