116 



THE SHROPSHIRE 



downs, mature rams weighing from 200 to 250 pounds; ewes from 

 150 to 180 pounds. 1 



Style. In style and show-yard finish the Shropshire is impres- 

 sive and it leads the mutton breeds in drawing attention and admira- 

 tion at American livestock exhibitions. With its head set proudly 

 upon a gracefully turned neck, and with its smoothly turned sym- 

 metrical body, and its picturesque extension of downy, white wool 

 over the face and legs, it possesses an air of grandeur rather than 

 of smartness and nattiness which is characteristic of the Southdown 

 (Fig. 72). 



FIG. 72. Eleven typical Shropshire ewes sired by "Senator Bibby," a famous stud 

 ram in the flock of Geo. McKerrow & Sons, Pewaukee, Wisconsin. 



Wool. In twelve months Shropshire wool attains a length of 

 from two and one-half to three inches and fleeces average between 

 8 and 10 pounds in weight. The wool is fairly fine and sufficiently 

 dense to protect the animal well from unfavorable weather. No 

 other mutton breed equals the Shropshire in extension of wool over 

 the face and legs. With the most typical specimens all of the face 

 except the nose or muzzle is covered with white wool and the legs 

 are covered to the pasterns. Also the ears are often covered with 



1 Weight standards are hard to fix and at best only an estimate can 

 be made. For the Shropshire and all other breeds discussed in this volume 

 the weights given apply to sheep that are in fairly high condition, but not 

 exceedingly fat. 



