234 LIVE STOCK MANAGEMENT. 



beginner in the sheep business to handle. During the month 

 of September and the early part of October each year there 

 are thousands of just such ewes sent to our markets, where 

 they are a drug on the market. A ewe which has reared 

 a good lamb or perhaps two lambs is always rather thin in 

 flesh. This being the case, the butcher does not want her, 

 except at a very low price. They can usually be purchased 

 at from $1.50 to $3.00 per head at any of our leading live 

 stock markets. In selecting such ewes get those which show 

 good breeding and have good fleeces. Have them dipped 

 before leaving the yards, and better still, after they arrive 

 home as a safeguard against scab, vermin and other troubles. 



Having secured a flock of old ewes for a small amount of 

 money, you can now afford to spend some money in the 

 purchase of a good sire. He cannot be too good from a 

 mutton and wool producing standpoint. It is not necessary 

 that he have all the fancy points of his breed, such as color 

 markings, wooling of the head and legs, and other fancy 

 points. It is very important, however, that he does have 

 a good mutton form, a good, heavy fleece of wool, and a 

 strong constitution, as indicated by width and depth of chest. 

 He must be right in every respect, because he is more than 

 half the flock. 



The ewes should be well fed during mating season, also 

 during the winter months. The next fall some culling out 

 should be done. Those ewes which are oldest and least 

 prolific should be separated from the rest of the flock and 

 fattened for the market, to be sold in December or January; 

 not September, when the market is always overstocked with 

 such animals. A number of the best ewe lambs should be 

 selected to replace the old ewes which have been discarded, 

 in this way selecting the foundation for the future breeding 

 flock. If this method is followed up, in a few years all of 

 the old ewes will be replaced by younger ones of better type 

 and breeding. At the same time the flock will pay larger 

 dividends on the capital invested than any other class of 

 stock on the farm. 



By getting a new and better sire every two years an ex- 

 cellent flock can be built up from a very small outlay of 

 money. More attention should be paid to breed type in the 

 selection of the sire from year to year, as by so doing the 

 type of the entire flock will be very much improved. If after 

 a few years' experience with the flock you wish to establish 



