of different Breeds of Sheep. 
85 
hardiness or power of resistance to cold from without, bespeak 
more of motive or muscular activity, and a larger respiratory 
expenditure, and consequently greater resource of internal tem- 
perature. It is in this way that we pay for the increased quality 
of the meat, induced by a greater circulatory activity of the fluids 
■of the body, and a slower and less massive deposition of fat. 
We must not, however, place the whole of the extra food 
consumed to the cost of the mutton and wool ; for most of its 
nitrogen will be recovered in the manure, the value of which 
will therefore be increased in a certain degree in proportion to 
the extra food consumed. Then, again, a due consideration of 
the invaluable working qualities, and the more choice mutton of 
the hardier kinds of sheep, which always give them the pre- 
ference over the earlier fattening long-woolled breeds in certain 
localities, with certain descriptions of farming, and in certain 
markets, will at once show that any conclusions from the com- 
parison of cost, brought out in these experiments with very liberal 
feeding and protection from the weather, must be applied with 
much caution, in seeking to form an estimate of the comparative 
qualities of the different breeds under widely different cir- 
cumstances. 
In conclusion : it must be admitted, that, as is already well 
known, the Downs and their crosses are better adapted to ex- 
posure and activity than the long-woolled sheep. It would 
5eem, however, that when liberally fed, and protected from in- 
clement weather, the long-wools, especially the Cotswolds, will 
yield a larger amount of gross increase for a given amount of 
food consumed than the Downs or crosses. The average prices 
of Down, and also of cross-bred mutton and wool, are, liowever, 
higher than for those of the long-wools ; but not sufficiently so 
to compensate for the cost of the extra food consumed. It would 
appear, therefore, that when equally fitted to climate, locality, 
and system of farming adopted, both as to their rearing and fatten- 
ing qualities, and when on the other hand what may be termed 
a fancy or over average price for Down mutton is not attainable, 
those animals yielding most mutton and wool for a given quantity 
of food, will have an advantage in supplying the demand of the 
masses of the population. The cross-breds, however, seem to 
have in several respects very valuable intermediate qualities be- 
tween the hardy Downs and the more rapidly fattening long- 
wools ; though it must not be forgotten that these advantages of 
the cross-breds cannot be maintained unless the pure breeds from 
which they are derived are duly cultivated and kept up. And it 
