THE SOUTHDOWN 



S4S 



when they average 80 pounds each. In feeding experiments 

 at the Iowa Experiment Station, Southdown wether lambs in one 

 trial gained a daily average of .45 pound and in a second .35 

 pound, it requiring 738 pounds dry matter for 100 pounds gain 

 in the first trial and 989 pounds in the second. In percentage of 

 dressed carcass the lambs in the first trial dressed 55.4 per cent 

 and in' the second 55.26 per cent, averaging higher than any 

 other of ten breeds, while the carcass also brought in each trial 

 the highest price per 100 pounds. At the Ontario Agricultural 

 College the average weight of the best fat shorn Southdown 

 grade wethers at four hundred and forty-five days was 1 8 5 pounds, 

 the mean weight of all the Southdown wethers 167 pounds, while 

 the daily gain per head was .33 pound. Wallace reports that fat 

 wethers rising two years old, belonging to the Earl of Bathurst 

 and sold in Cirencester market in the first, week in December, 

 1884, dressed 138 pounds per carcass, or 34.5 pounds per quarter 

 dead weight, and yielded 65.83 per cent dressed weight. At the 

 Smithfield Club Show, between 1895 and 1914, according to Henry 

 and Morrison, Southdown lambs averaged 123 pounds alive, the 

 carcass weighing 76 pounds, dressing out 62 per cent. Yearling 

 wethers weighed 142 pounds alive, dressing out 65 per cent. 



The Southdown for quality of mutton, since its early improve- 

 ment, has held premier place in the best markets. There is no 

 excessive fat on the average fed carcass, the flesh is of the finest 

 flavor and grain, the offal is comparatively small, and the bone 

 is fine. It is for these reasons that the Southdown has succeeded 

 so often in attaining the highest awards on the mutton carcasses 

 in our fat-stock shows. At the International Live-Stock Exposi- 

 tion no other breed during the history of the show has in a com- 

 parative way won so many important prizes in the carcass contests. 

 At the 191 1 International the first-prize yearling wether, a South- 

 down, weighed alive 1 34 pounds and dressed 60.45 percent carcass. 

 The champion carcass that year was a lamb shown by Wisconsin 

 University, weighing 105 pounds alive and dressing 58 per cent 

 carcass. At the 19 16 show the first-prize lamb (a Southdown 

 shown by W. H. Miner), weighing 90 pounds alive and dressing 

 55-55 ps^ "^^i^t carcass, was given the championship and sold at 

 60 cents a pound. At the 19 18 International, of the six prizes in 

 Digitized by Microsoft® 



