520 Cross-Breeding for Mutton. [dec, 



is preferable to the Wensleydale, while for rapidly-growing 

 stores the Wensleydale is to be preferred ; and there will be 

 more lean flesh in those sired by the latter. The lambs from 

 the Black-face — Border- Leicester ewes by the Border-Leicester 

 tup did remarkably well, a couple of early single lambs of this 

 cross being sold fat at 7 weeks old weighing 63 lb. each. 



It will be observed that rams of two of the most early- 

 maturing English breeds of sheep have been omitted from 

 the above list, viz., the Hampshire Down and Cotswold. The 

 former has been tried, but is said not to do well in the North, 

 one of the objections being the closeness of the fleece, which is 

 said to hold the wet too long for the rainy Cumberland and 

 Westmorland climate. Its high percentage of lean flesh would 

 be a valuable contribution to the qualities of lambs from Leices- 

 ter-cross ewes. The Cotswold would not in the same way im- 

 prove the quality of the flesh. 



The pure breeds of sheep kept in the district of which we 

 are speaking, viz., the four northern counties of England and 

 the Border counties of Scotland, are the mountain breeds 

 above named, and a few excellent flocks of pure Border- 

 Leicesters, Oxford Downs, and Wensleydales for the production 

 of rams for crossing purposes. 



The breeders of mountain sheep generally sell their draft 

 ewes to the lowland farmer after three lambings to be mated 

 in good time with a Border- Leicester ram for the fourth lambing. 

 These ewes are then sold fat off good pasture as soon after 

 the lambs are sold or weaned as their condition will allow. 

 The earliest of these first-cross lambs may be sold fat as lambs, 

 the remainder of them may be fattened off on turnips as prime 

 hogg (teg) mutton, or wintered well on grass and fattened later 

 for the following summer's mutton market. But the best of the 

 cross-bred ewe lambs are reared for breeding purposes. The 

 wether lambs of the pure mountain breeds are allowed to take 

 their time to grow and fatten on their native fells and do not 

 come into the mutton market except as shearlings or two-shear 

 sheep. A Herdwick two-shear fat wether is the acme of mutton 

 production for quality and flavour. 



W. T. Lawrence. 



