194 How THE FAKM PAYS. 



great cause of the failure of long-wool sheep in this country, is that 

 they are often left to take care of themselves, and the rains or snows 

 beat into their wool, and by chilling them produce lung disorders. 

 Although in Europe there is less rain-fall than here, yet the climate is 

 moister and cooler, and there are not so many sudden changes, which 

 are exceedingly hurtful to sheep, especially those with open fleece. 

 The South Down gives what is called a middle wool, which is in great 

 demand in our markets and for the country woolen mills. The fleece 

 is so thick that the rains cannot penetrate it, and when the sheep give 

 themselves a shake, as they generally do, they throw the water off. 

 They are very hardy, and thrifty feeders, and when put upon green 

 feed or pasture they seem to fatten quicker than any other breed of 

 sheep I know of. The lambs mature early and will bring from one 

 to two cents per Ib. more in our markets than any other breed. The 

 ewes are very prolific and will bring generally two lambs every spring. 

 The average of wool from my flock this spring, which is direct from 

 Lord "Walsingham's (England), was ten pounds per fleece, which is 

 largely over the general average. The flock increased over double, 

 losing only one lamb. I have sent South Down rams as far as Texas 

 and Montana; and from those sent the report is that they have made a 

 better cross than any other pure breeds they have had a trial with. If 

 the ewes are bred early in the fall, so as to come in in midwinter, carefully 

 fed and housed, the lambs will dress as much as thirty pounds when ten 

 weeks old and will bring in our large cities early in the spring from 

 twenty-five to thirty cents per pound. At this early season only a 

 limited number could be sold, and the cost of rearing them is of 

 course larger than at a later season. 



There is a class of remarkably useful sheep which have all more or 

 less South Down blood in them, and which have the black or dark faces 

 and medium clothing wool of the South Down. These are generally 

 known as the "Down" breeds. They are larger in the carcass and 

 have more wool than the South Down, but the flesh is not so delicately 

 flavored. As these sheep have been introduced into America and 

 have met with general popular favor, and moreover as they well 

 deserve it, some notice should be taken of them in this work. 



SHROPSHIRE DOWN. 



This sheep is not much larger than the South Down and closely 

 resembles it in character. It differs in its more open fleece of some- 

 what longer and coarser wool from the South Down, and is perhaps 

 rather more hardy and more adapted for roughing it in our less parti- 



