EXERCISE 78 



JUDGING SHEEP 



Fig. 128. The mutton type 



The champion college-bred Southdown wether at the International 

 Livestock Exposition. Bred and exhibited by the University of Ohio 



Statement. Sheep may be classified according to type and breed or according to how they are sold on 

 the market. According to types or breed, sheep are classified either as fine-wool type or as mutton 

 type. According to market demands, sheep are classified as fat or mutton, feeders, or breeders. 



Object. To become familiar with the classification of sheep and to be able to judge quickly and 

 accurately the value and comparative worth of an animal. 



Material. Pictures of pure-bred sheep clipped 

 from live-stock magazines and mounted on cards; 

 stereopticon and slides ; score card on opposite page ; 

 suitable animals for scoring. 



Directions. In handling live sheep, seize them 

 by the leg ; never catch them by the fleece. The 

 fleece is examined for quality over the heart, where 

 the wool fibers are finest, on the lower outside part 

 of the thigh, where the wool is coarsest, and at the 

 mid-ribs, where the fiber is of medium fineness. 

 Select a natural seam in the fleece, opening it with 

 the backs of the two hands and pressing the fleece 

 back so as to expose the fiber its full length and 

 also to expose the skin, which should be inspected 

 for color and condition. 



Score animals at first according to the score 



card given on the next page and later judge a number of animals, in each case giving reasons for 



your placings. 



Questions. Why has the sheep been called the animal with a " Golden Hoof " ? In what important 

 ways did the sheep help man on his way toward a civilized life ? What are the distinctive types of sheep, 

 in what respects do they differ, and where is each 

 principally found ? Of what service is the sheep in 

 a system of clean farming? What pet animal most 

 seriously interferes with the development of the 

 sheep industry ? What is the remedy ? About how 

 much wool is produced by a sheep in a year ? What 

 is its worth at your local market ? What is the ap- 

 proximate live weight of the mutton sheep when 

 mature ? of the wool type ? What breeds of sheep 

 are most common in your neighborhood ? Which is 

 best adapted to local conditions ? In what respects 

 might the methods of handling sheep in the neigh- 

 borhood be improved ? Contrast the methods and 

 results of one or two of the best sheep raisers of the neighborhood with those of the average, and write a 

 statement showing the particulars in which general improvement of the average might be made. 



References. Waters, H. J. Essentials of Agriculture, pp. 409-417. Ginn and Company. Plumb, C. S. 

 Types and Breeds of Farm Animals, pp. 333-455. Ginn and Company. Vaughan, H. W. Types and Market 

 Classes of Live Stock, pp. 159-179. R. G. Adams and Company. Gay, C. W. The Breeds of Live Stock, 

 pp. 327-380. The Macmillan Company. 



[154] 



Fig. 129. The fine- wool type. Rambouillet Ram " Laramie " 



and his world record fleece which weighed 46! pounds at fifteen 



months' growth 



Owned by the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College 



