100 Sheep-Farming 



pen of Hampshires. The Shropshire pen averaged 

 171 pounds at an average age of 254 days. The 

 percentage of carcass to dressed weight in the in- 

 stance of these lambs was 60.8 per cent. The next 

 year two pens of Shropshire lambs succeeded in 

 each making an average daily gain of .60 pound 

 per head. The one averaged 164 pounds at an aver- 

 age of 270 days, and the other 162 at the same age. 



The quality of Shropshire mutton. — Being fine 

 in bone, skin, and fleece, it is logical to assume that 

 the Shropshire produces a fine quality of flesh. In 

 this feature they rank almost with the Southdown, 

 which is considered preeminent in this respect. 

 Not only is the mutton of fine quality, but it is also 

 nice in its mixture of fat and lean. The frame of 

 the Shropshire being of fine texture and compara- 

 tively light, together with the fact that they are 

 usually well developed in essential mutton parts, 

 insures a high percentage of edible meat in propor- 

 tion to the live weight. 



Qualities of the Shropshire fleece. — In respect to 

 the quantity of wool that is characteristic of a Shrop- 

 shire fleece, ten or twelve pounds may be advanced 

 as a fair estimate. The wool being very free from 

 excessive yolk and also clean as a rule, this weight, 

 in view of these facts, is favorable to the breed. The 

 most valuable characteristic of the fleece is its den- 

 sity, which so materially assists in affording the sheep 

 protection from the inclemencies of the weather. 



