88 Sheep-Farming 



of Shropshire are not as prepossessing as that just 

 described. Writing of another portion of the county 

 where the best and choicest flocks were bred at that 

 early day, the same authority says: "The south 

 portion of this district is dotted over with a number 

 of hills such as Hopton Hill, Caer Caradoc, and many 

 others give great boldness of character to the scenery 

 and render the land exceedingly irregular and uneven ; 

 level ground can scarcely be seen, except along the 

 base of the valleys which twine amongst the numerous 

 hills. The soil is generally light, often quite sandy, 

 and at other times thin and near the rock ; most of 

 it is poor and of inferior quality, but along the valley 

 there is land of good quality. This portion of the 

 district is bounded on the west by Welsh hills, and 

 on the east by the hills which prolong the Wenlock 

 Edge. From amongst these also many vaUeys run 

 into the district and, by their superior quality, add 

 much to its general fertility. ... At Shrewsbury 

 we find some land of first-class quality, varying from 

 strong, rich loams, to sandy loams of inferior value." 

 Another writer in a description of the early Shrop- 

 shires says : "In our early records of sheep-farming, 

 Shropshire is described as possessing a peculiar and 

 distinct variety of sheep, to which the name of 

 'Morfe Common' was given from the locality to 

 which the breed was principally confined. This 

 is a tract of land on the border of the Severn near 

 Bridgeworth, which, originally of vast area, has of 



