EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X. 579 



Weak sheep cannot produce good, strong lambs, neither can they give 

 good returns in the feed lot. The healthy, strong constitutioned sheep 

 has much different appearance and general make-up than the weak one. 

 In examination of a sheep I always start at the end of the nose and work 

 back. The indications of strong constitution are: A wide, well-opened 

 nostril, a short, broad head, width and depth of chest, fullness behind 

 the shoulder both on top and at the side, well-sprung ribs coming wide out 

 from the backbone. Such a sheep has room for the vital organs to perform 

 their work in a proper manner. Neither the breeder nor the feeder can 

 afford to lose sight of constitution in his sheep, because his profits will be 

 cut short from what they would have been just as much as the sheep 

 lack in constitution from what they should be. 



VALTJE OF PEDIGREE. 



After you have correct sheep selected for individuality, it is well to 

 look to their breeding. The old saying that "blood will tell" is a very 

 true one. Pedigree is a list of an animal's ancestors. A sheep with a 

 "short pedigree" might be a good one, but his ancestors of rather inferior 

 quality. The sheep with the "long pedigree" has noted ancestors for many 

 generations. When placed in the breeding flock the characteristics of the 

 ancestors are sure to be in evidence in a greater or less degree. There- 

 fore, the lambs from the well-bred ram will be uniform and show the 

 results of years of careful breeding. The lambs from the ram with the 

 "short pedigree" will also copy after their ancestors and some will show 

 that inferiority that was in those ancestors. Therefore, the lambs from 

 this ram are more liable to be a "mixed lot" than those from the ram with 

 better breeding. The same facts will come about year after year. It 

 pays to be careful in the blood lines you introduce either into grade or 

 pure-bred flocks. The mutton buyers on the market always pay a premium 

 for the uniform lots. 



Considering that the universal sheep of today is the big fellow with a 

 dense fleece of good length, heavy bone, a straight back and wide, well- 

 filled hind quarter, we wish to add that a great improvement for the 

 industry will have been accomplished when we add to these qualities the 

 all-important ones of constitution, covering over all parts with natural 

 flesh of lean meat, and pedigree which will help us maintain the good 

 qualities in a uniform manner throughout. 



INFLUENCE OF THE RAM ON PROLIFICACY. 



FroTTi the Ruralist. 



The question of the relative influence of the ram and ewe on prolificacy 

 has been much debated. The controversy has waxed fierce and warm, and 

 what has been the outcome? It has lingered largely on the question, first, 

 as to whether the male can create increased prolification in the female, as 

 the outcome of a single mating; and, second, as to whether the male can 

 transmit an increased tendency in the female progeny to the same because 

 of inheritance. Id the controversy some have claimed, and confidently, 



