Report on the Exhibition of Live-Stock at Derby. 583 
Class 100. — Good class. 
Class 101. — Good class, but third prize not awarded, according to rule. 
Class 102. — Good pens. 
LoNawooLs. 
Class lOG. — Oue competitor ; good pens, 
John Tuuner. 
Geohge Walmsley. 
COTSWOLDS. 
This, probably, is one of the oldest English breeds, and is in- 
digenous to the Cotswold range of hills. It has been improved up 
to its present standard of size and shape either by selection or by 
dexterous crossing with other breeds. It had some repute more than 
400 years ago ; for Stow the Chronicler, in his 'Annals of Eng- 
land,' relates that several of these sheep were exported to Spain in 
1467.* In recent years hundreds of these animals have been ex- 
ported to Australia, New Zealand, and America, as well as to 
France and Germany, to impart size and wool to native breeds. 
Cotswolds have the proud distinction of being the largest sheep in 
the world. Their fleece is of long staple, and very heavy, though 
not of superfine quality. Their mutton does not rank high ; 
and it would seem, in these days when a sheep of a small breed, 
say 8^ stones, makes as much as one of 10 stones, or, more 
plainly, when small joints of " short"-eating mutton make from 
1^6?. to 2^d. per lb. more than the coarser meat of large animals, 
that very large-framed sheep must gradually disappear. Mr. 
Lawes, in 1855, recorded a series of experiments, conducted 
%vith his usual care, upon various breeds of sheep. He showed 
that " when liberally fed and protected from inclement weather, 
the Longwools, especially the Cotswolds, will yield a larger 
amount of gross increase for a given quantity of food consumed 
than the smaller Downs or Crossbreds. The average prices of 
Downs, and also of cross-bred mutton, are, however, higher than 
those of the Longwools, but not sufficiently so to compensate 
for the cost of the extra food consumed."! Since these experi- 
ments were made, the difference between the price of small 
mutton (Southdown) and that of large mutton (Cotswold) has 
considerably increased, and, as Mr. Dent shows farther on, the 
value of long-staple wool for " lustre " goods has proportionately 
diminished. 
The Cotswolds shown at Derby were not in strong force in 
respect of numbers, and were only of average merit. Twenty-six 
were present, eighteen Shearlings, four old rams, and four pens 
of ewes. At Carlisle twenty-five Cotswolds were shown, and 
* ' Annals, or General Chronicle of England.' By John Stow. 1632. 
t ' Experiments on the Comparative Fattening; Qualities of ditferent Breeds of 
Sheep.' By J. B. Lawes, F.R.S. Roy. Agri. See. Journal, vol. xv. p. 85. 
VOL. XVII. — S. S. 2 R 
