Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-11-01
MeIsh Mountain Sheep.

The Welsh mountain sheep are of ancient
origin, and with black cattle they formed at
one time the principal stock of the Celtic race
in the mountainous districts of Wales As the
more fertile lowlands became cultivated, and
free and undisturbed communication took
place between Wales and England, the small
ancient breed in these places became crossed
with the larger kinds introduced from the adj
joining counties, or have been entirely sup
planted by them, and at last driven before adj
vanced agriculture into the poor, hilly soil
and mountain ranges, where they still linger
Leicesters, Cotswolds or Downs Rre now to be
found on all fertile and well cultivated farms
in Wales whilst on barren commons and on
the hillsides the ancient breed still holds
sway, living on scanty food, rearing hardy
lambs and producing the sweetest mutton
known to the palate of the epicure.
These Welch mountain sheep are principal
ly white faced. The males are horned, the
females generally hornless, though sometimes
the ewes have very short horns, and OCCASION
ally have these appendages large-equal in
size to those of the rams The head is small
and well carried up; the neck long and the
poll high. The tail is long, the rump high,
and the shoulders low, with narrow chest,
small girth and flat ribs. They have all the
character of wild, active breed of animals,
suited to the scanty heritage on rocky slopes
and precipitous hillsides. The average weight
of the store ewes is about seven pounds per
quarter. They feed slowly and the wethers
when three years old and fat weigh from nine
to ten pounds per quarter, small weights
compared with that of many improved breeds.
The ewes are not prolific, producing general
| ly but single lamb on mountain land. Both
| improved keep and crossing with other sheep
are found to increase the number of twins.
The quality of the wool is generally fine,
| but in some districts it is coarse and mixed
with long hairs about the neck and along the
back of the animal. 1t is well known that
wool is greatly affected by soil and climate
The average clip of wool is only about two
| pounds to each sheep. The Welsh mountain
| sheep are good nurses and rear their lambs
well. They are often sold from the western
! counties of Wales to 60 into some of the Eng
| lsh counties for breeding fat lambs gnd they
succeed well when crossed with larger breeds
of sheep. The real mountain sheep are sold
as wethers at three years old. The cross
bred come to earlier maturity, and their pro-
duce is sold as lambs in the May, June or Jul
| ly fairs
In the winter time, just before lambing
commences, the farmers ON the mountain side
| bring the sheep down into their small cnclos-
ures, and, in addition to the grass the sheep
consume, they are given small quantities of
hay or oats, The oats are always given in
sheaf the mountain sheep would scarcely
know what to make of clear grain. All the
lambs kept in stock, as ewes or wethers, are
shorn in July or August When they are
weaned the mothers are MIXED for month
or two, and butter is made Of the milk, or it
is mixed with skinl-milk to make cheese.
Milking sheep, however, is becoming less fire.
quent Aged rams seldom or never change
hands. Lamb rams in Wales are supposed to
get more vigorous ofTsprings than older sires,
and twins are said to follow the younger
rams more frequently than those of a ripper
age. When brought into the enclosures these
sheep are found difficult to keep within
bounds. Fences such as are usually found,
low stone walls, turf banks or hedges, are "a
naught to these wild creatures.
Attempts have been made to supersede
these sheep in their native mountain homes
by Cheviots and other breeds, but the change
has not been found to answer. No sheep
suit the mountain tops so well as the indigen-
Gus breed, while the most profitable on the
lower ranges of poor soil and waste lands are
a cross with the native stock. Welsh noun.
tain sheep are likely to hold preGminent sway
in their strongholds at high attitudes for many
generations to come, but it is hardly proha
bic that this breed viii be in much mand
outside of its native heather