Sheep Husbanduy, 189 



!?lieep with the full mouth will hold tlieii- tet'th mucli lon- 

 ger than others. 



The natural age of sheep is about ten years, to which 

 time they will thrive and breed well. 



Youatt, in his work on sheep, states that there are 

 instances of their breeding at the age of fifteen years ; 

 but I think that I can safely say, that our sheep have been 

 so nnich improved, that the average may be placed from 

 twelve to fifteen vears, and 1 have known of instances 

 of their breedino- at twentv-one years of asje and over. I 

 bad one in my flock that bred at twenty-one years of age. 

 She had a broad chest, fore legs wide apart, heavy fold 

 about the neck, round shoulders and hips, deep bodied, 

 strong in the quarters, folds about the tail, strong limbs 

 This form of sheep, possessing strong constitutions, is what 

 nuuiy of our best breeders are breeding for at the present 

 day. This old ewe had one peculiarity, which uiay prove 

 that such sheep are better mothers. She would own 

 ev^ery land) that was dropped, and would drive away the 

 mothers of the lambs until she had one of her own. 



The skin of sheep is composed of three textures. Ex- 

 ternally is the cuticle, or scarf-skin, wdiich is thin, tough, 

 devoid of feeling, and pierced l)y innumerable minute 

 holes, through which pass the fibres of the wool, and the 

 insensible perspiration. It seems to l)e of a scaly texture. 

 This is plain to be seen when the sheep have the seal). 

 Below this is the rete mucosum, a soft structure, its fibres 

 }ia%'ing scarcely more consistence than mucilage, and being 

 with great ditiiculty separated from the skin beneath. This 

 seems to be placed as a defence to the terminations of the 



