British Breeds of Sheep 123 



head daily, the one pen being an average of 193 

 pounds at 291 days old, and the other 197 at 300 

 days old. In 1891 the Oxfordshire won the cham- 

 pionship of the short-wooled classes, and the same 

 pen won the breed cup. They averaged 314 days 

 old, weight 216 pounds, daily gain per head .68 

 pound. In the lamb classes of 1892, the best pen 

 of Oxfords made a daily gain of .67 pound as they 

 averaged 314 days old and weighed an average of 

 211 pounds. This pen was in reserve for the cham- 

 pionship for short-wooled classes. In the slaughter 

 test, they dressed the unusually high percentage of 

 67.05. In the yearling class the same year, the best 

 gain reported was .43 pound by a pen weighing an 

 average of 289 pounds at an average of 667 days. 

 In 1893 the best gain recorded among the lamb 

 classes was .67, made by a pen averaging 215 pounds 

 in weight at an average age of 314 days. The follow- 

 ing year, 1894, the daily gain per head reached .68 

 in the instance of the Oxford lambs, as they weighed 

 an average of 180 pounds at 263 days old. 



From these records it is evident that the Oxford 

 is a good feeding sheep, having the ability of the long- 

 wooled breeds to attain heavy weights and yet retain 

 much of the quality of frame so characteristic of the 

 other Downs. 



Fleece characteristics of Oxford Down. — The Oxford 

 yields the heaviest fleece of wool of any of the Down 

 breeds. From 10 to 12 pounds unwashed wool 



