SHEEP. 



Jng tliem on a carriage to prevent them from galling and 

 exhaulling tlic animal. Thefe appendages are moitly alfo 

 efteemed a great delicacy, being of a nature between fat 

 and marrow. Further, fome of this breed of fhcep, efpe- 

 cially thofe of the mountainous forts, have a wool of extra- 

 ordinary length and finenels, from which are made the ex- 

 penfive Indian fhawls, and fome other fabricks. 



And the Guinea breed of (heep, faid to be common in 

 tropical climates, is large, ftrong, and fwift, and though 

 domefticatcd, are often found in a wild ftate ; having coarle, 

 hairy coats, fliort horns, pendulous ears, and a fort of dew- 

 lap under the chin. 



What is called the Madagafcar breed of /heep, is alfo of 

 a good fize, and well covered with a clofe pile of fmooth 

 glolfy hair in the place of wool. 



Tlie Buckharian breed of Jlieep is alfo hairy, -and kept in 

 large flocks in Great Tartary. The ifland of Antigua has 

 likewife a breed of the fame kind. Sheep of this fort 

 were imported from Spain by fir Jofeph Banks, with coats 

 as fleek and fmooth as thofe of a horfe, and which never at 

 any feafon exhibited the lead appearance of wool or down, 

 or any thing of a fimilar kind. 



It may be noticed, that it has been well ftated in a late 

 praftical work, that in the breeds of flieep there are evident 

 diffLrences in their iizes, forms, fle(h, wool, and other pro- 

 perties, that admirably adapt them for different forts of 

 paftures, fituations, and ufes of the farmer. And that the 

 large long-woolled breeds, from their being more (low, 

 heavy, and tame in their difpolitions than mod other kinds, 

 are in general the molt proper for the rich inclofed pafture 

 diftridls : the breeds which poflefs greater length in the legs, 

 more activity in walking, and a lefs burthen of wool, are 

 fuited to the more elevated lands, fuch as the downs, moors, 

 and heaths in different parts of the ifland, where the paf- 

 turage is lefs fertile and luxuriant ; and tint the fmall light 

 carcafed hardy breeds are molt adapted to the expofed moun- 

 tiinous fituations, where the food is more fparing, and ob- 

 tained with greater difficulty and expence. And in the 

 Rural Economy of the Midland Counties, it has been ob- 

 ferved that a very long-woolled breed of fheep, as the old 

 Lincolnihire or Teefwater fort, is iiecefl'ary alfo in the view 

 of our fineil worlted manufactures ; and another, fuch as 

 that of the neiu Leicefler, for the inferior kind of grafs- 

 lands, and the rich inclofed arable lands, where the folding 

 fyltem is not in ufe ; for the fupplying the materials of the 

 coarfcr forts of vvorlteds, flockings, baize, coarle cloths, 

 blankets, carpets, and other articles of the fame kind ; 

 while a middle-woolled breed, as the Wiltfhire, the Nor- 

 folk, or the South Down, is wanted for the well-foiled 

 arable lands, where the practice of the fold is in ufe, in the 

 view of making cloths of the narrow medium kinds ; a very 

 fine-woolk'd breed, as the Hereforfhire Rycland, for the fineil 

 cloths ; and the Sliropfhire, or fome of the more hardy 

 breeds, for the heathy mountainous fituations. The Spanilh 

 and Cheviot forts may alfo be proper in the lad intentions. 

 What is therefore chiefly neceffary to be regarded in the in- 

 troducing of new breeds of fheep, is to confider with atten- 

 tion the nature and fituation of the pallures on which they 

 are to be fupportcd, and to carefully avoid making ufe of 

 larger or finer breeds than can be properly fullained ; as 

 upon due management in this refpeft, much of the fucccis 

 in the improvement of fhecp-dock mud necetlarily depend. 

