72] A f GEOGRAPHICAL 



10 Ibs. or sometimes more. The advocates of this breed say that 

 pasture may be stocked harder and closer with them than with any 

 other of equal weight, as they are always in good condition, even 

 when suckling lambs, or hard kept. They are not, however, famous 

 for fattening lambs for the butcher, which is no defect, as lambs of 

 this breed are much better kept on for mutton and wool, and it, 

 would be a public loss to slaughter them prematurely. Many pub- 

 lic-spirited gentlemen and farmers have paid great attention to this 

 breed, and brought it to high perfection. Mr. Princep, of Croxall, 

 had a very numerous, choice, and select flock ; Richard Dyott, 

 Esq. of Freeford> near Lichfield, kept of this breed between 200 

 and 300 breeding ewes, rearing annually 300 lambs. Excellent 

 flocks of this breed were also many years ago upon Lord Bagot's 

 estate, belonging to Mr. Harvey, and others; and they are now 

 common in various parts of the county, in the hands of the most 

 respectable and intelligent farmers. Mr. Miller, of Dunstall, near 

 Wolverhampton, 'with great spirit, crossed his ewes of this breed 

 several years successively with first-rate Leicester rams, procured 

 from Dishley, and frdm Messrs. Green, Farrow, Stone, and Buckley, 

 at from 50 to 200 guineas each ram : he also purchased ewes up to 

 ten and twelve guineas each, and raised his flock to the first-rate 

 new Leicester blood : he has had in his possession 40 rams at a 

 time, which were let out for the season at from five to fifty guineas 

 each. His successors continue the same plan, and have prime 

 rams to let of this breed to any gentleman or farmer desirous of im- 

 proving their flock. 



Many farmers, however, irt this populous manufacturing county, 

 finding a demand for lamb as well as mutton, have been induced to 

 keep none other than an annual stock of sheep consisting of ewes and 

 wethers, bought in at Michaelmas, from Cannock-heath, Shropshire, 

 Leicestershire, and from other counties and places. The ewes are 

 immediately put to a ram, the lambs suckled in spring and sold 

 to the butcher, and the ewes fattened in pasture and sold after them : 

 the wethers are wintered in turnips and sold to the butcher, and the 

 whole flock generally cleared off within the year, thus making room 

 for the same rotation to succeed. 



South Down Sheep. The chief flocks of these sheep in this county 

 are those upon the farms of the Earl of Bradford, Lord Anson, and 

 Sir George Pigot. They came originally from the south downs of 

 Sussex, where they have been greatly improved in their size, fornv 

 and feeding qualities, by Mr. Ellman, of Glynd, who has been to 



