152 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



There are still many breeds to be found in the different 

 counties of England, such as Cheviot, Norfolk, Wiltshire, 

 Dorset, etc., but almost all of them show a crossing with 

 one of the Downs. 



The long-wooled breeds include the Lincolns, Romney- 

 Marsh, Teeswater, Cotswolds and Leicester. The Lincoln 

 sheep was originally a large, coarse sheep, which found good 

 grazing on the rich pastures of Lincolnshire, clipping a 

 fleece of ten or twelve pounds of wool, long and oily. The 

 breed, as known now, has been crossed with the Leicester, 

 which has made it a smaller sheep, with a lighter fleece, 

 better bodied and with a wonderful capacity for feeding ; 

 mutton of this breed sometimes weighing two hundred and 

 fifty pounds to the carcass. 



The Romney-Marsh breed (southern coast of Kent) was 

 a similar breed to the Lincolns, but smaller, and has been 

 very extensively crossed with the Leicester. 



The Teeswater breed has been lost by crossing with the 

 Leicesters. 



The Cotswold is a very old and valuable breed of sheep, 

 and has been a recognized one for about two hundred years. 

 It was first imported into the United States in 1832 ; this is 

 one of the large breeds, has a long, wavy fleece (clipping 

 about eight pounds) ; ewes very prolific and good nurses. 

 It has also been crossed with the Leicester, which hastens 

 its early maturing powers. 



The old-fashioned Leicester sheep were large, heavy and 

 coarse, slow feeders, and not fit for mutton till over two 

 years old. Thanks to Mr. Bakewell of Distley, Leicester- 

 shire, who, by his untiring energy and patience, has made 

 the neiv Leicester one of the mutton breeds of the world, 

 and for a rich pasture and heavy feeding, one of the most 

 profitable ; its offal is less to the dead weight than almost 

 any other breed of large sheep that dress one hundred and 

 forty pounds or more to the carcass. 



The great drawback to any of the long-wooled breeds for 

 general purposes is their inability to stand the exposure of 

 our cold, wet storms. Their loose, long wool does not shed 

 the water, their skin becomes wet and the animal eets a 

 chill, where the middle or short- wooled breeds would stand 

 a similar exposure with little or no discomfort. 



