SHEEP. 



•ur manufaAurers ever greatly encourage the growth of this 

 wool, until it be brought to market, either forted and 

 fcoured like the wools from Spain, or in the fame Itate of 

 purity in the fleece a9 the fine Englilh or Saxon wool. 

 Many manufafturers, who have purchafed it, have been 

 greatly difippointed, not in the quality, which was excel- 

 lent, but in the fraall quantity which remained after fcour- 

 ing. In confequence of the manufadturers declining to 

 purchafe his majefty's wool, it became neceflary to have it 

 manufaftured on his majefty's account, to demonftrate its 

 fitnefs for fuperfine cloths. This was done till the year 

 1796, when it was refolved to fell the wool at the price 

 which was offered, that the manufacturers might have a fair 

 trial. The clip was fold that year for 2s. per pound, and the 

 following year for 23. 2d. In the years 1797 and 1798 

 the wool was forted in the Spanifh manner, and fcoured, 

 after having been previoufly wafhed on the ftieep's back. 

 The following is an account of the produce. 



lbs. 



Eighty-nine ewe and wether fleeces walhed on 1 



the back I ^9J 



Lofs by fubfequent fcouring - - . . ^2 



Pure wool 



203 



Which yielded, Rafinos, or R wool, 167 lbs. at ^s. 

 Finos, or F wool, 23 lbs. at 3J. 6d. 

 Terceros, or T wool, 13 lbs. at 2s. 6J. 



In 1798 one hundred and one ewe and wether] 



fleeces, waftied in the fame manner, yielded - j 



Lofs by fubfequent fcouring .... 



Pure wool ....... 



Of which there was Rafinos, 207 lbs. at 5/. 6d. 

 Finos, 28 lbs. at 3^. 6d. 

 Terceros, 19 lbs. at 2s. 



The rams' fleeces of both clips - - - 



Lofs by fubfequent fcouring .... 



Pure wool ....... 



lbs. 



346 

 92 



254 



lbs. 



99 

 215 



Of wliich there was Rafinos, iSi lbs. at 4^. 6(/. 



Finos, 22 lbs. at 3j-. Ciil. 



Terceros, 1 2 lbs. at Zj. 

 The prices have, fince that time, progreflively incrcafed 

 with the price of Spani(h wool, and have been nearly equal 

 to that of the bcft piles from Spain. In the year 1 801, 

 the right lionourable lord Somerville took a voyage to the 

 peninfula, for the purpofe of feledling luch flieep as united 

 in the greateft degree the excellence of the fleece with a 

 good carcafe. His efforts were in a conliderable degree 

 fuccefsful, and, as far as related to the fleece, completely fo. 

 Since that time, particular political events have incrcafed the 

 facility of procuring Mi-rino fliecp from the various Spanifh 

 flocks ; and the ilock of thefe (heep in England at profcnt 

 is fufficieiitly grt-at to change, m a few years, the wiiole 

 race of (ine-woolled flieep in Great Britain, were fuch a 

 change defirablc. Many of the native flocks of finc-woollcd 

 (heep in England have been confiderably diminiflicd in the 

 laft forty years, owing to the numerous ench)fure8 of forefls 

 and commons, that were formerly only fuited to palturc a 

 race of fmall light flieep ; but which, in conlcquence of im- 

 provement, are now capable of maintaining a heavier race of 

 animals ; the former requiring a light dry foil, and an ex- 



tenfive range ; and the latter, a rich aad more confiaej 

 pafture. The Ryeland (heep in Hereford/hire afford the 

 finell wool in England, of any of our native breeds ; but 

 the pure race is nearly extinft. The fleece weighs lefs than 

 two pounds ; but if generally cleared from the (hank-lockl 

 and ikirts before it is wound, in this ftate it bears the 

 higheft price of any Enghfh fleeces. It i: not a little re- 

 markable, that the pradice of cotting or houfing the flieep 

 is peculiar to Herefordfliire ; and it is not improbable but it 

 may have been originally introduced by the Romans, with 

 the race of flieep from which the Ryelands originally fprung. 

 A mixture of the Ryeland (heep is fpread over fome of 

 the counties adjoining to Herefordlhire, but the number is 

 not very confiderable. The light fandy foil of Norfolk i» 

 paftured by another breed of fine-woolled (heep, wliich 

 lupply a confiderable quantity of fine Englifli wool for the 

 York(hire market ; and it polfeiles, in an eminent degree, 

 the property of foftnefs, when manufaAured, which i* 

 wanting in many of our Englifli wools. The original Nor- 

 folk breed have black faces and fpiral horns, frnall, long, 

 thin carcafes, with long black or grey legs. The fleece 

 weighs from one pound and a half to two pounds. The 

 form of the animal is not fuch as to recommend it to the 

 grazier, but it has been greatly improved by an intermix- 

 ture with the South Down breed. Mr. Coke of Hoik- 

 ham, the celebrated agriculturalift of Norfolk, has difpofed 

 of his native flocks of that county, from a conviAion, 

 founded on long experience, that they arc an unprofitable 

 breed. The principal recommendation of this breed wa« 

 the excellence of their wool ; and they might be well fuited 

 to the former uncultivated ftate of the fandy tracks in that 

 diftria. 



Of all the native fine-woolled breeds of England, the 

 South Downs appear to poflefs, in the moft eminent de- 

 gree, the combined advantage of excellence of form, with 

 a fuperior quality of the fleece. The average weight of 

 the two-year old wethers is 18 pounds per quarter; the 

 mutton is fine-grained, and of an excellent flavour. The 

 weight of the fleece of the fineft kinds is about two pounds 

 on the average. Some of the coarfe fleeces exceed three 

 pounds. The South Down breed takes its name from the 

 diftridl on which thele flieep were originally cultivated. It 

 is a long range of ratiier elevated chalk hills, extending 

 from the fonth-wellern fide of the counties of Kent and 

 Surrey, through Suflex, into Haiiipfliirc, confifting of 

 open downs, well fuited tor (heep-walk.-.. 



The animal has no iiorns ; its face .ind legs are gre^'; 

 the bones fine, and the form compad. It has indeed been 

 greatly improved of late years, by the particular care of in- 

 telligent growers. The Lambs are generally dropped from 

 the middle of March to the end of April. If the ewes have 

 been well kept, one-third will be twins. The wethers are 

 fit for the butcher in two years ; many graziers fatten them 

 at 18 months. From the South Downs thefe flieep have 

 been fent to diflerent parts of the kingdom ; and in all dry 

 and rather clcvrited fituations they will prcfcrve the excel- 

 lent qualities of their wool. Indeed, in all fituations where 

 the foil is covered by a good dole herbage, and the fubfoil 

 is not calcareous, the wool will be of a luperior quality to 

 what the fame animal would produce on the chalky downs 

 of Suflex. Of this we have had decifive proofs. The 

 South Downs, though in many reljoedts well (uiled to 

 (heep, yet in thofe parts where the chalk is ixpofed, or 

 near the furface, the calcareous particles get intcrnuxed 

 with the yolk or natural greafe of the fleece, and produce a 

 degree of harflinefs in the wool, which is very perceptible, 

 wiien it is manufaftured into cloth : it alfo injures the fclt- 

 3 M 2 in^. 



