SHEEP. 



The Berhjhire Breed, or the Vanity called Notts. — This is a 

 fort which the fame writer defcribes by having; confiderable 

 length and bone, (Iraight made like horfes, full fore-flank, 

 Roman faced, with diftinft black fpots, high on the leg, 

 thick fleece, of confiderable length. He fuppofes them to 

 clafs with the long-wooUed breeds, and to probably bear 

 fome affinity to the breed of Oxfordlliire, which is, he is 

 told, a pecuhar variety. 



The pecuhar qualities of the Berkiliire nott breed feem 

 to be its great fjze, height on the legs, and weight when 

 fattened. It would appear, contrary to the opinion of fome, 

 that this breed is well fuited for the ftrong low lands of 

 its native diftriift, though the South Down fort are faft fup- 

 planting it in many places, probably without fufficient ex- 

 perience of them in fuch fituations. In contrafting them 

 with the Iiorned Wiltfhire fheep, it is found by fome that 

 the polled Berklhire or nott fort are as certainly more pro- 

 perly adapted to the low and cold lands, as they are proved 

 to be more hardy for the fold, to fat fooner, and to be lefs 

 liable to injury from the fly, than the horned flieep. When 

 fat, the fheep vary as much as from fourteen to forty pounds 

 the quarter, in weight. Thefe polled or nott (heep are, 

 however, not of fo large a li/.e as the horned fort of the 

 fame dillrift. The fleece of this breed of fheep is not fine, 

 and on the average it will take eight of them to a tod of 

 wool. The mutton is rather coarfe, as in all large breeds of 

 animals. The utility of croffing this breed is by no means 

 decided. Some advife to breed from the bed of this fort, 

 but to crofs for fatteninjr. Crofles are, however, very 

 common between many different forts, a*; between the notts 

 and the Wiltlhires, the Cotfwolds, the Leicefters, and dif- 

 ferent mixed breeds. 



The Berkfhire nott breed is much valued in fome parts of 

 Oxfordfhire, efpecially for regular breeding as well as Hand- 

 ing the fold. They are llrong, adive, and able to travel, 

 and fold unufually well ; again II which g')od qualities they 

 are, however, long in fattening, &c. The crofs with the 

 Leicefter improves them confiderably, Itill they are fail 

 giving way to the South Down and fome other breeds. 



And it is obferved in the Norfolk Agricultural Report, 

 that the Wiltfhire fheep have proved, in various trials, an 

 unprofitable breed, as well as the Norfolks ; but it is re- 

 markable that for turnips, no fheep are faid, bv many prac- 

 tical and experienced hufbandmcn, to pay better, if fo well. 

 In Hertfordfhire, many who turnip-feed adhere to that 

 breed, who admit the South Downs to be a fuperior fort for 

 grafs-feeding. 



Heath-Croppers or Wmdfor Forejl Breed or Viirtfty. — This is 

 a fniall ill-fliaped breed of little value, found abundantly in the 

 paridies which lie within the precintls of the fore!l of 

 Windfor in Berklliire. It is a breed wliich affords a very 

 fweet kind of mutton. A quarter of it will weigh about 

 twelve or fourteen pounds. And in regard to the wuol, 

 about thirteen fleeces will make a tod. It is of equal value 

 with that of the South Down breed. The term heath- 

 croppers is very commonly, though vulgarly, applied to fheep 

 of this breed. 



The South Down Breed or Variety. — This is a very valuable 

 fort of fheep, which CuUey has dillinguifiied by having no 

 horns, grey faces and leg?, fine bone?, long fmall necks, 

 and by being rather low before, high on the flioulder, and 

 Lght in the fore -quarter, fides good, loin tolerably broad, 

 back-bone rather high, thigh full, twifl good, mutton fine 

 in grain, and well-flavoured. Wocl lliort, very clofe and 

 fine, in the length of the ftaple from two to three inches. 

