390 



SHEEP 



carries such a depth of body as to usually appear fairly short of 

 leg. A prominent feature of good specimens is a full bosom and 

 strong brisket. The rump sometimes lacks levelness and fullness, 

 though the thigh and twist may be excellent. The fleece covers 

 the entire body admirably, being compact and fairly long and of 

 superior quality. In temperament Shropshires are of the first 

 class, being easily handled. The skin of representatives of this 

 breed is very commonly bluish pink and lacks the superior quality 

 and color of either the Merino or Cheviot. 



The size of the Shropshire makes it about an average among 

 the middle-wool breeds. A standard weight for mature rams is 



225 pounds, with 150 to 

 1 60 for ewes. A few years 

 ago one large importer and 

 breeder advertised that 

 his rams would average 

 250 pounds and his ewes 

 175 pounds. There has 

 been a tendency in this 

 country to develop a large 

 type among some breeders 

 and a smaller type among 

 others, the latter arguing 

 in behalf of quality rather 

 than quantity. 



The Shropshire as a mutton sheep is of a superior order, rank- 

 ing next to the Southdown, and when well fed often equaling it. 

 In the Iowa station breed test Shropshire fattening wethers of an 

 average age of 371 days, in the first trial, made an average daily 

 gain of .48 pound, and in the second trial, covering 279 days, 

 gained an average of .36 pound daily. In one trial it required 

 718 pounds dry matter for 100 pounds gain, and in the other 1026 

 for 100 pounds gain. The valuation per 100 pounds live weight 

 ranked second to the Southdowns, viz., $4.63 and ^5.60 for each 

 trial. In feeding experiments on Shropshire lambs, conducted by 

 Professor Brown at the Ontario College, grades of this breed 

 made the best record among five tested. In a general way feed- 

 ing experiments with Shropshires have shown excellent returns. 



Fig. 177. Champion Shropshire ram at the 

 Kentucky State Fair, 1903. Exhibited by 

 the Niagara Stock Farm, Lewiston, New 

 York. Photograph by the author 



