NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 689 
shire. The greater portion of America must be a mutton producer and 
none other than a mutton sheep of the highest class fills the bill. The 
Shropshire has done it, is doing it, and always will. They are the sheep 
for the farmer and there are good reasons for it; so many that none but 
those who raise Shropshires can ever really learn them all. Constitution 
has been a most desirable characteristic and farmers want such a sheep 
that doesn't need to bo kept in a hot-house and that will not suffer if 
caught out in a storm. Not only are they naturally strong but their 
dense fleece which completely covers the body is the greatest sort of 
protection. Probably they are in a class by themselves when it comes to 
raising twin lambs. Some breeders may say that they would rather have 
one strong lamb than two weak ones. Yes, but wouldn't you rather have 
two strong lambs than just one? That is what the well cared for Shrop- 
shire ewe will bring. Only a short time ago we saw two Shropshire ewes 
with seven big lusty lambs on an Ohio farm. Of course, that is an ex- 
ceptional instance, but the fact that the two ewes gave birth to the seven 
lambs and were rearing them well only shows one of the breed's strong 
characteristics. That the quality of Shropshire mutton has been a prin- 
cipal factor in building up the American mutton business speaks strongly 
enough for itself, and the most desirable feature is that these good 
qualities come out very distinctly in the offspring when low-quality flocks 
have had Shropshire blood introduced. That fact has been a boon to 
American agriculture because the importance of a flock on every farm 
is getting more and more evident each year and had not the Shropshire 
given such good all-around results in the past the probabilities are that 
the sheep industry would shine under a different light than it does today. 
To a certain point, the more Shropshire blood that has been introduced 
into the flocks of a community the greater has been the success of those 
breeders because they have met the demand for first-class mutton, and 
mutton is what the world is calling for. The demand which the Shrop- 
shire breed has created, and the desire of farmers to raise them because 
they are so profitable, when coupled together is what makes the Shrop- 
shire the exceptional breed that it is. Grade sheep producers have learned 
that it is the breed for them because of the market demand, and pure- 
bred breeders achive success because the demand is keen for the Shrop- 
shire breeding material they offer for sale. 
Facts of conditions show that they are in a class by themselves as 
a utility sheep for the general farmer and in addition to that they are 
most beautiful for those who love to have good live stock as well as to 
have the kind that are a financial success. Therefore, today the solid 
old Shropshire is to be recommended to those who want a general farm 
flock that will raise lambs to bring the highest price, and also to those 
who are engaging in a pure-bred business to derive satisfaction, pleas- 
ure, and profit from it. The Shropshire has done well by its breeders 
and will do even better in the future because it has built up its own 
foundation that has stood the storms and is not floating on borrowed 
reputation. It lives on facts, and facts are what count. The future must 
be judged more or less by the past and that is what makes the Shrop- 
shire enjoy its present distinction. 
