SHEEP. 



general attention and care which farmers beftow upon their 

 flocks, in which fome are greatly fuperior to others. But the 

 black-faced fheep feem, the writer thinks, to be capable of very 

 confiderable improvement ; it does not, indeed, appear, that 

 much has been done for improving that breed, which cer- 

 tainly places them in an unfavourable fituation, when their 

 merits come to be difcufl'ed in oppofition to others which 

 have received great attention. There can hardly be a doubt 

 that the weight of the carcafe and the quantity and quality 

 of the wool might all be increafed, by fufficient care to fe- 

 left the ftrongell, hcalthieft, and belt feeding among them 

 for the purpofe of breeding. It has been obferved, that 

 thofe which feed bed have the greateft quantity of wool, and 

 generally of the bell quality ; and it is natural to fuppofe 

 that it (hould be the cafe, as tliey mull be the healthiell and 

 ftrongell. 



Herefordjhh-e, Rofs, or Ryeland Breed or Variety. — This 

 is a fort of fheep which is diftinguifhed by the author of the 

 •' Treatife on Live Stock," by the want of horns, and having 

 ^yhite legs and faces ; by being fmall in fize ; and the wool 

 growing clofe to the eyes ; by the carcafe being pretty well 

 formed ; and by the excellence of the mutton. Weight per 

 quarter from lolbs. to 1 8 lbs. Wool fine and (liort, the 

 lean poor-fed llieep producing the finell. It is the true 

 breed of this fort of flicep which is properly denominated 

 Ryelands. In the Agricultural Report of that diltricl, 

 they are faid, in fymmetry of (hape, and the flavour of the 

 meat, to be fuperior to molt flocks in the country. They 

 lamb in February and March. It is a breed which, Mr. 

 Knight fays, is found to be remarkably eafy in relpeft to 

 food, but which, in its management, requires cotting in the 

 winter fcafon, and being fed with hay or peas-haulm. In 

 fome cafes they are houied all the year round in the night- 

 time. The cots are low covered buildings, proportioned to 

 the extent of the flock'?. In the Herefordlhire Agricultural 

 Report, it is obferved that the eotting materially contributes 

 to the health of the animal and the finenels of its fleece. 

 The quantity fliorn from each of the fmall original breed 

 does not average more than two pounds ; but the quality is 

 fuch as almoft to rival that imported from Spain. The 

 price has often been as high as thirty-three (hillings the 

 ttone of twelve pounds and a half untrinded, when the coarfe 

 wool has brought but ten or twelve fhillings. They are laid, 

 by CuUey, to fatten the bell at four years old. The Archen- 

 field, or true Herefordlhire breed, is faid to afford the lineft 

 wool, except the Spanifh. It is fuggelled by Mr. Knight, 

 that the difpofition of flieep to fatten in the north-well part 

 of that dillrict is in the proportion to the finenefs of the 

 wool ; but he is not certain of its being fo in this breed ; 

 however, it feems to him that where the wool is clofe and 

 fine, there are many advantages ; lefs nourifhment is drawn 

 from the body in its fupport than in the contrary cafe. The 

 long coarfe-wooHed fleece admits the rain more freely, and 

 bv dividing on the back lets it down to the (kin. It alfo 

 takes in a larger weight of water, which mull more inconve- 

 nience the animal already heavily loaded. The fine clofe 

 fleece of this breed admits the water with difficulty, even 

 when immerfed in it in wafhing, and is never wet through 

 by rain. On account of the clofenefs of the texture, it only 

 lodges on the outlide, and i-, eafily removed by the animal 

 ftiaking itfelf. Befides, a fleece of this kind is much- more 

 warm and light. For thefe reafons it is fuppofed that no 

 breed of fheep in the iflaiid is capable of fubfifting on fo 

 fmall a proportion of food as this. 



