454 BREEDS, CROSSES, &C. 



one and a half per acre on a corn farm ! full double the 

 ratio of black-face stocking. 



South Downs, in the Holkham distrlft, i8lb. a quarter, 

 two-shear ; and Norfolk about the same : Mr. CoKE 

 2olb. 



Fleece, South Down, three and a half on an average. 



Norfolk, before, on the same land, one and three- 

 quarters. 



Mr. Long, of Cranworth, bought in wether hoggits 

 at 35s. clipped them twice, and sold all at 4I. without any- 

 refuse. 



Seventeen years ago, being at Mr. Bakewell's, he 

 mentioned to me the curious ciicumstance that Norfolk 

 mutton would not keep so long as South Down, on the 

 authority of the butcher of Eton College ; I immediately 

 desired my late brother, then Fellow of Eton, to apply to 

 the butcher for particular information, and his own ac- 

 count was as follows :* 



" The Norfolk mutton certainly will taint sooner than 

 any in very hot weather ; neither is there any sort (that I 

 know) of a worse flavour at that time, though inferior to 

 none in cool weather. Many very fine and fat Norfolks 

 do not please on the table. The fat often runs away in 

 roasting, if they are laid to a hot fire ; and they rarely are 

 so sweet as the South Downs. The latter are in hot wea- 

 ther, worth a halfpenny a pound more than the Norfolks. 



** When both are completely htted, it is hard to say 

 (supposing the season cool) which, upon an average, is 

 fattest: the flavour too, in such a season, I think is equal; 

 and as to coarse meat, there is none in either sort. But if 

 they are killed in cool weather, before they are very fat, 

 the preference must be given to the Norfolks, because the 



* I printed this paper in the sixth volume of the ATrnals of Agriculture, 

 but as it is a- very curious decision relative to Norfolk, sheep, I insert it here. 



meat 



