196 How THE FARM PAYS. 



ing on the natives for producing large early market lambs. For this 

 purpose perhaps there is no better sheep than this. Year-old lambs 

 have been known to dress 100 Ibs. The wool is fine and longer than 

 that of the South Down; the fleece averages about eight pounds. 

 The wool is very close and compact, and sheds rain very well; conse- 

 quently the sheep of this breed are hardy, and do not suffer from our 

 heavy rains and snows as the long wool sheep do. 



OXFORD DOWN. 



The Oxford Down is a still larger sheep and has a still coarser and 

 longer fleece than the South Down, which is a grandparent of this 

 breed. The Oxford Down is a cross of the Hampshire Down upon 

 the Cotswold, and while it has the dark face of the Downs, it has the 

 long wool and more open fleece of the Cotswold. It is a very good 



OXFORD DOWN RAM. 



mutton sheep and does well in this country. It matures early and 

 twenty-two-months-old wethers have weighed 300 Ibs. each when fat. 

 The rams have been known to shear twenty pounds of wool. 



THE AMERICAN MERINO. 



The Merino is a short or fine wooled sheep which produces large 

 quantities of unwashed wool, and I have seen as high as thirty-four 

 pounds taken from one ram, but when washed there was so much 

 yolk in it that it was reduced down to eight pounds. This breed is 



