666 SEEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



matured sucli excellent mutton tliat tliey soon became the most popular 

 and profitable sheep that could be raised. Importations from Canada 

 and from the best flocks of England followed; and in a few years the 

 blue-grass sections of the State were well stocked with them or their 

 grades. In 1855 Mr. R. A. Alexander imported 10 rams from Airdrie 

 House, Scotland, and frequently bought also from ISTew York importers. 

 The descendants of this flock are now owned by Mr. A. J. Alexander, 

 Spring Station, Ky. The oldest living breeder of the Southdown in 

 Kentucky and in the United States is Cassius M. Clay. He began his 

 flock in 1854 and presents "an example of persistent watchfulness and 

 care in the selection and management of this breed of sheep for a long 

 series of years," and, in consequence of his care, judgment, and skill 

 as a breeder, his sheep show a uniformity of type rarely seen elsewhere, 

 particularly in so large a flock as Mr. Clay generally maintains. At 

 the beginniug he started with the best sheep that could be had, draw- 

 ing from the early importations of S. and J. Thorne, New York, and E. 

 A. Alexander, of Kentucky; the rams used were the very best, and no 

 ewes of other blood admitted to the flock. The first ram used was 

 Thorne I, a prize ram, the winner at the Royal Agricultural Show at 

 York, England, in 1853. Then came Thorne II, whose sire was Thorne 

 I, followed by rams bred by Jonas Webb, Sir John Lubbock, Lord 

 Walsingham and other noted English breeders, and Samuel Thorne, of 

 New York, and E. A. Alexander and others, of Kentucky. This was 

 a splendid foundation, and Mr. Clay built upon it intelligently. He 

 writes in August, 1891 : 



I have raised the wool from 3J pounds to 7 on an average, with young sheep, and 

 the weight has been increased nearly a third. My lamhs will go at six months to 

 80 or 100 pounds. I have a buck the largest Southdown I ever saw. The theory of 

 improved live stock is to use pure-blooded species and then improve them by at- 

 tention and high feeding. 



From his long experience in sheep breeding, Mr. Clay speaks with 

 some authority as to the manner of building up a Southdown flock. He 

 recomjnends the iise of the native Cotswold or " mongrel sheep," found 

 in all parts of the United States, because they are the " survival of the 

 fittest" and are at the bottom, making a living on the meanest and 

 scantiest food. Then use a thoroughbred Southdown ram. The prod- 

 uct (for mutton in all the larger cities) is a half-blooded lamb worth 

 (under 6 mouths) from $5 to $8 each. Nothing can excel this profit, 

 for the sheep pay all expenses and more as scavengers, clearing out 

 ruts, brush, and manuring the land. For cleaning out weeds alone 

 Mr. Clay estimates that his flock of 200 Southdowns saved him annu- 

 ally $150. Thoroughbred rams must be used in grading up the flock, 

 because if the first-class breeds are put again with the half-bloods the 

 result is three-fourths scrubs, and so on until the whole flock returns 

 to the original type. But i f thoroughbreds only are used the flock ad- 

 vances first one-half blood, then three-fourths, etc., till the whole flock 

 becomes full-blooded and the scrub type is lost. 



