232 
TIlc various Breeds of Sheep in Great Britain. 
animal than that of other mountain districts. The wethers are 
usually kept till they are three years old, when they fatten readily 
on turnips, and are sent to market weighing on the average from 
70 to 80 lbs. each. Owing to the climate, the lambing is very 
late, not until the end of April or the beginning of May. This 
is always a period of anxiety, as great attention and care are 
required. The ewes are good mothers ; in some districts it is 
still the practice to milk them for six or eight weeks. This, 
though yielding a small produce in cheese, is very detrimental to 
both the ewes and the lambs, who are injured to a greater extent 
than the return obtained by the sale of the cheese. The breed 
is met with throughout the whole of Scotland and in the border 
counties of England. In Ireland and Wales also it has been 
introduced very successfully into several of the more elevated 
districts. The fleece averages about 5 lbs. The wool is of 
medium length and quality. The practice of smearing or salving- 
the sheep before winter is becoming less general every year ; it 
is now confined chiefly to the more elevated districts or the more 
exposed pastures of the northern counties. The operation, 
intended chiefly as a protection from the climate, has the effect of 
lowering the value of the fleece, while at the same time it entails 
a certain cost both in materials and in labour. The Cheviots 
have been crossed successfully with the Leicester and South 
Downs ; in both cases the produce has been very satisfactory, 
showing an improvement in the carcase, the weight and quantity 
of wool, and an aptitude to fatten at an earlier age than the pure 
breed. At the same time the crossed breed is more delicate in 
constitution, and better suited for the lowland farjiis than for the 
exposed pastures of their native hills. 
Radnor and Welsli Sheep. — The different breeds of sheep met 
with in Wales need but a passing notice, as, under an improving 
system of farming, they are gradually being replaced by others 
possessing superior qualities, and at the same time sufficiently 
hardy in constitution to withstand the lower temperature and 
humidity of a mountainous country. The native breeds have but 
few qualities to recommend them; they are hardy, active animals, 
capable of finding a subsistence wherever they are placed, but 
they are very small in size and produce but little wool, and that 
greatly deteriorated in value by the " kemps" or hairs with which 
it is mixed. Tlie higher Mountain breed is horned, with black 
faces and legs, and sometimes with and sometimes without horns. 
Theyrarely weigh more than from 30 to 40 lbs., even at four and five 
years old, and their wool produc e may be taken at 1 to lb. each. 
The Radnorshire breed has assumed almost a distinct character; 
more attention has been paid both to the breeding and to the 
general cultivation of the animal. The size of the sheep is 
