British Breeds 0/ Sheef 53 



that the value lies in the barrel and not in the legs." 

 To make this type, Bakewell reUed chiefly on selec- 

 tion, and to maintain it, he pursued a course of in and 

 in breeding. There is no creditable evidence to 

 the effect that he resorted to crossing in forming the 

 type, and there is authority for saying that he was a 

 disciple of in and in breeding. As soon as he had the 

 breed estabKshed, a demand began to grow for the 

 sheep, but instead of selling them outright he adopted 

 the plan of letting rams. They were in demand for 

 crossing on common stock. In 1770 he began letting 

 rams, but had diflSculty in getting places for them, as 

 may be inferred from the fact that they were let out 

 for the season at 17s. M. per head, but in 1786 

 he received 300 guineas for the use of one ram, 

 and in 1789 he obtained 6200 guineas from his ram- 

 letting operations. While Bakewell was successful 

 in securing the features he desired in his sheep, there 

 were other qualities that suffered as a consequence. 

 Weakness of constitution resulted from his operations, 

 that made these sheep unable to withstand exposure 

 and hard keep, and they also became more or less 

 subject to inflammatory diseases. They became less 

 proUfic, and the ewes proved very poor nurses, owing 

 to the impairment of their milking qualities. Bake- 

 well gave no study to the fleeces of his sheep, hence 

 no improvement occurred in the wool, though in 

 nearly all other features a much higher type of sheep 

 was evolved. 



