Sheep. 
295 
Agriculture, in the year 1794, wc read: — "The Hampshin; 
sheep is horned, for the most part with a white face, though 
some few have speckled faces ; formerly they were long-legged 
and narrow, but now much improved, being short-legged and 
well carcassed." This description of the " improved Hampshire 
downs " would not now be recognised. Arthur Young, in a 
postscript to the Report, intimates the origin of the transformation. 
"Wm. Poulett Poulett, Esq.," he says, "exchanged, in 1792, a 
fine flock of Wiltshire ewes (the same as Hants) for south-downs 
(Sussex downs), and now keeps more than double his former 
number. He has 1200 sheep on 800 acres." The existing 
Hampshire downs are " the glory of the county," as respects 
live-stock. They are the most successful known instance of the 
permanent effects of a cross in establishing a distinctly new 
breed. This is a great difficulty. There is a tendency in a 
cross to revert, after many generations, to one or other of the 
original stocks — generally to the worst. The peculiar points of 
excellence in the present race will best appear from a sketch of 
the two (the Hants and the Sussex) from which it is derived. 
The old Wilts and Hants breed are worthy of being remembered. 
They were imposing looking animals, long in leg, high in 
withers, sharp in the spine, large, bony, narrow, with big heads, 
curling horns, and fine Roman noses. They died out in Wilts 
about forty years since, Mr. James Rawlance, of Bulbridge, near 
Wilton, being their last master. They lived rather longer in 
Hants, their powers of enduring long travelling and severe fold- 
ing, hard keeping and hard working, recommending them as the 
best manure carriers for light lands, which were by this means 
alone kept in a state of fertility. Such were the Hampshire 
ewes. In the beginning of this century, rams were procured 
from the best Sussex downs — less picturesque, but more sym- 
metrical : faces and legs dark brown, fore-quarters wide and 
deep, back and loins broad, ribs curved, back level, hind-quarters 
square, tail well set on, limbs short, bone fine, wool close and 
firm, features intelligent, forehead prominent, and carrying a 
good crest. A judicious system of crossing preserved the good 
qualities of both breeds. The hard working qualities, the hardy 
constitution, and the superior size of the one, have been com- 
bined with the smaller limbs, shorter legs, broader back, rounder 
barrel, more compact frame, increased flesh, and kinder qualities 
of the other. The horns have disappeared, the colour of the face 
has turned from white to brown, and there is generally more of 
the Sussex than of the Hampshire down left. The rams effected 
the change ; the breeder's axiom, that like will produce like, 
being shown to be particularly true of the male ; and the truth 
of the doctrine confirmed, that the worse bred the female, the 
