1802 



Keport of Farmers' Institutes 



We cannot expect to be successful with the open wool, English 

 breeds which for generations have been developeil bv an abund- 

 ance of the most nutritious feed with least exposure, unless an 

 abundance of proper food is supplied and they have shelter. Such 

 sheep are not adapted to pick a living fruni barriui hillsides, or 

 to be sent forth as cleaners-up of new land. Neither will they 

 stand wet weather. A sheep's skin is very thin, and if the fleece 

 becomes saturated in the fall when there is little heat and sun- 

 shine, it must drv from the heat of the bodv, not onlv exhausting 

 vitality but producing pneumonia and kindred troubles. It will 

 pay to shelter such sheep from the fall rains as well as from the 

 winter storms. 



Fig. 172. Prize Winning 'Shropshire Ram at New York 

 State Fair, 1910. Owned by M. D. Beckley, Hartwick, 

 X. Y. 



BREEDS 



One of the questions most frequently asked is, " Which is the 

 best breed ? " There is no best breed. All have some peculiar 

 points of excellence, which makes them of value for some par- 

 ticular purpose. Very briefly I will call attention to some of 

 the characteristics of the leading breeds. All of them, except the 

 Merino and Tunia, come from Great Britain. 



