542 



SHEEP 



legs finer and shorter of bone. The present-day Southdown is by 

 many regarded as a model mutton beast for the butcher. In con- 

 formation we have the compact form, with a desirable shortness in 

 head, neck, and legs, a fullness of bosom, a neatly laid shoulder, a 

 strong but not over-wide back, a deep middlepiece, and an excep- 

 tionally thick and well-laid hind quarter. No breed of sheep fattens 

 more smoothly and uniformly than this, and, judging by carcass 

 tests, it may be questioned if it has an equal in this respect. The 



Fig. 245. A Southdown ewe and her lamb bred and owned by the Ohio State 



University. The early-maturing character of the Southdown is strikingly shown 



in this nine-months-old lamb. From photograph by the author 



Southdown shows a curve in its lines, as seen in the spring of rib 

 and turn of shoulder and thigh, that is distinctively its own. The 

 color of face and legs ranges from a light gray to a brown or 

 mouse color. The standard of the Southdown association specifies 

 " a uniform tint of brown, or gray, or mouse color." The modem 

 tendency is toward a light brown. The fleece is fine in quality, 

 but is commonly short of staple and lacks in density. The wool 

 extends over the head to form a cap reaching the eyes or some- 

 what below. The legs are well wooled to the knees and hocks, 

 with a light covering extending to the ankles on many well-bred 

 Southdowns. The fleece carries only a moderate amount of yolk ; 



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