624 SHEEP 



that the Leicester as improved by Bakewell has served a most 

 important part in improving some of the British breeds in the days 

 of early development, its blood being freely used on the Southdown, 

 Cotswold, Lincoln, Shropshire, and Hampshire foundations. 



The Leicester as a grazing or range sheep ranks as only fair. 

 Leicesters will not flock equal to the Merinos. They require better 

 range and more abundant pasture than the lighter breeds, are not 

 suited to rough ground, and in winter lack the constitution to 

 withstand roughing it without shelter. The open fleece is objec- 

 tionable where much snow or cold rain prevails. In the so-called 

 corn belt, where properly protected, with abundance of roughage, 

 grain, and roots, this breed may do very well. 



The breeding qualities of the Leicester are only moderate. 

 None of the largest breeds are strongly prolific, and no doubt the 

 early policy of very close in-and-in breeding followed by Leicester 

 breeders injured the fecundity of the breed. Careful manage- 

 ment will no doubt secure fair results and raising lOO per cent 

 lambs might be a reasonable estimate under average conditions. 

 George Benedict reports 1 36 per cent increase in his Leicester flock. 



The Leicester as a wool producer yields a fine grade of braid 

 or quarter-blood combing wool. Randall states that after the 

 first shearing it will average about 6 inches long and will weigh 

 6 pounds. Professor Shaw thinks that the fleece should average 

 from 9 to 1 1 pounds weight, while the 1894 edition of the " Com- 

 plete Grazier," by Youatt, places it at an average of 7 pounds. 

 George Benedict of Nebraska, a breeder of pure Leicesters, in 1893 

 wrote, " The average weight of fleeces for ten years is 1 1 pounds." 

 The fleece of the Leicester being naturally fine and open weighs 

 comparatively light, but a clip of about 10 pounds should be ex- 

 pected in an average flock. If grade Leicester ewes are bred to 

 middle- or fine-wool rams, the fleece of the offspring is commonly 

 finer, more compact, and shears heavier than that of the pure-bred. 



The Border Leicester sheep belong to the Leicester family, but 

 differ from it in type. The origin of the Border Leicester has 

 been credited to the Culley brothers, who first used Leicester 

 rams (obtained from Bakewell) on Teeswater ewes. Some authors 

 have regarded the Border Leicester as originating from a cross of 

 Leicester rams on Cheviot ewes, the result of the cross finally 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



