■)02 Journal of Agriculture, Viclurla. 1 11 Aug., 1919. 



SITEEP CLASSING. 



By tlie term slieep classing is meant tlio grading or c-lassing of tlit- 

 tloc'k by a competent classer in order to eliminate or cull tlie undesirable 

 units of the flock which retard its improvement. We must remember 

 that sheep breeding is a constant tug-of-war with nature, and, if nature 

 is allowed to have her way unrestrained, the sheep will very soon dete- 

 riorate, and in time only carry sufficient wool to protect itself against 

 the weather. 



The science of breeding teaches us that '' like begets like," and it 

 docs not matter how good the rams are that are used; if the bad, faulty 

 ewes are left in the flock, as sure as night- follows day bad lambs will be 

 born. Some farmers contend that it is unnecessary to cull the faulty 

 ewes, and maintain that superior rams will effect the desired improve- 

 ment. These men do not understand breeding, and only credit the rams 

 with prei>otence, Avhereas they, forget that if bad ewes have been bred 

 on faulty lines long enough, they will be as ]n'epotent as the rams, if not 

 more so, and, consequently, faulty progeny will result, and the desired 

 progress be retarded. 



The Valiie of Sheep Classing. 



There is no surer, sounder, and less exj^ensive method of improving 

 the flock or flocks of a country than by thorough systematic sheep class- 

 ing. The magnificent improvement that has taken place in the flocks of 

 Australia during the last thirty or forty years, and the unrivalled 

 position she holds as the premier sheep and wool producing country of 

 the world, liave been achieved by sheep classing. 



Many breeders labour under the delusion that once they have 

 acquired a flock of high excellence their labours ar over, and all they 

 liave to do is to wait for the profits which will accrue. They are wrong. 

 Their labour has just begun. There is no standing still in sheep breed- 

 ing. There must be either a forward movement or else retrogression, 

 and if the farmer sits still the tendency will be to retrograde. 



There must be no sentiment in sheep breeding. If we expect a sheep 

 to be prepotent with regard to its good points, surely it is only reasonable 

 to expect the same regarding the bad points, and perhaps more so 

 because nature is usually assisting. 



Frame and constitution should be uppennost in the classer's mind, 

 for M'ithout these tAvo essentials the flock Avill be like a house built upon 

 sand. 



The Best Time for Cl.vssino 

 is wht-n the sheep have from ten to twelve moaiths' growth of wool on. I 

 would not recommend" the classing of sheep with less than eight month?' 

 growth. The clas.ser may ri.^k it if he is exceptionally well acquainted 

 with the flock. On account of lambs altering so nuich, it is a very risky 

 undertaking to class them with their lamb jackets on. Lambs should 

 be shorn at from three to six months old. They should then be classed 

 as two-tooth sheep, and again as foiir-tooth before they go to the ram. 

 I may here mention that, in order to keep up the frame and constitution 



