572 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



Oxford sheep. They are widely dis- 

 tributed over the United States and 

 Canada. They are the largest and 

 heaviest of the Down breeds. When in 

 good flesh, the rams should weigh 

 250 to 275 pounds, and the ewes from 

 200 to 225 pounds. The wool is rather 

 coarser than any other of the medium 

 wools and the fleece is heavier, weighing 

 from 10 to 12 pounds unwashed. The 

 Oxfords resemble the Hampshires in 

 general form, but are a larger breed and 

 the face is not so dark. It is usually ai 

 even dark gray or brown, with or with- 



for mature ewes, 165 pounds. The wool 

 is short and will average 6 to 8 pounds 

 unwashed to the fleece. The Dorset is a 

 solidly built sheep, and especially es- 

 teemed for its prolificacy. When prop- 

 erly managed, two lambing seasons a 

 year are possible with this breed. This 

 makes the Dorset especially popular for 

 the production of winter lambs. When 

 bred in May, they produce lambs for the 

 Christmas market, and will breed again 

 soon after dropping their lamb. They 

 frequently produce twins and often trip- 

 lets. The ewes are frequently bred to 



£59 — PEN OF SOUTHDOWN LAMBS 



out a gray spot on the tip of the nose. 

 They are best adapted for lands fur- 

 nishing good pasture and do not suc- 

 ceed as well under range conditions or 

 on rugged, broken pastures as either the 

 Shropshires or Southdowns. The Ameri- 

 can Oxford Down Sheep Record associa- 

 tion was organized in 1884. In 1906, 

 36.210 had been registered. 



Dorsets— The Dorsets are one of the 

 oldest English breeds of sheep. Both 

 sexes are horned. The face is white 

 with a tendency toward a slight Roman 

 nose. They are considerably larger than 

 Southdowns. The average weight for 

 a mature ram is about 215 pounds, and 



Southdown or Hampshire rams to give 

 the market lamb a black face, which 

 is generally preferred by tke butchers. 

 The Dorset is generally regarded as the 

 most prolific of the sheep breeds. 



The Wisconsin station found that by 

 crossing common grade ewes with a 

 pure bred Dorset ram for two or three 

 generations, and preserving their earlier 

 dropped lambs for breeding purposes, a 

 flock could be built up which would drop 

 their lambs in the fall and early winter 

 instead of spring. The ewes are excep- 

 tionally Tood milkers. They are a hardy 

 sheep ; good rustlers ; have early matur- 

 ing qualities, and the mutton is su- 



