68 
Suffolk  Sheep. 
and  testing  it  there  are  having  it  sent  to  their  London  houses.” 
A little  later  he  says  of  the  sheep  : “ They  are  also  very 
prolific  breeders  and  excellent  milkers,  and  are  very  much 
in  demand  for  crossing  purposes.” 
In  treating  of  this  part  of  the  subject,  the  writer  is  reminded 
of  a historical  reminiscence  of  his  own.  In  the  early  days  of 
his  breeding  operations  he  had  the  assistance  of  a shepherd — 
George  Last  by  name — who  had  taken  part  in  the  making  of 
the  Suffolk  when  he  worked  for  the  late  Mr.  Tom  Crisp,  a very 
noted  East  Anglian  agriculturist.  During  the  several  years 
that  Last  was  in  the  writer’s  service  they  had  many  conversa- 
tions on  this  matter  together.  He  is  happily  alive  and  still  in 
service,  and  the  following  letter,  giving  his  present-day  opinion, 
may  bring  the  matter  more  vividly  before  the  reader.  The 
time  about  which  Last  is  speaking  was  probably  about  fifty 
years  ago  : — 
Tunstall,  R.S.O., 
Suffolk. 
Nov.  30 th,  1910. 
Dear  Sir, 
I duly  received  your  letter  Of  the  28th  inst.,  “ re  Suffolk  Sheep,”  and,  as 
requested,  have  spoken  to  my  shepherd,  George  Last,  respecting  that  time 
when  he  was  shepherd’s  page  on  the  Butley  Abbey  Farm  with  the  late  Tom 
Crisp.  You  are  quite  right ; he  well  remembers  telling  you  that  the  Suffolk 
sheep  originated,  in  the  first  instance,  by  cross-breeding  horned  Norfolk  ewes 
with  Southdown  rams,  and  instances  his  experience  when  with  the  late 
Mr.  Crisp.  He  tells  me,  as  far  as  he  remembers,  the  lambs  came  much  less 
black  in  the  face,  and  with  more  the  bodies  and  wool  of  the  Southdown,  with 
a tendency  to  slug  horns.  Having  left  Butley  Abbey  and  the  employment  of 
Mr.  Crisp,  after  a few  years’  service,  he  could  not  say  if  any  other  breed  of 
sheep  was  introduced  and  mated  to  the  offspring  of  the  above  on  the  Butley 
Abbey  Farm. 
Last  relates  that  Mr.  Crisp  bought  the  flock  of  forty  score  horned  ewes  at 
Mr.  Catlin’s  sale,  and  that  there  were  also  two  other  flocks  of  forty  score  horn 
Norfolks,  namely,  at  Eyke  Rookery  Farm  and  the  Capel  Green  Farm. 
Yours  faithfully, 
(Signed)  John  Goddard,  Sen. 
Since  the  “ Royal  ” gave  the  breed  its  recognition  by 
establishing  separate  classes  for  it  at  their  Show  in  1886,  its 
history  is  recorded  in  the  successes  which,  as  we  shall  show 
later  on,  it  achieved  at  Smithfield  and  elsewhere,  as  well  as 
in  the  prices  obtained  at  many  sales  and  in  the  continuous 
demand  from  abroad  for  our  best  stock. 
Points  of  the  Breed. 
The  hair  on  the  face  and  legs  below  the  knees  and  hocks 
should  be  glossy,  jet  black,  fine,  and  free  from  any  coarseness 
of  hair.  Breeders  are  very  particular  as  to  this  texture  and 
colouring,  and  rightly  so,  for  it  denotes  quality  and  gives  a 
smart  thoroughbred  appearance.  Further,  it  almost  invariably 
