OXFORD DOWN SHEEP 167 



speaking, the barley was better, and promised a good yield 

 for the season. Here we saw some of the general purpose 

 Shorthorns for which our host was famous, as well as his 

 equally notable Oxford Downs, descendants of one of the 

 earliest flocks that were formed of this breed. It was 

 thereabouts, indeed, that the Oxford Down was created, 

 the foundation being the Cotswold sheep of the up- 

 lands close by and the Hampshires, of which the type 

 had been fixed not long previously. Only that spring 

 had died John Treadwell, one of the founders of the breed, 

 though he belonged to the Aylesbury country, and 

 was proud to tell you how he was the farmer selected 

 to nominate Disraeli for the county of Bucks ; a char- 

 acteristic figure at the great shows and on his regular 

 visit to London for the round of agricultural meetings 

 which takes place in Smithfield week. His undeviat- 

 ing garb seemed to be of a piece with his firm fixed 

 opinions and tenacity of purpose ; he stood in this 

 generation a living witness to the masterful early 

 Victorians who made English farming what it is. 

 The Oxford Downs have become the largest and most 

 rapidly growing of the Down breeds : indeed, they find 

 place amongst the heaviest British sheep, and they 

 have established themselves in several districts remote 

 from their origin as, for example, along the Scotch 

 border, where there are several flocks of repute. Like 

 all Down breeds they are properly sheep of the arable 

 land : but they are greatly valued for crossing with 

 Cheviots and other upland breeds, the draft ewes of 

 which are brought down to the lowlands to raise one 

 crop of lambs. The Oxford Down breeders claim 

 that no other ram will impart to their crossbred off- 

 spring quite the same measure of rapid growth and 

 size. 



In one corner of the highly-cultivated farm we were 



