THE SHEEP INDUSTRY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 52, Issue 3756, 15 May 1936, Page 10

THE SHEEP INDUSTRY

THE WORLD’S BEST BREEDS. ROUGH FELL SHEEP. •Rough fell sheep are a branch of the old English breed of “ heath sheep ” described by Bailey and Culley in their report on the agriculture of Northumberland in 1779 as found on the borders of England and Scotland at that date. A characteristic of the breed is its hard outer coat, so well adapted to the severe conditions of its native moorlands. The “ topping ” on the forehead is a noticeable feature. Both rams and ewes are horned. The rams with their curling horns are very handsome animals, and are often bellicose. The popular type of head in the ram is one with an arched nose and considerable fullness under eyes. The ewe should have a narrower face, with the horns symmetrically placed. The face may be black or mottled, but brown marks constitute an objection. The breed is almost entirely confined to the fells and moorlands of Westmorland, excluding the smaller part of the county that belongs more strictly to the lake district, and to the adjoining fells of the West Riding of Yorkshire, (The outstanding quality of the breed is its hardiness and ability to thrive on land that can hardly be described as pasture. With the exception of the Herdwick, the Rough Fell is probably the hardiest of the British breeds. Wether lambs can be marketed fat from the latter part of October to December (April to June in New Zealand), and produce a mutton of the best mountain quality. The draft ewes are particularly suited for mating (especially with Wensleydales) to produce the halfbreds of the north and the extensive group of sheep known in the Midlands and the south as Mlashams. These cross-bred ewes make excellent breeding animals, especially > when mated with Suffolk rams.

The wethers .make excellent feeding sheep, and have frequently won championships at North of England shows. Rough Fell sheep are, therefore, an excellent foundation material.

The wool has a stronger and more regular outer coat than is found in any other British breed, and research into wool problems is revealing the fact that this wool is peculiarly suitable for certain manufacturing processes. .