THE BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP.

Southland Times, Issue 1653, 25 October 1872, Page 3

THE BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP.

At St. Columb, Cornwall, at the usual ordinary after the cattle market, a paper was read by Mr John Hendy, of iiosewatis. Mr Hendy said that the selection and management of sheep must, after all, become a matter of pounds, shillings, find pence. The question the farmer had to consider was, what description of sheep would ultimately return the largest profit ? and that qu^tion must be viewed in strict relation to the management he would be able to adopt on the particular farm on which he might be located. It was, therefore not a simple but a compound question, and one not merely which breed would make the most flesh and fat, but which would make it in the shortest time, and on the least food ; which can bear the weather or hard keep, or a particular mode of management, with the greatest im punitv. All those considerations must be fully "considered by ths farmer before he could come to a sound conclusion. From want of knowledge in reference to the soil and such matters many fatal mistakes had been made, the flock? had been selected altogether unsuitable to the soil, and incapable of bearing the severity of the weather. When a farmer became acquainted with the soil he cultivated, and breeding was his principal object, the first rule to act upon was to breed from the best stock he could possibly secure, saving only the fen le lambs that were as free fram defects as possible for the future flock. The leading features to be attended tnina ram were fineness of skin, light offals, broad aud round frame; witb good wool. The back should be broad, especially near the shoulders, and well covered with solid, but yielding, and slightly elastic flesh. It was "sometimes argued that an animal on which it was possible to get a full fat development was one to be selected, on the ground that in a bad one that was impossible. A most important question was, what breed was best adapted for our country, and on this point many different opinions were held. Tho Leicester had the pre-eminence with some farmers, and it could not be doubted that so far as propensity to fatten and early maturity were considered, the Leicester breed would rival nearly all other breeds for these qualities. The form might justly be considered as a model, and all other breeds would possess these qualities, in a greater or lesser degree, in proportion as they possess the similitude of the form and the points of the Leicester sheep. The South Down was not an exception to the rule, for if the improved and the neglected specimens be compared together, it would be found that the excellencies of the former consisted in those points which approximated most to the Leicester. The wool was also a consideration, aa the fleece, from its greater length and weight, would bring in nearly double that of the Down. Where, therefore, the pasture was* very fertile, and the aheep can have careful attention and much care without being exposed, the Leicester might be justly regarded as the most profitable of the pure breeds. Its drawbacks, however, were the incapability of the animal for bearing exposure, or liviug h.ird, and in its weaker constitution aud greater li ibility to inflammatory diseases. The South Down possesses most valuable qualities, with a propensity to fallen, and is hardy and capable of liring oq short pasture, and is, perhaps the best of all breeds for the down farms of our county. As to long-wool sheep, there were the Lincoln, Cctsurold, and South Hams. The Lincolu breed bore a strong resemblance to the liomney Marsh or Kentish sheep, aud iv all probability had a similar origin to them, the Lincolnshire Fens being very extensive and weil suited for the rearing of a large race of sheep. They were of a large and coarse make, with hollow flanks and flat sides, and large lega and feet. Their fleeces almost touched the ground, and weighed from ten to twelve pounds and upwards. They fed slowly, but accumulated a great deal of internal fat, and were, on that account, much sought after by the butcher. The existing race had been improved by extensive crossing with the Leicester, which had resulted favorably. The Cotswolds were a large breed, and had an abundant fleece. The ewes were prolific. They had been used in crossing with other breeds, and had been mired with the Hampshire Downs, a larger variety of the South Down. It was the improved Cotswold that, under the term of new or improved Oxfordshire sheep, were so frequently the successful candidates for prizes offered for the best long-woolled sheep at some of the principal agricultural meetings in the kingdom. The quality of the mutton is superior to that of the Leicester, the tallow being less abundant, with a larger development of muscular flesh. The breed might, therefore, be regarded as one of established reputation, and extending itself throughout every district in the kingdom. The speaker, iv proceeding to advert to the management of sheep, stated that aorae farmers had no rule or guide whatever. They seemed reckless indeed in reference to aheep breeding, which was a great mistake, as it was very evident tkat the more attention the farmers paid to the management of their Bheep the better would they be remunerated. It was of the utmost importance that lambs should be dropped as early as possible, in order that they might be well nursed, and have sufficient time to gather sufficient strength to enable them to provide for themselves before the winter sets in. He believed it answered best, both for the sheep and the land, to carry turnips on a grass field, and let the sheep have the whole field to travel over. Much would thereby be gained by the sheep lying, not only on cleaner, but on warmer ground ; and it had been clearly shown, both by theoretical reason and actual experiment, that warmth, cleanliness, and thriving are eloßely connected ; and that the influence of wet, dirt, and cold is to waste the body or to render more food necessary.

During the discussion which followed, a difference of opinion was expressed by the farmers present. Some held that no one had better flocks than those in the neighborhood who had been crossing for the past twenty years, from all the various classes of long-woolled sheep. Others, iucluding Mr Hendy, considered the South. Ham the most desirable, while others again thought the Leicester crossed with Lincoln to be superior. There was a general opinion that much care was required in feeding, and it was thought desirable by some to cart turnips to sheep on grass land a'lj^iuing. but others thought it a better course to feed off the i turnips where they were growing. — Mark Lane Express.