SHEEP RAISING 



159 



are hornless and have curly lustrous wool 7 inches to 8 inches long. Their 

 bodies are small, well shaped, thick and deep, soon grown and easy to 

 fatten for market. 



LINCOLNS From these the Lincolns are distinguished by greater size 

 and weight, with wool even longer. Sometimes strands 

 measure all of 21 inches. Lincolns are much used in this country, in the 

 northwest especially, for crossing. They are just about the longest legged, 

 longest carcassed and longest wooled sheep known. These exaggerated 

 characteristics make them so useful in crossing. 



Leicester, Cotswold, Lincoln The chief Long Wool Breeds 



COTSWOLDS Cotswolds have good fleece, but not so long and not so 

 heavy as the Lincoln pelt. The flowing forelock is a 

 prominent mark of the breed. Cotswolds have wonderful hardihood. 



MEDIUM-WOOLED The various Downs are the medium-wooled breeds, 

 BREEDS also Shropshire, Dorset horned, etc. 



\s 



Medium Wool Oxford 



Fine Wool Merino 



Medium Wool Southdown 



SHROPSHIRE- Medium-wooled breeds are for the most part hornless 



DORSET-DOWN and dark faced, though the Dorset Horned sheep are 



of the medium-wool class. Southdown and Shropshire 



are good examples of medium-wool breeds. The Southdown was developed 

 by selection until a fine short-wooled type was developed, with close- 

 grained tender flesh, making the type good for mutton. The only thing 

 against them is that they are small. Shropshires are larger and heavier; 

 but in fleece are medium fine and fairly long. Shropshires are bald like 

 the Suffolk, but are wool capped and have fetlocks. Size and fleece 

 they get from the Lincolns and Cotswold cross in their blood with South- 

 downs. They are our chief mutton breed. 



