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 and Eridge Hunt Southdown and Eridge Hunt The Southdown and Eridge Hunt is a United Kingdom foxhound pack, with hunting country within the counties of Sussex and Kent. The Southdown and Eridge Hunt was formed on 1 May 1981 by the merger of the previously autonomous hunts, the "Southdown Hunt" and the "Eridge Hunt". The hunt covers country with two distinct territories, which is a result of the merger of the two former hunts. The western country is bordered to the north by the A272 road and to the south by the sea, going as far west at the border of Steyning and