This animal, in Mr. Kniglit's opinion, appears to be much 

 more patient of hunger, and to keep itfelf in better condition 

 on a lefs quantity of food than any other which he has had 



an opportunity of obferving. To the great fcantincfs of : 

 the pallure on which it is ulually condemned to feed, is to 

 be attributed the finenefs of its fleece ; for the quahty of 

 this becomes immediately impaired by a copious fupply of 

 food ; and this circumflance fhould be attended to, in every 

 county where thefe fheep are introduced. 



Some attention ha-, lately been paid to its improvement, 

 and although the wool is fomewhat lefs fine in its quality 

 than it formerly was, it is Hill the fineil in the ifland, with 

 the exception of the Spanifh fort recently imported ; and 

 the animal mull be allowed, on the whole, to have been con- 

 fiderably benefited. The quantity of wool afforded by the 

 improved fort of Rvelands, although increafed, is flill far 

 from large ; a three -years old wether rarely yielding more than 

 three pounds and a half. But as a large number of fheep 

 will fubfill on a fmall portion of ground, and the wool is Hill 

 worth two Ihillings and fixpence the pound, its value, com- 

 pared with the quantity of foodconfumed by the animals, is 

 probably much greater than that afforded by any other breed. 



And the Ryeland fheep readily acquires, on a very mode- 

 rate pallure, that degree of tatnels which renders its flefh 

 more acceptable, but it is wholly incapable of being loaded 

 with fat in tlie manner of Mr. Bakewell's. It appears to 

 him to fatten fomewhat more quickly than thofe he has feen 

 of the South Down breed. 



In tlie Agricultural Survey of Herefordlhire it is fug- 

 gefled, that a crofs between the Ryeland and real Spanifh 

 feems the mofl probable mode of adding to the finenels and 

 value of the wool ; and amongfl many fpirited breeders who 

 are now making the experiment, colonel Scudamore of Kent- 

 church, fold the fleeces of a flock fo crofTed at forty fhillings 

 per Hone, in the fair at Rofs, in the courfe of lall year. The 

 firll ftage of the crofs materially detra<ils from tlie beauty of 

 the Ryeland's form, but by continued attention, this ob- 

 jection will probably be removed, and the flavour of the 

 mutton is uninjured. Lord Somerville has found that they 

 feed quickly, and weigh heavily, although their form be not 

 attractive ; but perhaps form in this animal is of little com- 

 parative confequence. An ox rarely fattens well, or has 

 flefli of good quality, unlefs it be in one particular Ihape ; 

 but fheep fatten well, and the meat is of prime quahty in 

 thofe of very different forms. Two Leicefters which were . 

 fed by Mr. Hewer, of Abergavenny, and flaughtered be- ff 

 fore the Agricultural Society of this county in March laft, ' 

 weighed no lefs than fifty-one pounds in each fore-quarter, 

 and forty-five in each hind-quarter. But notwithllanding 

 this great weight, the Leicelters are often found lefs heavy 

 than they appear to be, whilll the half Spanifh weighs more 

 than is generally expefted from its fize. 



A crofs of the Merino on the Ryeland breed has been tried 

 in fome parts of Dcvonfhire with an appearance of fuccefs. 

 The three-years old wethers of this crofs, when fattened to 

 their frame, being, it is faid, eltimated to run from fourteen 

 to fixteeu pounds the quarter, and to throw off from three 

 pounds and a quarter to four pounds of wafhed wool to the 

 fleece. In experiments made by fome on this crofs in other 

 parts. It appears that two-years old wethers of the firll crofs 

 will weigh about fifteen pounds the quarter, and Ihear from 

 fix pounds and a half to feven pounds of wool in the yoak to 

 the fleece, which is worth ts. c/d. the pound. The fheep are, 

 however, greatly expofed to the foot rot. 



The crofs between the Ryeland and the Spanifli has been 

 made in fome other parts, which has completely fucceeded as 

 to fleece, as the produce of the third crofs of this breed 

 readily fells for 3^. 6d. the pound ; it is, however, objefted to 

 by many on account of its not affording an equal acreable 

 proportion of mutton with the native fheep. 



In 





