1906.] 



Cross-Breeding for Mutton. 



517 



large breeds in the matter of begetting lambs that come easier 

 to the birth ; for the first -cross ewes above described are 

 large and roomy enough to give birth quite naturally to fairly 

 large-headed and wide-shouldered lambs. Rams of the following 

 breeds are used on these half-bred ewes : — Border-Leicester, 

 Oxford Down, Wensleydale, Shropshire Down, Leicester, 

 Lincoln, and latterly Suffolk Down. The first-named was 

 much more largely used than all the others put together ; but 

 the Oxford Down, especially on white-faced cross ewes, is 



Scotch Black-face— Border-Leicester Cro^s Ewes (" Grey-faced Ewes"). 



coming rapidly into favour, as may be seen from the large and 

 increasing numbers sent in recent years to the great ram sales 

 of the North, at Kelso and elsewhere. The plump, dark-faced 

 close-coated lambs of this Cheviot — Border- Leicester — Oxford 

 cros's are great favourites with the butchers, and carry more 

 lean than lambs produced by the use of the Border- Leicester ram 

 a second time; and even on the grey-faced ewes, except for 

 fat lambs, the Wensleydale ram is to be preferred to the 

 Border- Leicester. In fact, the heaviest cross-bred sheep pro- 

 duced in Cumberland and Westmorland are those of the Black- 



