118 BRITISH BREEDS. 



possessed less propensity to fatten than those which carried 

 one of a more moderate weight. 



" Acting upon these observations, he selected from the dif- 

 ferent flocks in his neighborhood, without regard to size, the 

 sheep which appeared to him to have the greatest propensity 

 to fatten, and whose shape possessed the peculiarities which 

 he considered would produce the largest proportion of valu- 

 able meat, and the smallest quantity of bone and oifal. 



" In doing this, it is probable that he was led to prefer the 

 smaller sheep, still more than he had been by the considera- 

 tion above stated, because it is found that perfection of shape 

 more frequently accompanies a moderate-sized animal than 

 a very large one. 



" He was also of the opinion that the first object to be 

 attended to in breeding sheep was the value of the carcase, 

 and that the fleece ought always to be a secondary consider- 

 ation. The reason of this is obvious : the addition of two 

 or three pounds of wool to the weight of a sheep's fleece is 

 a diflbrence of great amount ; but if to procure this increase 

 a sacrifice is made of the propensity to fatten, the farmer 

 may lose by it ten or twelve pounds of mutton. 



" The sort of sheep, therefore, which Mr. Bake well select- 

 ed were those possessed of the most perfect symmetry, with 

 the greatest aptitude to fatten, and rather smaller in size than 

 the sheep then generally bred. Having formed his stock 

 from sheep so selected, he carefully attended to the peculi- 

 arities of the individuals from which he bred, and, it appears, 

 did not object to breeding from near relations, when by so 

 doing he put together animals likely to produce a progeny 

 possessing the characteristics that he wished to obtain. 



" Mr. Bakewell has been supposed by some persons to 

 have formed the New Leicester variety by crossing diflerent 

 sorts of sheep ; but there does not appear to be any reason 

 for believing this ; and the circumstance of their varying in 

 their appearance and qualities so much as they do from the 

 other varieties of the long-wooled sheep, can by no means 

 be considered as proving that such was the system which he 

 adopted. Every one who has attended to the breeding of 

 domestic animals must have experienced that, hy careful se- 

 lection of those from which he breeds, and with a clear and 

 defined conception of the object he intends to effect, he may 

 procure a progeny in which that object will be accomplished. 