 Weight per quarter in wethers at two years old 1 8 lbs. It 

 is a breed which prevails on the dry chalky downs in Suflex, 

 as well as the hills of Surrey and Keut, and which has lately 



been much improved both in carcafe and wool, being much 

 enlarged forward, carrying a good fore-flank ; and for the 

 ftiort lefs fertde hilly paftures is an excellent fort, as feeding 

 clofe. The (heep are hardy, and difpofed to fatten quickly j 

 and ts'here the ewes are full kept, they frequently produce 

 twin lambs, nearly in the proportion of one-third of the 

 whole, which are, when dropped, well-woolled. The we^ 

 thers are capable of being difpofed of at an early age, being 

 feldom kept longer than two years old, and often fed at 

 eighteen months ; which is a very valuable property. But 

 according to the Suifex Agricultural Survey, the ewes are 

 commonly kept till between four and five, and found to 

 anfwer well to the graziers in the neighbourhood, as well as 

 the farmers in Norfolk and the adjoining counties, in the 

 place of home-bred fheep, as being more expeditious feeders, 

 and equally adapted for the purpofe of the fold. It has 

 been obferved, tliat it is in faft a breed of flieep which, from 

 the compatlnefs of their form, and their legs being (horter, 

 confiderably outweigh both the Dorfet and Norfolk breeds, 

 in proportion to the fize of the carcate, being heavy in a 

 fmall conipafs. Their hardinefs is ellimated according to 

 the darknefs of the colour in the face and legs ; but as there 

 is inconvenience in the produce on this account, from the 

 wool, efpecially about the head and neck, becoming fpotted 

 with black, and thereby thrown afide by the ftapler, as only 

 of half the full value, a middle degree of colour may be 

 bed. As an open country breed, they are fufficiently gentle 

 and traftable. They are capable of travelling well, and of 

 refifting the effefts of expofure to cold. The wool is 

 fcarcely, if at all, inferior in finenefs to that of the Here- 

 fordfliire kind ; as the praftice of forting, which is commoa 

 in that diflrift, is not in ufe on the Downs. The excellent 

 properties of this breed have been brought fully to the 

 notice of the farmer, by the great patrons of improvement 

 in Bedfordlhire and Norfolk, and its fuperior merits on trial 

 have been fuch as to have induced the fheep-farmers in va- 

 rious dill rifts to introduce them in preference to other 

 breeds. It is ft:ated, in the Annals of Agriculture, that 

 they have been found to confume lefs food, in proportion to 

 weight, than the Norfolks, yet keeping in better order. 

 Young flieep produce the beil Iambs ; the crones are of 

 courfe conftantly fold at four or five years old ; and if it 

 were done earlier, it is fuppofed, it would be more profit- 

 able. The author of the " General Treatile on Cattle" fug- 

 geft;s, that the mod noted variety is that of Mr. EUman, of 

 Glynd, in Suffex, who, he believes, firlt enlarged the Down 

 breed, by the aid of polled or nott Berkftiire tups. From 

 this enlarged crofs, he undcrftands, originated the flocks 

 of the duke of Bedford and Mr. Coke ; the South Down* 

 of Mr. Coke being generally acknowledged the largelt and 

 fined in England, a very pregnant proof of which was given 

 at lord Somerville's cattle fliow, in a two-fliear Holkhara 

 South Down wether, which weighed more than 40 lbs. per 

 quarter. Although quick and early feeders, they tallow 

 within remarkably. And in anfwer to the complaints of 

 thofe who knew the old Down Iheep, that their wool is be- 

 come fo much coarfer than formerly, from the modern habit 

 of feeding the dieep with rape, cabbage, and oil-cake ; they 

 feem totally to forget the middle and long-woolled crofs, by 

 which the carcafe of the South Downs of the prefent day 

 has been enlarged, and their weiglit of wool increafed, and 

 rendered more coarfe. The mutton is llill excellent, al'. 

 though probably not fo high-flavoured as the old Down 

 mutton. It is alfo further fuggeded, that it would be dif- 

 ficult to peint out any part of the ifland for which this breed 

 would be unfit, but extremely eafy to name a vad number 

 of didrifts where it would be a mod advantageous fubdi- 

 tute for the native docks. It is fuppofed, that all the 



South 