 Where bettering the form of the animal, and improving the 

 quality of the wool or coat, are the principal objefts, 

 tliey may be effedted by judicious croffing with proper 

 breeds for the particular purpofe, on the principles that 



have been explained in fpeaking of tlie nature of breeding, 

 and which is farther (hewn below. (See Bueed, Breeding, 

 and Y.iv\i.-Stock.) Indeed this lalt circumdance i;; one 

 which fliould particularly engage the notice of the farmer in 

 the bufinefs of docking his lands with fhcep, as it feems 

 from numerous datements, that wool of the lined quality 

 may be produced in this country by means of Spanifh flieep, 

 and their being properly eroded with our fine-wooUcd breeds, 

 which IS a matter of the greatell national importance, as 

 affording a probable means of rendering us independent of 

 the foreign fupply of this expenfive but indifpenlible article. 

 The breeding (heep-farmer fhould therefore be particularly 

 intereded in promoting this fort of improvement, in all 

 fituations where the nature of his land will admit of it, 

 which lord Somerville has (hewn may be the cafe in mod 

 indances where the fliort-woolled breeds of flieep can be 

 properly kept, or probably on more than one-half of the 

 padure-lands of the ifland. And he has remarked that 

 there is one inducement to this, which is that of its not in- 

 terfering with the produftion of the mod valuable fort of 

 mutton, a point to which the fiieep-breedcrs of this coun- 

 try have till lately been particularly attentive, almod with- 

 out regarding the quality ef the wool : as it has been found 

 that the quality of the flefli in the different divifions of fheep 

 inclines to the nature of the wool, the (hort-woolled (heep 

 being clofe in the grain of their flefh, of courfe heavy in the 

 fcale, and in the tade high-flavoured ; while the polled long- 

 woolled fort are more open and loofe in this refpeft, larger 

 in fize, and the mutton more coarfe, and in general lefs 

 faleable in the different markets in the kingdom. 



In fheep there are certain good or bad qualities, properties, 

 or difpofitions which mark their value and importance in the 

 view of the farmer, grazier, and breeder. That fuch cer- 

 tain peculiar properties and difpofitions prevail, is well 

 known to experienced perfons of thefe defcriptions, by 

 (heep in exactly fimilar circumdances in every refpeft be- 

 coming more or lefs quickly in the date of fatnefs, &c.; as 

 an improved difpofition in them fignifies an aptitude to con- 

 vert their food or nourifhment into flefh and fat. Thus, in 

 a number of (heep of the fame kind and age, under the very 

 fame management, when handled, a vad difference will be 

 found in their condition and date of fatnefs, &c. Some 

 will be in a ftate to go off many months before the others 

 are ready, although put on the fame land in equal flefh ; and 

 others, though kept far beyond the ufual period of time, 

 will never get into fufficient condition. The difpofition of 

 the former mud, of courfe, be very beneficial and defirable 

 to fuch flicep-farmers, as well as advantageous to the com- 

 munity, while that of the latter is quite the reverfe. This is 

 likewife the cafe in the breeding of ewes, as thofe which have 

 it moil are in the bed date at the lambing time. But there 

 arc, it is fuppofed, fome indances of exception in this and 

 other defcriptions of fheep, which poflefs good qualities, 

 that have bad properties, which fuch flieep improvers as the 

 above fhould alfo be careful in detecting, otherwife they may 

 be liable to lultain coufiderable injury and lofs : and it is fre- 

 quently feen on killing different kinds of flieep, that there 

 is great difference in individuals of the fame breed and 

 variety. 



There are feveral circumdances which are fuppofed to 

 form or contribute to this goodnels of difpofition in thefe 

 animals ; they mult be well bred, or come from fuch as have 

 good properties ; they mud not be permitted ever to be in 

 a ftate of want of food, or be reduced in flelh ; they mull 

 have conllantly good food in luflicicnt abundance, the 

 richer, to fome extent, the better ; they mutt have their 

 X frame 



