Sheep; Its History, Breeding, Production 



13 



The Southdown 



The Southdown 



The Southdown is one of the oldest of the Down breeds. It is a 

 trim, compactly built, early maturing little animal, with a mouse brown 

 colored face. Because of their early maturity and tendency to fatten 

 and round into market condition early, they are especially recom- 

 mended for early lambs. South- 

 down rams are always in good de- 

 mand to cross on all of the dif- 

 ferent breeds. Mature rams in 

 breeding condition weigh from 180 

 to 220 pounds, ewes 130 to 160 

 pounds. The quality of the mutton 

 is par excellent. The two faults 

 most severely criticised are their 

 small size and light shearing ca- 

 pacity. 



The Shropshire 



The Shropshire is similar to the 

 Southdown in build, although larg- 

 er and more stylish. The mature 

 rams weigh from 200 to 250 lbs., 



ewes 150 to 180 lbs., average weight of fleece 8 to 10 lbs. No sheep is 



more prolific than the "Shrop." Their mutton is also excellent, but the 



lambs do not round out and fatten 



as early as the Southdown. The 



Shropshire is a very showy looking 



animal, and it is pretty safe to say 



that among the farmer flock-mas- 

 ters there are none of the Down 



breeds more popular. They are a 



dark faced sheep, the wool coming 



well down over face and legs, and 



belly is also well covered. Their 



wool is dense and compact, and 



well adapted to turn the storms. 



The Hampshire 



The Hampshire is a bold, large 

 sheep, with a long, deep symmetri- 

 cal body, large bones and striking 

 head features. Mature rams weigh 

 250 to 300 pounds, ewes 180 to 220 

 pounds. The head is large, face black with long, drooping ears. They 

 mature very early, for a big sheep, and make rapid gains. Pure bred 

 rams are always in demand from the commercial flock-master to cross 

 with smaller breeds and grade flocks. They are prolific and thrive well 

 if liberally fed. The ranchman is especially drawn to the Hampshire to 

 cross on his grade Merino ewes, to produce large, early maturing lambs 

 for the early summer and fall markets. They only shear about 8 pounds 

 of unwashed wool. 



The Shropshire 



