The Devon Longwool is a breed locally developed in the valleys of W. Somerset, N. and E. Devon, and parts of Cornwall. It originated in a strong infusion of Leicester blood amongst the old Bampton stock of Devonshire.
The South Devon was developed from an old local breed by crossing with the Leicester. The animals are large and hardy and their mutton is said to be superior to the average longwool quality; they produce a heavy, valuable fleece.
The Roscommon—the one breed of modern sheep native to Ireland—is indebted for its good qualities largely to the use of Leicester blood.
The Kent or Romney Marsh is native to the rich tract of grazing land on the S. coast of Kent. They are hardy, short legged, thickly-made, white-faced sheep, with a close-coated long wool fleece. They were gradually, like the Cotswolds, improved from the original type of slow-maturity sheep by selection in preference to the use of rams of the Improved Leicester breed. With the exception of the Lincoln, no breed has received greater distinction in New Zealand, where it is in high repute for its hardiness and general usefulness. When difficulties relating to the quantity and quality of food arise the Romney is a better sheep to meet them than the Lincolns or other longwools.
The Oxford Down is a modern breed which owes its origin to crossing between Cotswolds and Hampshire Downs and South downs. Although it has inherited the forelock from its longwool ancestors, it approximates more nearly to the shortwool type, and is accordingly classified as such ; it is the largest and heaviest of the Down breeds. The rams are largely used for crossing in Scotland, particularly with Border Leicester-Cheviot ewes.
The Southdown, from the short close pastures upon the chalky soils of the South Downs in Sussex, was formerly known as the Sussex Down. In past times it did for the improvement of the shortwool breeds of sheep very much the same kind of work that the Leicester performed in the case of the longwool breeds. A pure-bred Southdown sheep has a small head, with a light brown or brownish grey (often mouse-coloured) face, fine bone, and a symmetrical, well-fleshed body. The legs are short and neat, the animal being of small size compared with the other Down sheep. The fleece is of fine, close, short wool, and the mutton is excellent. "Underhill" flocks that have been kept for generations in East Anglia, on the Weald, and on flat meadow land in other parts of the country, have assumed a heavier type than the original "upperdown" sheep. It was at one time thought
not to be a rent-paying breed, but modern market requirements have brought it well within that category.
The Shropshire is descended from the old native sheep of the Salopian hills, improved by the use of Southdown blood. Though heavier in fleece and a bulkier animal, the Shropshire resembles an enlarged Southdown. As distinguished from the latter, how ever, the Shropshire has a darker face, blackish brown as a rule, with very neat ears, whilst its head is more massive, and is better covered with wool on the top and at the sides. The Shropshire is the most popular mutton sheep in the corn belt and Great Lakes regions of the United States.
The Hampshire Down.—Early in the 19th century the old Wiltshire white-faced horned sheep, with a scanty coat of hairy wool, and the Berkshire Knot, roamed over the downs of their native counties, and the Hampshire was evolved by blending these types with the blood of the Southdown. The Wiltshire horned sheep still survives as a pure breed. Early maturity and great size have been the objects aimed at and attained, this breed, more, perhaps than any other, being identified with early maturity. One reason for this is the early date at which the ewes take the ram. Whilst heavier than the Shropshire, the Hampshire Down sheep is less symmetrical. It has a black face and legs, a big head with Roman nose, darkish ears set well back, and a broad level back (especially over the shoulders) nicely filled in with lean meat.
The Dorset Down or West Country Down, "a middle type of Down sheep pre-eminently suited to Dorsetshire," is a local variety of the Hampshire Down breed, separated by the forma tion of a Dorset Down sheep society in The Suffolk is another Down, which took its origin about 1790 in the crossing of improved Southdown rams with ewes of the old black-face Horned Norfolk. The characteristics of the latter are retained in the black face and legs of the Suffolk, but the horns have been bred out. The fleece is moderately short, the wool being of typical Down quality. Owing to its fine quality of mutton the Suffolk competes very strongly with the best mutton breeds—e.g., the Southdown—in carcass competitions ; it has se cured notable successes at Smithfield and at the Scottish National Fat Stock Show.