Southdown sheep no longer economical and smaller flocks averaged only 135 ewes apiece. The use of artificial fertilizers had gained ground, and the combine-drill, which sowed grain seeds and fertilizer together, rendered close-folding by sheep unnecessary. Gradually surrendering to basic arable farming changes, the Southdown became largely a grassland breed. During the interwar years, the United Kingdom was known for farm animal breeding, and pedigreed Southdowns were still being exported to most parts of the world, especially New Zealand. In 1937, the number of exported Southdowns reached 459 head. During the Great Depression, a severe and prolonged fall in the prices of
Southdown Plantation the 86 sugar mills that had operated in Terrebonne Parish during the sugar boom of the 19th century. In 1974, the plantation was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The following year, the owner Valhi, Incorporated, a subsidiary of Southdown Sugar, donated the property to the Terrebonne Historical and Cultural Society. While the plantation house was being renovated, the original 1893 pink and green paint scheme of the exterior walls was discovered and restored. On June 27, 1982, the plantation house and servants' quarters were opened to the public as a museum. Southdown Plantation Southdown Plantation is a