Farming of Oxfordshire. 
227 
whon setting dry, a good sized calf will tako all the milk of 
2 cows. 
The Sheep kept on the stonehrash are principally Cotswolds. 
These sheep are sometimes called Glo'sters and New Oxfords, 
but they are only different names for the same sort of sheep. 
There are a few half-breds, which appear rather on the increase 
in some localities, and there is a sprinkling of the Leicester 
blood around Banbury. The Cotswolds are a hardy, heavy, and 
most useful race of sheep ; they are gradually and most de- 
servedly rising in public estimation. Tlie improvement which 
has been effected in these sheep within tlie last 20 years is surpris- 
ing : tliey may be indebted to the delicate Leicesters for dimi- 
nishing their coarseness, producing more aptitude to fatten, and 
rendering the fleece of finer quality. But they have not lost their 
gigantic size or hardiness, which so fits them for cold and elevated 
situations. As a farmer's sheep they are much superior to any 
other long-wools, producing a great weight of mutton and heavy 
fleece at a very early age. Tegs, at 14 months old, will com- 
monly weigh 10 stone, or 80 lbs., per sheep, and clip 8 or 9 lljs. 
of wool. Numerous instances might be cited of much heavier 
weights, but the above may be taken as a fair average. The 
weight on record of some Cotswolds appears almost fabulous : 2 
rams killed in one year from Middle Aston weighed 84 Ihs. per 
quarter ; and last Christmas, 3 ewes from the same flock were 
slaughtered at Boston, and the lot only missed 3 lbs. of averaging 
60 lbs. per quarter. The principal fault with the Cotswolds is, 
that their meat gives too much to the grease-pot and too little to 
the table ; the mutton is a penny per lb. less in value than that 
of Downs, but the extra weight compensates for that deficiency. 
Perhaps the best Cotswold blood may be found at Sarsden, 
Middle Aston, Bury-Barns, Signet, Minster Lovell, Alverscott 
Downs, Hook Norton, and Drayton. From most of tliese flocks 
a quantity of rams are saved, which are disposed of as yearlings 
by private contract or at annual sales by auction : the prices 
average from 6Z. to 14/. a-head. Some breeders dispose of a 
great many sheep. At Middle Astern last season 140 rams Avere 
let or sold. 
Of Southdowns not many are kept, and those principal Iv 
by the nobility and gentry. Tliere are some good sheep at 
Blenheim, and a fine flock at Middleton Stoney, and again at 
Swyncombe: the latter are particularly good, being of great 
size and very pure blood. There are several good Hampsliii-e- 
down sheep on the edge of the Chiltern Hills ; tliose at Preston 
Crowmarsh, Ewelme, Brightwell, and Newenham Murren, may 
be reckoned among the first of the neighbourhood. Till within 
the last few vears the Hampshire-downs were the principal breed 
Q 2 
