940 
THE BREEDING OF STOCK. 
breeds have been thus created, and have been so perfected by 
rigorous weeding that they require no further crossing, but 
only careful selection, and may now justly take rank as dis- 
tinct breeds. Although there was no reason to doubt that 
the South Down is a pure breed greatly improved by selec- 
tion, yet the Leicester breed was raised by crossing in the 
first place. Mr. Spooner then proceeded to speak on the 
history of the different breeds of sheep, and showed that it 
was as essential to have the best and purest parentage on the 
one side as the other. The Hampshire and Wiltshire Downs 
originally were large bony uncouth sheep, with horns, which 
latter was got rid of by means of Sussex rams, but still 
remained a very useful though coarse sheep, till Mr. 
Humphrey commenced his improvement some thirty years 
ago by means of two of Mr. Jonas Webb’s prize South 
Down rams, from which were descended all the rams he 
afterwards used or let, although he replenished his flock and 
maintained his size by occasional purchases of ewes. This 
improvement has been carried out with the greatest success 
by Mr. James Rawlence and others. The Oxfordshire breed 
is the result of the cross of the Cotswold ram with the 
Hampshire Down ewe. The Shropshire is indebted to both 
South Down and Leicester for the improved breed of sheep 
recognised under this name. Thus, without disparaging the 
efforts of those who have devoted their attention to the 
improvement of pure breeds, some of whom he was glad to 
see present this evening, whose exertions were worthy of the 
highest praise, yet all must acknowledge the great success 
that has attended the establishment of the breeds he had 
mentioned. Indeed, he considered that more skill and more 
science had been shown by the breeders of sheep than by the 
breeders of any other kind of animals. A certain want had 
been felt, and breeders set about to supply the want, whether 
it was greater size, earlier maturity, or larger or finer wool ; 
and when the want was supplied and the breed established, 
further crossing has, for the most part, been discontinued. 
The Royal Agricultural Society, not leading, but falling in 
with the improvement, greatly aided and extended the move- 
ment. But whilst this was the case with sheep it was far 
otherwise with horses. With the exception of cart horses, 
the breed of which had certainly been greatly improved by 
the encouragement given by the Royal and other societies, 
he considered that other useful breeds would have been 
better if these societies had never existed ; but to this he 
w r ould refer again before he concluded. Crossing had been 
adopted with great success with pigs, for, although certain 
