70 Sheep-Farming 



make the sides and the end appear square on top, 

 but very often the fullness does not continue over the 

 thighs and twist as it should. 



Live weights attained by Lincolns. — At the Smith- 

 field Show in 1886, three ewes weighed over 1200 

 pounds, and in 1826 it is recorded that a three-year- 

 old wether weighed 386 pounds, a two-year-old 364, 

 and a shearling 284 pounds dead weight. At the 

 Smithfield Show in 1889 four pens of Lincoln wethers 

 were shown. Their average age was 637 days, aver- 

 age weight 300 pounds, and the average daily gain 

 per head .47 pound. There were also four pens of 

 lambs exhibited. The average age of these was 

 285 days, average live weight 176.3 pounds, and the 

 daily increase per head .59 pound. These figures 

 are indicative of the heavy weights that the Lincoln 

 will attain to when given an abundance of food and 

 allowed every comfort, that the increase in weight 

 may be as rapid as possible. When the growth is so 

 great, it is not to be expected that the quality of the 

 flesh should be free from coarseness. 



Weight and character of fleece. — The Lincoln wool 

 is very long, being from 12 to 20 inches, and is ex- 

 ceptionally lustrous, though coarse in fiber. It is 

 asserted, the characteristic lustre is not retained when 

 the sheep are bred away from their native country. 

 The same authority states that the massing of the wool 

 in flakes or strands upon the animal is characteristic of 

 the breed, but that the fiber is inclined to be hairlike 



