CHAPTER VI. 



BRITISH BREEDS. 



NEW LEICESTER, OR BAKEWELL— TEESWATER— ROMNEY MARSH— 

 UNCOLN— HAMPTON— COTSWOLD— WELSH SHEEP— MERINO SHEEP 

 IN ENGLAND. 



NEW LEICESTER, OR BAKEWELL. 



Some writers have contended that the valuable family of. 

 long-wooled sheep, now so extensively spread over Great 

 Britain, was of. foreign origin; but thorough investigation 

 proves their assertions groundless.* 



With the short-wooled variety, from time immemorial, each 

 was assigned a locality admirably adapted, from soil, herb- 

 age, and climate, to itself ; and thus their respective peculi- 

 arities both of form and fleece, through many centuries, 

 remained distinct. Both varieties have been essentially 

 improved by the art of pan, as has already been. shown in 

 reference to the South Down ; and, if possible, a still greater 

 improvement has been effected of the long-wooled breeds, 

 especially as to profitableness of carcase, through the inde- 

 fatigable efforts of Mr. Bakewell, of Dishby, Leicestershire, 

 and Mr. Cully, his able coadjutor. 



The compiler will offer no apology for introducing to the 

 reader nearly the whole of Mr. Youatt's faithful and inter- 

 esting history of this renowned breed, valuable to all as 

 showing the means adopted by Mr. Bakewell by which the 

 New Leicester was brought to its present perfection of car- 

 case, and extraordinary early-maturity. 



THE OLD LEICESTER SHEEP. 



" This was a large, heavy, coarse-wooled breed, common 

 to most of the midland counties, and reaching from the south 

 of Yorkshire, and as far as Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. 



* Luccock. 



