LONG WOOL BREEDS 143 



may be ready for market at a time of the year when fresh 

 lamb is a deUcacy and brings high prices. 



The Tunis. — This breed originated in the upland region 

 of Tunis in northern Africa. They are sometimes called 

 " fat-tailed " sheep because the tail is broad, being five to 

 ten inches wide. They were once raised for that reason, 

 and very fat tails were sought in the breeding stock. They 

 were first brought to this coimtry in the latter part of the 

 eighteenth century. The breed is generally hornless and 

 the legs are brown or of tawny color. The wool is of 

 variable color, and scant in quantity. It is for this reason 

 that they are not received with great favor. The ewes are 

 quite prolific, and the lambs are good for mutton purposes. 



At present they are being exploited for use in some of the 

 semiarid sections in the southwestern part of the United 

 States. 



THE LONG WOOL BREEDS 



The long wool breeds of sheep are larger and coarser 

 than the medium wool breeds, and have longer legs. 

 While they fatten readily, the meat is coarser and lacks 

 the marbling found in the carcasses of the medium wool 

 sheep. The body is long and rangy and the fleece, while 

 having longer staple, lacks compactness. The long wools 

 are generally developed in low flat regions where there is 

 an abundance of rainfall and luscious pasture. They are 

 not so hardy as the medium wool breeds and the open- 

 ness of their fleeces makes them poorly adapted for climates 

 where much cold rain and snow falls. 



Lincoln Sheep. — The Lincoln sheep originated in the 

 county of Lincoln, one of the richest agricultural sections 

 in all England, where the land is very low and flat. The 



