1905.] SHEEP. 57 



money to go into the raising of pure bred, high grade, sheep. 

 But I want to say a word on that question, because some of you 

 may have an inkling to do that. 



Now, in all of the great sheep raising countries of the world, 

 where they run immense flocks, they cannot raise those flocks 

 without constant infusion of new blood, because the climate is 

 so dry that they cannot keep the quality in the wool. After a 

 few generations the Colorado merino wool is as dry as a husk, 

 and they have to use kerosene oil on their shears to keep them 

 from sticking. So that every few years, and in fact all the time, 

 those breeders have to draw on the eastern States, and on the 

 middle States, for stock rams. So that in a dry place you do 

 not want to go into merinos, neither would I advise the other 

 extreme, the going into what is called one of the middle wools. 

 There is no question, from a business standpoint, but what the 

 business can be made profitable with that kind of sheep, but 

 exactly as it is in other lines, you must know your business. 

 You must know how, for the first few years especially, to han- 

 dle the matter with a good deal of judgment. You must know 

 how to build up your stock, you must know how to get 

 good stock to sell, and to do that you must get good stock 

 to begin with. Of course, the cheapest way, if you want 

 to start off with fancy sheep, with English sheep, is to go to 

 England and buy your sheep, and bring them over, and then 

 you have got a foundation for the flock that is substantial, and 

 which will give you a higher reputation in your community. 

 I do not know of a more agreeable occupation, or one that is 

 more likely to result well financially, than the breeding of pure 

 bred sheep, but success in that depends entirely on the quality 

 of your stock, on the output of the rams every year, and do 

 not forget the important fact that among such kind of sheep 

 fresh blood frequently is a necessity. 



Even in Australia, a country which is noted for the extent 

 to which the sheep industry has been developed, they cannot 

 raise their own foundation stock. For two or three genera- 

 tions their rams are found to be all right, but they must have 

 more new blood every little while, and in that way there is 

 constantly being created a field for the introduction of pure 

 bred stock. 



Now, gentlemen, I have taken up more time than I intended 

 to take in the discussion of these questions. I do not pretend 



