Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-08-03
LIV I STOCK.
IMPROVED BREEDS OF SHEEP.

fore the Kentucky Wool Growers Associa-
ton, brief reference is made to the history
and value of five of the most popular breeds
of sheep, as follows:
The Merino is a breed originally Spanish,
but now generally existing overEurope and
the United States, and very extensively in
Australia. Merino wool constitutes a great
part of the wealth which flows into the new
continent from it's exports. The Merino
has large limbs, and the male has large spi-
raj horns, which do not rise above the head.
The skin of the neck is loose and pendulous,
the cheeks and forehead bearing wool. The
fleece is fine, long, soft and twisted in silken
spiral ringlets% Astounding in oil, which, at
tracing dust, gives it a dingy appearance
until secured, after which it is silky and
white. This variety fattens slowly, and is
valuable mainly for the excellence of it's
wool, but, as a general thing, has not been
found profitable in England or the United
States, and is not reckoned by some as be-
ing strictly one of the long wooded sheep.
The Leicester sheep is regarded in Eu-
rope as one of the most valuable of the long
woods. This breed in the present improved
condition, is the result ofithe skill and care
OF MI. Blackwell, of England, who, soon af-
ter the middle of the last century, began to
make experiments for the improvement of
the old Leicester sheep. It was then a large
coarse-boned sheep, not easily fattened, with
coarse wool weighing about ten pounds to
the fleece. The new Leicester, or present
breed, has wool moderately long and of bet
ter quality, weighing seven or eight pounds,
and is easily made vey fat. The color is
white, and both sexes are hornless, with
bald face tinged with blue, andlow carriage,
Other breeds of long woods in England have
been greatly improved by crossing with this
the Lincolshire, Romney Marsh, etc. In
this country, the Leicesters are large and
coarse, but easily fattened, and with good
mutton, the wool moderately long. but stiff,
and without gloss. Altogether, this variety
is not generally held in great esteem.
The lancashire is a large, bOny animal,
takes longer to mature, has long, fiat. bo-
ny head quite bear of wool, with a good
fleece, rather thin, slightly kinky with some
gloss. But, although the Lincolnshires
have been greatly improved in late years,
their legs being shorter and the wool more
glossy, yet the fleece not being equal in guam
tlty or quality to that of some other breeds,
they have not met with general favor, and
are rarely adopted by our wool-growers as a
breed.
The Southdown is one OF: the most popu-
lar breeds both in Europe and the United
States, and have, by crossing, produced
what are called Hampshiredowns. Shrop-
shlrehoWns, OxforddoWns, and perhaps 9th
ers, all larger and c~oarser, Entertaining the
Southdown marks and characteristics, all
producing valuable wool and making good
mutton. But the Southdowns must be re-
ggarded as at the head of all these, both for
wool and table use, the crossing Of this
breed having added moth ing to the originals
in either quality. The ~Southdowns are ex-
ceedingly neat in form, both in head and
body, with gray face and legs, forehead and
legs well covered with wool, the fleece short.
thick and soft, the outer surface often ap-
pearing as smooths as the nicely clipped.
The body is straight, with well sprung ribs,
broad, level back and deep TANKS, all well
covered with wool. This breed stands at
the head OF all the breeds of sheep for supe-
rior. table qualities, but does not rank so
high for quantity and quality of wool. The
.Southdowns derive their origin and name
from the C~halkdowns of the, south of Eng
land, but not adapted to a cold climate.
The most imdortant and valuable, of all
breeds of sheen is the CotswolI or Clo,a..