24 BULLETIN 9t, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



THE DORSET HORN. 



The Dorset Horn, like the Southdown, is an extremely old breed 

 that has been developed largely through selection. For several 

 centuries there had existed in the county of Dorset in southern Eng- 

 land a type of sheep that were coarse, small, and light of carcass, 

 especially in fore quarters," but with broad, deep loins. They had 

 dark noses and both sexes were horned. In Somerset was a larger, 

 lankier type, producing longer wool and noted for their large lambs. 

 They had white faces and pink noses. These types were probably 

 the ancestors of the Dorset Horn. 



Little improvement was wrought in this breed until near the middle 

 of the last century, and as mentioned in the preceding paragraph 

 this improvement was effected through well-directed selection. 

 Crossing was tried by a few breeders with both the Devonshire Knots 

 and the Leicesters, but the attempts to introduce foreign blood 

 resulted in failure. 



Xot a little credit for the latter development of this breed is due to 

 Richard Seymour, of Bradpole, who began improving his flock about 

 1830. Mathew Paul, of Burstock, was another early Dorset breeder 

 of prominence. 



Although the sheep of Dorset and Somerset have long been recog- 

 nized as distinct in type from those of surrounding counties, they 

 were not assigned a place as a separate breed until 1862, when they 

 were shown as such at the Royal at Battersea. 



The stronghold of the Dorset Horn is still in its native district of 

 Dorset, Somerset, and Devon. In the former two counties it is the 

 predominant breed. The section about Dorchester and the Isle of 

 Wight possess many flocks of marked excellence. Small flocks are 

 scattered over England, Scotland, and Ireland, but their distribution 

 does not approach that of the more popular down breeds. They 

 have also .been exported to the Continent and to America. 



It is said that Dorset Horn sheep were first introduced into Virginia 

 prior to 1882, but information as to where the shipment was made 

 and who made it is lacking. Some representatives of this breed were 

 shown at the fat stock show at Chicago in 1885, and two years later 

 William Davey, of Lockport, 1ST. Y., purchased some individuals of 

 this breed from Valency E. Fuller, of Canada. The same year direct 

 importations were made from Great Britain by A. Thayer, of Hoosick 

 Falls, and E. F. Boroditch, of Massachusetts. In 1889, T. S. Cooper, 

 of Pennsylvania, made a large importation, consisting of 153 head. 



Dorsets can be found to-day in at least 32 States of the Union. 

 New York, Ohio, Illinois, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsyl- 

 vania, Indiana, and New Jersey, in the order named, have the largest 

 number of purebred flocks, and most of the other flocks are to be found 

 in the eastern half of the country. 



