like a skeleton covered with parchments.’  The origin of the new Leicester sheep is uncertain, but apparently the old Lincoln breed was the basis of it, though this, like other large breeds of English sheep, was itself an introduction of the last half century.  The new sheep was described as having a clean head, straight broad flat back, barrel-like body, fine small eyes, thin feet, mutton fat, fine-grained and of good flavour, wool 8 lb. to the fleece, and wethers at two years old weighed from 20 to 30 lb. a quarter.

By 1770 his rams were hired for 25 guineas a season, and soon after he made L3,000 a year by their hire, one named ‘Two-pounder’ bringing him 1,200 guineas in one year.

One of his theories was that the poorer the land the more it demanded well-made sheep, which is no doubt true to a certain extent; but it has been proved conclusively since that the quality of the breed gradually drops to the level of the land unless artificially assisted.  At his death he left two distinct breeds of sheep, for he improved on his own new Leicester, so that the improved became the ‘New Leicester’ and the former the ‘Old Leicester.’  However, at the time and, afterwards, his sheep were generally called ‘New Leicesters’, and sometimes the ‘Dishley breed’.  There was much prejudice among farmers against the new breed; in the Midlands most of the farmers would have nothing to do with them, and ’their grounds were stocked with creatures that would disgrace the meanest lands in the kingdom.’  Yet in April, 1786, yearling wethers of the new breed were sold for 28s. while those of the old were 16s.

The cattle which he set to work to improve were the famous old longhorn breed, the prevailing breed of the Midlands, which had already been considerably improved by Webster of Canley in Warwickshire, and others, especially in Lancashire and the north.  The kind of cattle esteemed hitherto had been ’the large, long-bodied, big-boned, coarse, flat-sided kind, and often lyery or black-fleshed.’[486] He founded his herd upon two heifers of Webster’s and a bull from Westmoreland, and from these bred all his cattle.  The celebrated bull ‘Twopenny’ was a son of the Westmoreland bull and one of these heifers, who came to be celebrated in agricultural history as ‘Old Comely’, for she was slaughtered at the age of twenty-six.  He bred his cattle so that they produced an enormous amount of fat, as hitherto there had been a difficulty in producing animals to fatten readily; but this he pushed to too great an extreme, so that there has been a reaction.  The following is a description of a six-year-old bull, got by ‘Twopenny’ out of a Canley cow:  ’His head, chest, and neck remarkably fine and clean; his chest extraordinarily deep; his brisket bearing down to his knees; his chine thin, loin narrow at the chine, but remarkably wide at the hips.  Quarters long, round bones snug, but thighs rather full and remarkably let down.  The carcase throughout,