The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-02-25 00:00:00

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agriculture.

SHEEP-THEIR VARIETIES AND
CAPABILITIES.

In Persia, there a proverb, that "beep have goldon
feet," but our chemists might change this saying, and
tell them that the urine of sheep is liquid gold, for it a
to this element chiefly that we are indebted for the
fertilising influences which result from the culture of
the"woolly people." _

From long wonted usage, we are apt to consider that
the various breeds of sheep which are found prevailing
throughout the country are the best adapted for its
climate, and most profitable to those that keep them.
We should like to institute an inquiry upon this head,
in the hope that our farmers would come forward and
state their opinion and experience for the benefit of
their fellow-men. Have we any other ground than
mere custom for arriving at the fore-mentioned con-
clusions? Some very interesting experiments were
undertaken by • body of agrioulturisU in Yorkshire
last summer, but the result thereof, so far as yet pub-
lished, are not sufficient to enable us to declare with
certainty which breed of sheep was the most profitable
to keep.
Doubtless, the blackfaced and also the hardy Cheviots
seem well adapted for heath-clad mountains;_ but are
not these even subject to improvement? We think
that keepers of mountain sheep might be rewarded by
making some inquiry regarding a breed of sheep called
Lonks, which were exhibited at the Leeds Show by
Mr. Jonathan Peel, of Knowlainere Manor, and others.
They somewhat resembled our Highland or black-faced
sheep, but they have mueli longer bodies and wider
frames altogether. These sheep seemed to us a sort
that might tell in crossing with some of our mountain
sheep. In days anterior to railways, one might have
lived half • century or more before he discovered that
such • breed existed. Perhaps it might interest our
hill-farmers to look after the Looks when they go to
Battersea next slimmer. Meanwhile, we have pleasure
in quoting the following regarding them from Mr. Peel,
an extensive breeder

"The Look is an old indigenous breed inhabiting the
Lancashire and Yorkshire hills, the purest blood being
in the neighbourhood of Keighley, Rochdale, and also of
Pander Hill, near Clitheroe. They have long been in
high esteem in their own district, and, having been
improved of late years, and gradually extending them-
selves and taking the place of mixed breeds on the
neighbouring hills. The rams are now much sought
after to improve these mixed breeds, the attempt being
by continued crosses to work the socks gradually
towards the pure Look type. They are perfectly hardy,
excellent mothers, and very prolific. Their wool and
flesh are of very superior quality. From experience I
am able to say that in all these qualities they far excel
the blackfaces. I lost much time in the endeavour, by
crosses with South Downs and Shropshire Downs, to
strengthen their weakest points, but was unsuccessful;
now, therefore. I bare reverted entirely to the pure
Look, and have swept away every prise at the last
year's shows, and sold my draft ewes at two guineas
each. Few but drafts are ever to be bought, nor of
course do they often fetch the price I pot for mine.
30s. would perhaps be about the price of good ones.
havo been requested to send up fleeces to the Great
Exhibition, and shall exhibit in all the 'mountain sheep'
classes at Battersea.
_

Within the last ten or fifteen years, much has been
done in the crossing and,, culture of the various breeds
of sheep amongst the flock-masters in England, and
almost every part of the country has now its distinctive
and improved breed. On the elvilk cliffs of Same:,
with their scant herbage, we nidet the small-boned,
abort-woolled, and easily fattened South Down. Let
us step over into the Isle of Wight, and we find the
horned Dorset or West Country Downs, which imPlAy
the early lamb to the London !market. When last in
the island, we found one farmer feeding his lambs
upon white peak steeped in water, and softened so
that the lambs couhi masticate them easily, and these
they ate greedily. Thence again to Salisbury Plains
and we encounter the large-beaded, strong-boned, im-
proved Hampshire Down—a sheep giving a heavy carcass
and tolerable fleece. In this district, the Hampshire
Down is considered faultless, although on the other side
of the county be is disapproved of entirely. The
keepers of them in Wilts fancy that they have got rid
of the lightness of the South Down, and seemed quite
contented with them in every way. The more enter.
prising men of the midland counties, Oxford, for in-
stance, have, however, discovered that the Hampshire
wants wool, and that he is a heavy feeder, and the
-multi of their reflections and exertiims Las been the in-
troduction of • new, and now celebrated breed, called
the Oxford Down. This sheep somewhat resembles the
Hampshire Down, but possesses a better shaped head
and *much longer staple of wool. Some very fine
flocks of these sheep are now to be found in the
demesnes of this county, say at Blenheim Park for in-
stance. We happen to know a Bedfordshire farmer, of
400 acres, who regularly sells of wool to the extent of
as many pounds sterling, annually, from a small flock
of Oxfords. If we go into the Lincolnshire Wolds we
find the extensive farmers there prise their long-
woolled Lincolns above everything else, and very large
prices are given for good rams at the Wragby Fairs
every autumn. It is not uncommon for some of these
rams to clip • tod (241 b. of wool.
Let us turn to the western counties. and we now find
a rapidly-increasing and much-valued breed, called the
Shropshire Downs. There possess a good coat of long
wool, and have • most symmetrical appearance, with
great aptitude to fatten. At present they are
considered the acme of the English flocks, but our
opinion Is that the palm of merit will lie between them
and the Oxfords.

Our English friends seem alive to the hope that
foreigners can never inundate Great Britain with wool or
mutton, and they go on cultivating their fine Books in
this full belief. The best class of Oxford hoggs now go
to market at fourteen months, fetching about 705. to 755.
out of the wool, and if we oompere these figures with
the prices we are receiving for year-old sheep in Scotland,
we must own ourselves fairly beaten.
We have had the curiosity to try a few of these breeds
of sheep, with a view of ascertaining their capabilities
in this climate, and on a future occasion we may take
an opportunity of publishing the results of our trials,
which have now been carried on for several years.—T/e
SeatisA Fanner.