242 



Bulletin 309 



the most important phases of the subject of hothouse-lamb production 

 is getting the ewes to breed early. The records have been studied to see 

 if this is in any way a breed characteristic. It has been shown (Table 1 

 and Plate I) that March 4 is the date when the high prices received for 



hothouse lambs during the early 

 winter begin to decline. If the 

 percentage of lambs from each 

 breed slaughtered before that date 

 is calculated and compared with 

 the percentage slaughtered after 

 that date, it will throw some light 

 on the breeds that breed the 

 earliest. 



The ewes that breed the earliest 

 From the records it is shown 

 that of the total number of hot- 

 house lambs produced, 42.8 per 

 cent of those born from grade Dor- 

 set ewes were slaughtered before 

 March 4 and from the other ewes 

 in the following order : from pure- 

 bred Dorsets, 34.8 per cent; from 

 pure-bred Rambouillets , 33.3 per 

 cent ; from pure-bred Delaines, 33.3 

 per cent; from grade Cheviots, 

 31.2 per cent; from pure-bred 

 Shropshires, 23.1 per cent; from 

 the other ewes, the highest per- 

 centage of lambs sold was 12.9 

 per cent from the grade Shrop- 

 shires (Table 2). 



In order, then, from the stand- 

 point of earliness of production, 

 the breeds stand as follows: 

 Horned Dorsets, both pure-bred 

 and grades, Rambouillets, Delaines, grade Cheviots, and Shropshires. 

 If both pure-bred and grade Cheviots were considered together, the pure- 

 bred Cheviots would lower the average of the breed so that the Shrop- 

 shires would stand ahead of them (Table 2). The most successful hot- 

 house-lamb breeders are using Horned Dorset and fine-wooled ewes. 



Fig. 47. — Carcass wrapped in burlap ready 

 for shipment 



