454 JUDGING FARM ANIMALS 



Points 



Covering Body and neck well covered with wool. Legs bare or slightly 



covered; face free from wool and covered with fine hair 10 



Form and tail Body straight, broad, well proportioned. Small bone ; 

 breast wide and prominent in front. Tail the little end should be 

 docked, leaving the fleshy part fan-shaped, or tapering; five to ten 

 inches broad, six or eight inches long, and well covered with wool 12 



Head and ears Head small and hornless, tapering to end of nose ; face 

 and nose clean, in color brown and white. Ears broad, thin, pen- 

 dulous, covered with fine hair; in color brown to light fawn . . . . 10 



Neck Medium in length, well placed on shoulders ; small and tapering 5 



Legs Short. In color brown and white; slightly wooled not objec- 

 tionable . . 6 



Size In fair condition, when fully matured, rams should weigh 150 



pounds and upward; ewes, 120 pounds and upward 6 



General appearance Good carriage ; head well up ; quick, elastic move- 

 ments, showing symmetry of form and uniformity of character 

 throughout . . . . 6 



Total 100 



The Leicester breed of sheep originated in Leicestershire, 

 central England, being one of the older British breeds. It 

 is a hornless, distinctly white-faced breed. The head is a 

 notable feature of this breed. The nose is more or less 

 arching, the eye prominent, frequently a light tuft of wool 

 extends over the poll. Hard white hairs cover the face. 

 There is a bluish tint to the skin on the head. Black spots 

 also occur in a slight way on both head and ears. The 

 flesh at lips and nostrils should be black. The thin, long 

 ears, which are covered with white hair, are directed back- 

 ward and show much activity. The appearance of head, and 

 its animated, stylish carriage, quite suggests the Cheviot. 

 The Leicester is one of the larger breeds, and mature rams 

 will weigh from 225 to 250 pounds, and ewes from 175 to 

 200 pounds. The neck is short and not, as a rule, much 

 elevated. The body is wide of bosom, broad of back, and 

 the hindquarters often tend to narrowness. Leicesters, as 

 viewed from above, seem unusually wide, but from one side, 

 give evidence of lack of depth of rib. The legs which are 

 free of wool from knee and hock to the toes, impress one 

 as being somewhat long and fine of bone. The fleece is of 

 the long wool class, being quite curly, somewhat open, and 



