io6 THE SHEEP AND ITS COUSINS 



breeds in existence. Southdowns have, in fact, 

 been exported to almost every country in the world 

 where sheep-rearing is carried on to a large extent. 

 Professor Plumb,* writing on this subject, observes 

 that "even so late as 1903, exports were made to 

 the United States, France, Russia, Australia, the 

 Argentine Republic, Chile, and Japan. Perhaps no 

 breed of sheep during its career has had an equally 

 wide distribution. In the United States [to which 

 they are believed to have been first introduced in 

 1803] Southdowns are recorded as bred in nearly 

 fifty states, important flocks being kept in Ohio, 

 New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ver- 

 mont, and Kentucky. The breed is also well 

 represented in Canada, notably Ontario." 



The breeds respectively known as the Oxford 

 and the Hampshire down must of course find a 

 place near the Southdown, but as they are both of 

 comparatively recent origin, a brief notice must 

 suffice in each case. The formation of the Oxford 

 down was commenced about the year 1833, both 

 in Oxfordshire and Hampshire, and by 1859 the 

 breed had become fairly well established, while by 

 1862 it had gained a position in the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society's Show. The first step was the cross- 

 ing of Hampshire down ewes with a Cotswold ram, 

 but Southdowns were also used in the early days of 

 cross-breeding. As a consequence of the Cotswold 



» op. cit., p. 385. 



