DOMESTIC BKEEDS OF SHEEP. 33 



Points. 

 Form: Body straight, broad, and well proportioned; small bone; breast wide and 



prominent in front; tail should be docked short 12 



Head: Small and hornless, or nearly so, tapering to end of nose; face and nose 



clean, brown and white in color; ears broad, pendulous, and covered with 



fine hair, brown to white in color 10 



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



Legs: Short; color, brown and white (wooled below the knee, not objectionable). 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 movements 



showing symmetry of form and uniformity of character throughout 6 



Total 100 



THE WELSH MOUNTAIN. 



A number of different types are included under the name of Welsh 

 Mountain sheep. Upon the highest hills of Wales the original sheep 

 exists, but in other sections crosses have been made with the Leices- 

 ter, Lincoln, Cheviot, Black-faced Highland, and Radnor forest 

 breeds. The crosses with the Lincoln and Leicester have taken 

 place mainly upon the fertile lowlands, and a larger earlier maturing 

 sheep has resulted. This has been an advantage where the sheep are 

 fed roots or other feed additional to their pasture, but where this is 

 not practiced the cross has resulted disastrously because of the conse- 

 quent lessening of the ability to rustle for itself. 



The Black-faced Highland cross resulted in an increase in weight 

 and amount of wool produced. The color of the wool was changed 

 to yellow. The Cheviot cross produced similar characteristics, but 

 resulted in a sheep too large for mountain grazing. 



Upon the hilltops these sheep are very small, but upon the eastern 

 slope of Berwyn and Merionith Hills they are larger and of a better 

 type and possess much finer wool. It is said that a dark-faced type 

 exists in Radnor, western Montgomeryshire, and parts of Merionith. 

 The great difference in size and appearance may be accounted for by 

 the different types of sheep used in crossing. They weigh from 32 

 pounds upward, and the mutton, with that of the Blackface and 

 Southdown, is the best on the London market. The favorite type 

 has a white face, though rusty brown, yellow, speckled, and gray 

 faces may be found. 



The poll is clean, but sometimes a tuft of wool is present upon the 

 ram's head. The head is small, carried high, the neck is long, the 

 shoulders somewhat low; the girt is small; and the sides are flat. 

 The rams have gracefully curved horns, while the ewes are usually 

 hornless. The wool of the better type is of excellent quality, the 

 famous Welsh fmnnels, shawls, etc., being made from it. Fleeces 

 are said to weigh from 2 pounds upward, depending upon the type. 



