5i6 



Cross-Breeding for Mutton. 



[dec, 



oats, with hay and cut swedes ad lib. The ewes of this cross 

 are handsome, compact sheep, of good size, with fleeces of the 

 best quaHty ; they inherit the good milking qualities of the 

 Cheviot, are free yeaners — seldom bringing single lambs if in 

 good condition at tupping time — and easily fatten while 

 suckling a pair of lambs. Tens of thousands of half-bred 

 lambs and thousands of draft ewes of this cross are sold 

 annually at the autumn store sheep sales of Scotland, a large 

 proportion of which come across the Border, the lambs for 

 winter fattening and the ewes for early lamb-breeding. 



The Black-faced — Border-Leicester cross prevails in the 

 adjacent districts of Cumberland and Westmorland, of which 

 the market town of Penrith is the centre. Some thousands of 

 these " grey-faced " lambs and draft ewes, as they are locally 

 named, are sold in the Penrith Auction Mart every autumn. 

 These sheep are not so compact in make as the half-bred white- 

 face just described, nor do they carry wool of such good 

 quality ; but for good feeding qualities and high-class mutton, 

 with plenty of lean, they would be difficult to beat. The ewes 

 have the excellent milking qualities of the Black-face, and 

 mostly drop couples. Early lambs of this cross, having a little 

 colour in their faces, take the market well. 



For high-lying tillage farms, the Herdwick — Border- Leicester 

 ^cross sheep are excellent ; their mutton is of the very best, 

 :they are hardy and good sized and good thrivers, but the ewes 

 -are- not so prolific as those of the other two crosses, and the 

 -fleece is coarser. 



A very favourite first cross along the adjacent Westmorland 

 and Yorkshire borders is that of the Black-face — Wensleydale. 

 Sheep of this cross also go by the name of " Grey-faced." The 

 lambs are rapid growers, and the mutton is of high repute, but 

 they fatten more easily when nearly full-grown than as young 

 jlambs ; they are therefore better adapted for the mutton market 

 lhan the lamb market. The Border-Leicester sire certainly 

 scores over the Wensleydale as a producer of fat lambs ; but the 

 latter has a special value as a sire for a second cross, as 

 will be noticed later. 



Second Crosses, — Coming now to the second cross, the Border- 

 Leicester ram has not much advantage over the rams of other 



