THE SHROPSHIRE 389 



August, 1 86 1, states was the first flock of Shropshires imported 

 to America. A. B. Conger of Haverstraw, New York, had a 

 flock about the same time, and sold the first of the breed to go 

 into New Hampshire, to P. W. Jones of Amherst, in 1864. 

 Shropshires were exhibited at the New York State Fair at 

 Elmira in 1861, including the ram Gratitude that had been shown 

 the year previous at the Royal Agricultural Society Show at 

 Canterbury, England. In 1862 P. Lorillard of Fordham, New 

 York, also had a flock, and in 1868 L. C. Fish of Otego, New 

 York, began breeding them. About 1875 the first Shropshires 

 were brought from Canada to Michigan by Mrs. Ann Newton of 

 Pontiac. In 1880 this breed was advertised by J. A. Brown & 



Fig. 176. First-prize pen of Shropshire yearhng rams at the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society of England Show, 1904. Bred and exhibited by Sir R. P. 

 Cooper, Bart., Shenstone, England. Photograph from William Cooper & 

 Nephews, Berkhamsted, England 



Son of Decatur, Illinois. Along in the eighties numerous impor- 

 tations were made into Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, and the 

 breed became well distributed. 



Characteristics of the Shropshire. This breed is of the medium- 

 wool class and is somewhat heavier and larger than the South- 

 down. The face, ears, and legs are usually a dark brown or 

 blackish brown, although fifteen years ago they were often gray- 

 ish brown of face. The head is hornless and is slightly larger 

 than the Southdown, and in the best specimens is covered with 

 a striking cap of wool even to the nostrils, covering all but a 

 small part of the nose. The ears should be small, short, and 

 moderately broad, and should be well covered with short, fine 

 wool. While the Shropshire is an excellent backed breed, it also 



