Comparative Fattening Qualities of Sheep. 

 Table X. 



429 









Total Amouut 



from 

 thfi 40 Sheep. 



Aver;i'j;e, 

 per Head. 



Proportion ot 

 Wool to 100 

 Live Wviuhi of 

 Aiiim.il. 







Wool shorn from the Hamp-1 

 shires, March 27 . . j 



lbs. 



■2o0| 



lbs. oz. 



6 4 



3-77 







Ditto Sussex, March 27 



225 



0 10 



4-57 







Difference 



-^4 



0 10 



0-SO 





The larger sheep, the Hampshire, o:ives then an average of 6j 

 lbs. of wool per head, and the smaller one, the Sussex, 5 lbs. 

 10 oz. If, however, we consider these quantities in relation to 

 the weights of the animals at the time thev were shorn respec- 

 tively, we see, as in the 3rd column of the Table, that the Hamp- 

 shire, though probably by some weeks an older sheep, gives only 

 3*77 per cent., or 3f lbs. of wool per 100 lbs. weight of animal, 

 whilst the Sussex gives 4* 57 per cent., or rather more than 4^ lbs. 

 of wool upon every iOO lbs. live weight. The quality of the 

 wool of the Sussex sheep is also rather superior to that of the 

 Hampshire, but to this point we shall presently recur. 



The result is, then, that the Sussex sheep, with a live weight of 

 only about three-fourths that of the Hampshire, has given nine- 

 tenths as much wool, which is equivalent to one- fifth more wool 

 yielded by the Sussex sheep upon an equal live weight of 

 animal. 



It is said that although the Sussex sheep does not come so 

 early to maturity as the Hampshire, yet, when fit for the butcher, 

 not only does it give a larger proportion of carcass and less of 

 offal, but that the price of the meat is higher, and also that of the 

 wool, and sufficiently so to compensate for any disadvantages in 

 other respects. But before entering upon the question of the 

 money result of the experiment, we will give the particulars of 

 the proportions of carcass and of loose fat, Sic, of some of the 

 animals, which were killed at home with a view of deciding upon 

 the comparative qualities of the two breeds in these respects. 



It was our object, indeed, so to complete the experiment that, 

 as far as possible, it should include a comparison of the degree of 

 maturity of the animals, and the money result up to the time to 

 which we have already brought this Report, and also give some 

 information as to the relative productive qualities of the two 

 breeds under a more lengthened course of feeding. Vs ixh. this 

 view it was determined to kill 16 of each lot at home, and send 

 the carcasses to Newgate jVJarket — to send 16 of each alive to 

 Smithfield, and to feed the remaining 8 of each until Christmas. 



