Practical Agriculture. 
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vll-shapetl, thick-woolled, white-faced, with a tuft of wool on 
t3 forehead, and thin horns, rather bending backward — crossed 
tth the larger Somerset horned sheep ; and the most marked 
iiprovement in early maturity and grazing qualities have been 
nde by skilful selection during the last twenty years, notably by 
:. H. Mayo. Dorsets are unrivalled for producing the earliest 
1 lambs for the London and other markets, as the ewes when 
Ijhly fed will take the ram in April, or at almost any period, 
'ley drop a greater proportion of twins and triplets than any 
cier breed, and are most excellent nurses. The lambs yeaned l^arly Lamb, 
i October or November are, with good feeding, generally ready 
I the butcher in about ten or eleven weeks, and the ewes 
( ickly fattened afterwards attain to 20 or 25 lbs. per quarter, 
iuthdown rams are generally used when the object is to pro- 
c:e lambs for winter killing. Dorset sheep are usually shorn 
ithe middle of June, when the ewes yield .5 to 6 lbs. of wool, 
al the lambs 2^ to 3 lbs. The value is about the same as that 
I Devon wool ; and, according to Mr. Paull, the Dorset lamb's 
vol is sought after for its peculiar whiteness and the fine point 
i las. Graziers from the metropolitan counties, from Hamp- 
sre, and from the Isle of Wight, purchase large numbers of 
I rset ewes at the Wilts and Hants fairs, for the production of 
e ly or house-fed lamb. 
Exmoors. — Native to the lofty hill region of West Somer- Exmoor sheep, 
s is the Exmoor or Porlock breed of sheep — with white faces 
a I legs; taper horns, curving downward and outward; close- 
s long-stapled fleeces, with wool well up to their cheeks ; 
p uliarly rounded instead of square-formed carcass ; broad 
las, though with slack girth behind the shoulder ; high necks ; 
a . famed for their fine-flavoured mutton, and for their very 
s mg constitution, which enables them to endure great cold 
a I privations during protracted falls of snow. 
The ewes are prolific, and excellent nurses ; but the breed are 
sl'j^gish feeders. The common sorts, fat at three or four years 
') , weigh 12 lbs. to 15 lbs. per quarter; and the fleece weighs 
) )s. or G lbs. But great improvement has been effected during 
I; years by careful and judicious in-and-in-breeding, by Sir 
I )mas Dyke Acland, Lord Poltimore, Mr. James Quartly, Mr. 
1^ Stranger, Mr. Robert Paramour, and Messrs. Tapp ; and 
iteen-months old wethers from the flocks of these breeders 
weigh 20 lbs. per quarter ; while older sheep attain 28 lbs. 
p quarter. 
f clsh Mountain Sheep. — Attempts to supersede the native Welsh moun- 
p of the Welsh mountains, which vary, but are not materially ''''n sheep, 
rent, in the northern and southern counties of the Prin- 
ility, have not been successful. Mr. Morgan Evans de- 
