52 Sheep-Farming 



The work of Bakewell. — Before Bakewell's time, 

 the most of the sheep m Great Britain were of the 

 heath or forest class and not adapted to the needs 

 of arable farming. Bakewell began with the large- 

 framed, slow-maturing sheep, and in the course of his 

 life succeeded in making a permanent type, much 

 finer in quality and truer in form, and especially 

 quicker in maturing. There are no reasons for 

 believing that Bakewell drew on any other source 

 for improvement than selection in his own flock. He 

 was a close student of animal form, and it was his 

 practice to observe the relationship of outward form 

 and qualities to the character of the meat and the 

 development of the carcass. From his studies he 

 evolved in his mind the type he desired to develop 

 and perpetuate. This type has been expressed by 

 saying that he desired to secure in the body of the 

 Leicester the shape outlined by a common soda- 

 water bottle. Commenting on this, an authority 

 states that Bakewell always insisted on the necessity 

 of a barrel or egg shape. Ridgy backs and big 

 bellies were his aversion, this authority states, ful- 

 filling as they did his favorite metaphor of a horse's 

 collar put on the wrong side upwards. Against 

 large bone and carcass full of offal, he waged vigorous 

 war, and according to the same author the "hogs- 

 head of truly firkin shape with short, light-boned 

 legs, not exceeding six inches in length, was his im- 

 proved Leicester sheep mould, on the plain principle 



