DOMESTIC BEEEDS OF SHEEP. 37 
other Welsh breeds having more or less kemp. They had generally 
white heads; large, woolly cheeks; white, bunchy foreheads; were 
hornless; and had a beaver-like tail. 
In 1840, Thomas Half or d says the sheep were larger and heavier 
wooled than the pure Welsh sheep. The wool upon the body was 
fine, but lower down it was so coarse that it was always separated 
and sold at a lower price. Their faces and legs were often speckled 
with dark spots. 
About this time rams were brought in from Knighton to use upon 
the flocks. These were of the Clun Forest breed with a very slight 
Shropshire cross. About 1855 the Kerry farmers ceased to use the 
foreign blood, as they could secure better rams by exchanging among 
themselves. 
The breed now is undoubtedly a distinct one. The type is well 
fixed, and the sheep are quite uniform. It has been greatly improved 
by the use of root crops, as has many others, but it can no longer be 
spoken of as a mountain breed, in the sense that it is able to survive 
without artificial feeding. This breed was first recognized as distinct 
by the Royal Show at Lincoln in 1~907. 
Outside of Montgomeryshire, registered flocks can be found in 
Radnor, Hereford, Salop, Worcester, Dur bright, and Cheshire. 
The ewes are also quite extensively used in crossing with rams of the 
Down breeds. The lambs produced are very popular for the fat-lamb 
trade. The annual fair and sale held at various places under the 
auspices of the breed association the last Friday in September is one 
of the best sheep shows in Britain. As many as 8,000 sheep have 
been exhibited at this fair. The breed is described as follows: 
They are of medium size and have a rather dense covering of 
medium wool. They are broad of body, of considerable length, 
lacking slightly in depth, but are low to the ground. They are quiet 
and submit readily to folding. The mottled appearance of the face 
is very characteristic, and the mottles are very clearly defined." 
In July, 1909, F. H. Neal, of Lucan, Ontario, Canada, imported 
three yearling ewes and a ram of the Kerry Hill breed. The experi- 
ment station of the University of Wyoming conducted some experi- 
ments with these sheep, and they reported the breed as being vigorous 
and hardy, but that they were light shearers and did not show evi- 
dences of superior merit from the mutton standpoint. Fleeces 
should weigh from 7 to 8 pounds and the wool grades quarter blood 
and low quarter blood combing. 
The Kerry Hill Sheep Breeders' Association of Great Britain 
published their first flock book in 1894. This organization has done 
much toward placing the breed before the public. For a time the 
book was not published, but in 1899 it again appeared. There is no 
American association. 
