THE ENGLISH LEICESTER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1307, 9 December 1911, Page 8

THE ENGLISH LEICESTER.

. HISTORY OF THE BREED. The English Leicester was the first British breed improved by in-and-in breeding and selection. Bakcwell, at Dishley, in Leicestershire, began the system about 1755, and the success of his efforts was secured by the simultaneous extension of the cultivation of the turnip as a field crop, A liberal supply of winter iood was made available, and the old, ungainly, slow-maturity Leicester, which had been bred merely for size and a heavy iloeco, was transformed into a compact, symmetrical, moderate-sized animal, possessing great aptitude to fatten, and, above all, a marvellous power of communicating its tendency to enriy maturity and its refining influence to breeds with which it was crossed. Bakewell aimed at producing a valuable carcass, and tho fleece was a secondary consideration. Marvellous results were got by his methods and his matchless instinctive skill in mating his animals. He originated the practice'of letting out rams for the season in place of selling thein. This gave-him a large number of sheep to select from in pairing different types. It took 20 years or so to convince his neighbours of the soundness of his system that they were willing to pay a 10-guinea fee for the hire of some of his choicest rams. Four or live fears later the fee rose to 100gnsv, and in 17SCJ he let twothirds of the service of a ram for 200gns., and received in nil IflOOgns. for hires. So quickly did the merits of his sheep grow in public favour that "in 1789 he made 1200gns. by three rams, 20ftflgns, by seven others.'' and SOOOgns. for the remainder. His highest rate was SOOgns. from two breeders for two-thirds of the season's services nf this favourite "Two-pounder." The Dishley Society.was formed in 1700 for the preservation'of the parity of, the Leicester,' and, by • means of rules of cxtraqrdinary,.striiigoncy, an. attempt was made to cieato.a sort of monopoly in the interests of Bakcwell. and a few friends. The-only unselfish condition of interest was that "no member shall give his rams at any season of the year any other food than, green vegetables, hay,. and straw," a rule which ram-breeders would do well to follow now. Such : fcme did the Dishley Lcicesters gain that "within little moro thnii hall h century they spread over every part of tho United Kingdom," and by 1537 there-were "few flocks of longwool sheep in England, Scotland, or Ireland which were not in some degree descended from Bakewell's flock. No other sort of sheep possessed so great a propensity to-fatten or become fit for the butcher at so early'art age, but they could not travel far for their food, nor could they bear, so well as many others, occasional' scantiness or deprivation of nourishment." This holds good to-day with, improved breeds. Early maturity is secured at the sacrifice of the robust constitution' which enables unimproved breeds to fight for their existence. Other drawbacks besides delicacy of \ constitution were "shortness and lightness of fleece, and the scarcity of doubles, owing to discarding the ewes that bore twins to got large single lambs when they were high-priced. The great value of tho breed consisted in tho improvement effected in almost every variety of sheep that it crossed." Sir John Sinclair pro nounced it to be "Hie best ever reared for a rich arable district, but the least tincture of its blood is'destructive-to the mountain sheep." But 'the rider should be "added—except when the. progeny goes direct to tho fat market'or is amply fed during winter. The defect in the fleece las been largely got rid of in the modern sheen, and the quality of the mutton, which was somewhat insipid and not in hi'-'h favour, has been improved.

Tlie purebred flocks nte now mostly eophV.pd to T,ist and North York-shir", Cheshire, Cumberland, Durham, and Leicestershire, In other rmrts the breed had to yield to the competition of other longwhich had been imnroved by its influence, and to the Down breeds, especially the' Shropshire. A few distinguishing points of the pre-sent-day Leicester are:—T.ips and nostrils Week, nose slishtly narrow - aid Roman, but the general form of the faro wcnVpshaped, and covered with short white hairs with a bluish tinge (a pinky face and soft hair show leek of constitution); ■forehead covered with wool; no horns; ears thin, loner, and mobile; a black speck on the face and ears not uncommon; nook short and level with the bioA; yrent thickness from blpde to blade of the shoulders or through the heart; fine bono: a fine, cirrlv, lr.strons fleece, free from bled: hairs; firm fltr-h, soriniry pelt, and pinlc skin. The crnat development of Hie foreouariers nnd trunk sometimes me Ices the hindquarters look narrow.— "Pastorolists' • Review."