BREEDS OF SHEEP. Sheep are commonly classi fied according to their fleece into long-wooled, middle or medium-wooled, and short or fine wooled breeds. (See Woor.,.) The names of the breeds or varieties within these general divisions are often derived from the habitat of the sheep or the name of the breeder who has been promi nently identified with their development. The long-wooled breeds, e.g. Leicesters. Lincolns. and Cotswolds, are usually white-faced, somewhat coarse fleshed and lethargic, and are of English origin. The Leicester is of special historic in terest because it was the first breed to be im proved by skillful selection and breeding. and because it has been used in improving all the other long-wooled breeds. This breed. whose progenitors were the long-wooled sheep of the ,Midland counties of England. owes its origin to Robert Dakewell, who developed it purely by selection with reference to a definite mental standard, and apparently without resorting to crossing with other or breeds. This Im proved Leicester, which has persisted practically ac Bakewell developed it, is a hornless sheep, with a somewhat 'lastly' wool, seven or eight. inches long, terminating in a short twist which gives it a fine curly appearance. The animal is somewhat smaller than the original type, but is more symmetrical, thicker, deeper, of better fattening qualities and earlier maturity. Bake well made no attempt to improve the wool, and the pure-bred stock tends to produce a very fat mutton. which is not now in demand. The great value of the breed lies in its use for crossing purposes. The Border Leieesters. regarded as a separate breed, differ from the Leicesters chiefly in the shape of the head, which is bald, the Leicesters usually having a tuft of wool on the head. The Lincoln resembles the Leicester in general form and might almost be mistaken for it, although it is larger, being the heaviest sheep in the British Isles. The bright, lustrous wool, which masses in characteristic flakes o• strands, is extraordinarily long, samples measuring 21 inches. The breed is the product of Leicester crosses upon the old Lincoln stock. As a mut ton sheep it is considered by many inferior to the Down breeds, hut for crossing purposes it is in great demand, especially on the sheep ranges of the Northwest United States. The Cotswold, one of the most ancient, best knOwn, and most popular of the recognized English breeds. orig inated on the bleak hills and uplands, where it developed a hardihood and an ability to 'rustle' less evident in other long-wooled breeds. The head is wedge-shaped, without horns, the face covered with white hairs, the lips black, the ears long and pendulous, and the forehead cov ered with a flowing top-knot—one of the most characteristic features of the face. The fleece is long and heavy, although inferior in both respects to that of the Linealns. The breed has been used in establishing several cross-breeds. The Black faced sheep and the Derdwicks are mountain breeds, often horned, having long, rather coarse o• hairy wool. They are not, however, commonly classed with the long-wooled breeds.
The medium-wooled breeds include the Down sheep, which inhabit the chalk hills of South ern England, the Shropshires, and the Dorset _Horned. .All except the last are hornless, and
the face in several breeds is dark brown to black. The Southdown, or Sussex. one of the purest of the English breeds, antedates William the Conqueror. It has been developed by se lection and not by crossing with other breeds, and has been used to improve the dark-faced Down breeds. The horns, which it originally had, have long since disappeared. It has fine short wool, which extends to the forehead and face, and has long been renowned for its mutton, which is close grained, tender, dark, and juicy. It is a rather small sheep, but its size has been increased by selection. On account of its beauty and high bred appearance, it is a favorite for country estates and parks, especially in England. The Shropshire is a cross-bred sheep. The original stock was small, horned, and had a black, brown, o• spotted face. The improvement consisted in crossing with the Leieesters, the Cotswolds, and the Southdowns. The breed to-day is a striking illustration of the stage of perfection which can be attained by judicious crossing and selection. The carcass is large. covered with a dense elas tic fleece of good length and medium fineness: the face is rich brown, and the head covered with a close-fitting cap of wool. The breed is a very popular one, and readily adapts itself to various climates and scanty pastures. The Improved Hampshire Down is the heaviest of all the Down breeds. the Oxfordshire Downs vying with it in this respect. The face is dark, the lips black, the ears rather long, often falling slightly forward; the shanks rich dark brown; the fleece white, thick, covering the top of the head, and made up of tine strong fibres. The animals mature early, and the lambs make very rapid growth and fatten early. They respond to good feeding and stand close folding, being in their native country very often hurdled upon pasture crops. The Oxfordshire Down originated about 1833 by crossing the Cotswold on the Hampshire Dowu, and was known prior to 1859 as the Down-Cots wold. By careful breeding it has become a distinct race. These sheep have dark-brown faces, long, thin ears, and a comparatively close fleece, the wool, which covers the head, being longer and more flowing than upon the Shrop shire, which it resembles somewhat closely. The Suffolk Downs resemble the preceding, but have very black faces and lack wool between the ears. They were derived from the small and hardy horned Norfolk and Suffolk sheep, and have been greatly improved by the South down. The Dorset, o• Dorset Horned, an English breed, is a survival of a white-faced, horned, short-wooled race, which has descended unmixed from a remote period. It is rather larger and longer in the legs than the Southdown. These sheep are prolific and produce their young so early that the lambs may be sent to market before those of most other breeds. They are hardy, quiet, good feeders, and readily adapt themselves to new conditions. The Cheviot is an ancient, white-faced. hornless, short-wooled sheep, reared in the Cheviot hills and belonging to the mountain breeds, in which class it is un excelled. It contrasts strongly with the sheep of the downs, having a longer body and rather light fore quarter—true also of most other mountain breeds.