CROSS BREEDING. 195 



proved Southdown gradually took the place of 

 the old breed, which soon disappeared. The 



, imported Southdown ewes were after a time 

 crossed with improved Hampshire rams that 

 already had a large proportion of Southdown 

 blood, for the purpose of giving an increase in 

 size/ 7 * and crossing of a more or less radical 

 nature has been used in developing very nearly 

 all the breeds of English sheep. The Cheviots, 

 for instance, have been used on a number of 

 mountain varieties, and it is said that the Che- 

 viots have themselves been repeatedly crossed 

 with other breeds for their own advantage. 

 Among those thus used the Leicesters and the 

 Cotswolds may be mentioned. 



The distinct character of the breeds of sheep 

 naturally invited crossing. The great differ- 

 ences in quantity and quality of wool and in 

 capacity to fatten and in the quality of the 

 meat among the better breeds, suggested that 

 a wise intermingling of the blood of several 

 varieties might lead to a combination that 

 would be profitable to the general farmer. 

 The high excellence of some of the breeds of 



. middle-wool sheep doubtless was partly a re- 

 sultant of this circumstance. Even more 

 natural was it that some of the hardy but 

 diminutive and otherwise inferior mountain 

 varieties should be improved so far as they 



* Miles on "Stock-Breeding," cited from "Journal of the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society." 



