4 BULLETIN 94, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
It is the purpose of this bulletin to point out the main characteristics 
of each breed. Some of the early history given may therefore seem 
irrelevant, but it is of importance. The age of a breed is largely in- 
dicative of the degree of fixity of type. A knowledge of the founda- 
tion stock is important, as it reveals latent characters that might crop 
out and that should be guarded against by the breeder, and so on. 
While it is the object to point out the importance of selection, it is not 
intended to minimize the necessity for proper care and management. 
Too many purebred flocks of high character have been established in 
this country only to go to ruin on account of poor care. This side of 
flock husbandly has been treated in Bulletin No. 20 of the Agricultural 
Department series. 
CLASSIFICATION OF THE BREEDS. 
There are probably nearly as many classifications of the breeds of 
sheep as there are breeds. Almost every prominent author of litera- 
ture in the ovine world has expressed views upon the subject. They 
have approached the task from almost every possible angle ; conse- 
quently we have classifications based upon the color of the face, in- 
cluding the light and dark faced sheep, upon the presence or absence 
of horns, and upon the topographical origin of the breed, such as the 
mountain, upland, and lowland breeds. There are other classifica- 
tions based upon the geographical origin of the breeds ; for instance, 
the British, Island, and foreign breeds; upon anatomical structure, 
the fat tails and the broad tails, and so on. It is hardly necessary to 
say that any classification must be more or less arbitrary, as the dif- 
ferent divisions grade almost imperceptibly into one another. 
The most important classifications are those based upon the wool, 
of which there are several. Some of these are based upon the length, 
but as this property is more dependent upon the circumstances under 
which the sheep are kept than is the degree of fineness, we will base 
our classification upon the latter quality. 
FINE WOOLS. 
American A, B, 
and C type Merinos. 
MEDIUM WOOLS. 
Rambouillets, 
Southdown. 
Shropshire. 
Hampshire. 
Oxford. 
Dorset Horn. 
Suffolk. 
Cheviot. 
Welsh Mountain. 
Tunis. 
Exmoor Horn. 
COA.RSE WOOL. 
Lonk. 
Ryeland. 
Kerry Hill. 
Leicester. 
Cotswold. 
Lincoln. 
Romney Marsh. 
Wensleydale. 
Dartmoor. 
WOOLLESS. 
Black faced Highland 
Karakule. 
Persian. 
Barbados. 
Barbary. 
