Fkkdinii Shkep for Market. 229 



stances. Early lambs, to l)ring the best price, should be 

 <^ropped as earl}'^ as February. In this climate, one must 

 have very warm sheds, if he expects to succeed. Then, 

 again, lambs require more time and care, which should be 

 taken into the account. One must be willing at all times, 

 aven if it i^ to lose part of a night's rest, if necessary, 

 during the lambing period, to attend to the various and 

 mm^ierous duties that require his care, and generally he 

 must have the care himself. There are but few hired men 

 that it would be safe or profitable to trust it with. Early 

 fed lambs require more shed room. For tifty ewes it 

 requires a slied 20 by 60 (or an equal spacs), two-thirds of 

 this room for the ewes, one-tliird for the lambs, to feed by 

 themselves after they are two or three weeks old. The 

 same shed room will accommodate one hundred yearlings, 

 or eighty full grown wethers. Yearling sheep require 

 nearly as much grain as full grown wethers, but will consume 

 but al)out lialf as much hav. All these thins^s must be 

 taken into consideration, together with the prospective 

 market, when one decides wliat class of sheep to feed. F.or 

 breeding ewes for early lambs, I prefer the grade Merino, 

 avoiding the wi-inkly, short, gummy wooled ones, select- 

 ing those of a vigorous constitution, broad, wide hipped, 

 short legged, tendency to early maturity, prolific breeders, 

 and good milkers, of an age not less than three or more 

 than six years. Such a selection requires good judgment. 

 To serve the ewes, I prefer a Southdown ram to either a 

 Leicester or Cotswold. Rams should be put witli the ewes 

 in September, that the lambs may be dropped in Febru- 

 ary. It takes about ninety days to make a lamb of suf- 



