300 
The Agriculture of Staffordshire. 
of resemblance'whlch modern breeders are now obliterating, viz., 
the arched back, dropping behind the shoulders, the long coun- 
tenance and bare head, the long limbs, and the speckled face and 
legs. The original breed had a short light fleece, of about 3 lbs., 
and a carcase which might be fattened at three years old to 8 or 
even 9 stone ; the derivative animal has a deep, heavy fleece, a 
compact form, a close-woolled head, the dark face of a Down, 
and a frame weighing 10 stone at thirteen months, without 
•extraordinary treatment. 
The breeder's art has been skilfully exercised in many flocks 
of local repute, and the means employed may be traced in the 
great variety of character which appears in the sheep commonly 
kept and commonly called Shropshires, which, however diverse 
in appearance, have in general the common quality of doing 
well on grass, or on seeds. They are extremely good mothers, 
and there is good evidence that the yield of lambs in many flocks 
is 150 to 100 ewes. 
The native breeds on other heaths and commons have assumed 
characters varying with the soil and other circumstances ; that on 
Whittington Heath, near Lichfield, has the same appearance as 
the Cannock sheep, but is rather larger. 
There is every mixture of white, black, and rusty-haired pigs 
kept on the dairy farms, and fattened on whey. Many farmers 
keep two or three sows ; but the principal supply of store pigs 
comes from the breeding district of Shrojishire. The sort kept is 
generally the bacon-hog of the large breed. 
Many farmers breed their own horses, and large numbers are 
brought from Wales, Derbyshire, and other breeding counties. 
There are a few of the larger, or dray, horses, and the rest are 
either the smaller-sized, or Welsh, van horse, or the rough-legged 
midland counties' breed. 
Draining. 
A large area in this county until recently required draining ; a 
large extent has been done, and that which remains is chiefly on the 
smaller and less important properties. Like the other great im- 
provements, it has been principally efTected in the last thirty years. 
Under an old, but not the best, systein the tenant found labour, 
the landlord pipes ; recently a large extent of under-draining has 
been done by means of the Lands Improvement Companies, or 
by private expenditure on the part of the more opulent pro- 
prietors. On the whole, the draining under Government in- 
spection has not been well carried out. It was perhaps too 
extensive for thoroughly effective superintendence ; it is too 
costly; and, moreover, the principle of a uniform depth of 
4 feet, when the fall admits, is a bad one. In many instances 
