Cross-Breeding for Mutton. 



[dec, 



through on the scanty herbage of the fells, so long as the ground 

 is not covered with frozen snow. Closely following the Herdwick 

 for hardiness are the Black-faced mountain and the Limestone 

 sheep. Without these sheep very little fell farming would be 

 possible, and there would be no means of profitably turning 

 to account the mountain herbage in these districts. But they 

 are small sheep, coarse in the wool, slow in maturing, and too 

 wandering in habit to settle down quietly to feed in small fields 

 and folds ; consequently, as distinct breeds, they are not profit- 

 able for stocking tillage farms, which are comparatively highly 

 rented, and on which the production of rapidly-maturing lamb 

 and mutton is aimed at and quick returns looked for. On 

 the other hand, all three breeds are renowned for the large 

 proportion of lean meat in the carcase, and for the sweet and 

 fine-grained quality of their flesh. The Cheviot has a fleece of 

 fine quality, and is a much tamer sheep than those just 

 described. It is very compactly made, and yields mutton of the 

 highest quality. Of the pure mountain breeds it is certainly 

 the best adapted for fattening on the lowland farms, though it 

 is small in size. 



First Crosses. — When these mountain sheep are crossed with 

 any of the large-sized quick-growing breeds, they produce 

 lambs of excellent quality, quickly maturing, and very profit- 

 able, either for the butcher or for breeding from as cross-bred 

 ewes. 



For the first cross the Border- Leicester ram is the one most in 

 favour for use on these mountain ewes in Scotland and the North 

 of England. Like all sheep of the long-woolled breeds —Border- 

 Leicester, Leicester, Lincoln, and Cotsv/old — it carries far too 

 great a proportion of fat in its carcase ; but it is a large, early- 

 maturing sheep, with excellent fleece, and begets good-backed 

 lambs that both grow and fatten rapidly. It has also the 

 important recommendation of having a narrow head, which is 

 inherited by the lambs, and so the difficulty to the small 

 mountain ewes of lambing large lambs is not materially 

 increased by its use as sire. Where rams of the Down 

 breeds are used, lambing difficulties and losses are numerous, 

 owing to the large heads of the lambs. South country 

 farmers frequently raise the objection to the Cheviot — 



