EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVEK. 637 



wool that iiads a ready and remunerative market. They are the most 

 popular of all the Downs, and the prospect is that they wUl maintain 

 that popularity. 



For very early lambs — sometimes called hothouse lambs — the Shrop- 

 shires are not equal to the Southdowns, and, consequently, in localities 

 where the consumer is willing to pay a good price and there is a de- 

 mand for choice early lambs, the Southdown maintains its position. 



The Hampshire Downs are represented in the State by several fine 

 breeding flocks, and in some localities are very popular. They were 

 first generally known about 1883, and most of the flocks have been 

 formed since that date. Mr. J. H. Taft, of Mendon, gives his experi- 

 ence with them, wliich began in the fall of 1884, by the purchase of a 

 fall-blood Hampshire Down ram lamb to cross on grade Merino ewes, 

 which practice he has continued with success. At the time wool was 

 low and sheep were a slow sale, hence the departure from the Merino. 

 Having used fine-wooled rams from full-blood flocks he wanted a sheep 

 that was in demand at paying prices. The first crop of lambs more 

 than realized his expectations, being strong and growthy and finding 

 ready sale when weaned. The following year he tried them as feeders, 

 selling the last of February and obtaining an average of 126 pounds 

 per head on his entire crop of 76 lambs. In the winter of 1887-'88 he 

 fed 84 head of his own raising that averaged, after they were shorn, 

 113J pounds per head in the early part of March. After his experience 

 with the grade Hampshires he made an importation of Hampshire ewes 

 that he considered the sheep for the average farmer. They were unusu- 

 ally large, averaged from 175 to 200 pounds, in fair flesh, and carried a 

 compact fleece of wool. They were well suited to the climate and were 

 hearty and inclined to lay on flesh. 



The Oxford Downs have many admirers, and there are several breed- 

 ing flocks in the State, One of these at Eau Claire produced ewes in 

 1887 that averaged 12J pounds of wool per head on 354 days' growth, 

 and a stock ram sheared 15 pounds. Crossed with a high-grade Merino 

 ewe, the result is a large carcass and a heavy fleece, the average sheep 

 thus produced weighing, at 1 year old, from 180 to 210 pounds. 



The Lincolushires are the largest sheep we have, and, in some in- 

 stances, English breeders have forced them to a weight of nearly 

 400 pounds. They give a fleece weighing from 8 to 15 pounds of lus- 

 trous wool. They require too much care to suit the ordinary Ameri- 

 can farmer, hence are not popular. There are, however, a few flocks 

 in Michigan and occasional importations are made from England. 

 Messrs. G. S. Allen & Son, of Portland, have a flock that in December, 

 1888, averaged 209f pounds per head, and sheared U-pg pounds of un- 

 washed wool in May following, at ten and a half months' growth. The 

 cross of a Lincolnshire ram on Merino ewos got lambs that weighed at 

 6 months old 100 pounds and over, without giving ewo or lamb any 

 extra feed. The Lincolnshire ram Iron Duke, owned by the Messrs. 

 Allen & Son, weighed, when 4 years old, 352 pounds. 



