THE SHROPSHIRE 



557 



wool and too large and plain. The back and loin of the Shrop- 

 shire is one of its strong features, combining level carriage, width, 

 and covering to a commendable degree. Fullness of bosom, a 

 wide, prominent. brisket, and a well-sprung, deep rib combine to 

 give an impression of strong digestive capacity. The hind quar- 

 ters on the average Shropshire lack in width and level carriage of 

 rump and thickness of thigh and twist of the Southdown. The 

 fleece covers the entire body admirably, being compact and fairly 

 long and of superior quality. In temperament Shropshires are of 

 first class, being easily handled. The skin of representatives of 

 this breed is very often mottled or bluish pink and lacks the 

 superior quality and color of 

 either the Merino or Chev- 

 iot. Modern-day Shrop- 

 shire breeders discriminate 

 against dark skins and em- 

 phasize the irnportance of a 

 clear, bright pink or cherr}'- 

 red color. Evidence of 

 horns or stubs, heads bare 

 of wool, and obscurity of 

 breed character are dis- 

 qualifications, on the basis 

 of the official standard of 

 excellence. " In style and 



show-yard finish," says Coffey,^ " the Shropshire is impressive and 

 it leads the mutton breeds in drawing attention and admiration at 

 live-stock exhibitions. With its head set proudly upon a gracefully 

 turned neck, and its smoothly turned symmetrical body, and its pic- 

 turesque extension of downy, white wool over the face and legs, it 

 possesses an air of grandeur rather than of smartness and nattiness 

 which is characteristic of the Southdown." 



The size of the Shropshire is about medium among breeds of 

 its class. A standard weight for rams in good breeding condition 

 is_225 pounds, with 150 to 180 for ewes. Coffey gives 200 to 

 250 pounds for rams and 150 to 180 pounds for ewes. The 

 official standard of the American Shropshire Association is 175 



1 Productive Sheep Husbandry, 1918. 

 Digitized by Microsoft® 



Fig. 256. A pair of prize-winning Sliropshire 

 ewes at the Pan-American Exposition, 1901. 

 Owned and exhibited by G. H. Davison, 

 Millbrook, New York. From photograph, by 

 courtesy of the National Stockman and Farmer 



