"The North of England Mule" The growth in interest in the North of England Mule has assured its place in every parish within the country. This cross-bred sheep sired by the Bleufaced Leicester which is one of the most prolific of British sheep breeds, has a Swaledale or Northumberland type Blackface dam. The latter two breeds born and reared on the Northerm fells and moors are noted for qualities of hardinessm thriftiness and longevity. Of medium size the Mule ewe has an ability to produce and rear prolific crops of lambs under any system including in-wintering. She will make the optimum use of food provided and will lamb with the minimum of attention to any breed of ram. The choice of terminal sire being accountable for half your crop. Care should be taken that it is of equal quality to the Mule ewe. Lamb crops from well bred Mule ewes average 175% to 200% and over 200% is not uncommon in well managed flocks. It is general practice to breed from the ewe lamb in its first year. Selectively bred for the specific purpose of becoming a top class mother of prime meat lambs the Mule ewe also produces a very useful and easily clipped fleece. Good to handle and weighing well. Lambs from the mule by a down or continental type breed of sire give a first class carcase, ideally suited to both home and continental markets. The superb mothering qualities of the Mule provides an ease of shepherding remarkable in the production of fat lambs a feature which has witnessed its rapid spread throughout the country. Large numbers are available throughout the North of England with some centres selling over 15.000 ewe lambs in one day. The Mule wether lamb, like its sister has outstanding commercial advantages. Ranging over high land under a great variety of environments produces quality lamb carcases acceptable weights which can be readily marketed over a long period (July-March). It has very good live weight gain and carcase realisation price. Flocks of Mules running into four figures are quite common on the larger farm producing some tremendous figures borne out by many winning results in various competitions run by responsible bodies. Unbiased reports published by M.L.C. also point to the North of England Mule being top of the flocks. In short the universal sheep for maximum profit. To futher interests of this popular sheep enthusiasts of the breed formed the North of England Mule Sheep Association in 1980. All members ewe lambs will be tagged with a tag bearing the Association logo on one side and the individual member's flock number on the reverse. President: Mr J. Gibson, (01539) 823226 Chairman: Mr G. Carrick, (01434) 381498