538 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



come from the lamb or lambs, after deducting the small cost of the ad- 

 ditional feed and care they require. Returns come quickly, for lambs 

 may be marketed 8 or 9 months after the ewes are bred. While sur- 

 passed by the pig in economy of meat production, the lamb requires 

 less feed per pound of product than the steer. 



For success with sheep, it is even more essential than with other classes 

 of stock that they be given careful attention, especially at certain seasons, 

 such as breeding, lambing, and weaning. However, the principles of 

 feeding and management are relatively simple and easily understood. 

 In some districts the dog nuisance is a serious obstacle in raising sheep, 

 but fortunately several states have enacted effective dog laws which pro- 

 tect the sheepman. Also, the flock may be safeguarded by means of 

 fences, corrals, and trained dogs. 



824. Types of sheep. The original fine-wool, or Merino, sheep were 

 developed primarily for the production of wool and have bodies which, 

 like that of the dairy cow, are inclined to be angular in form. The 

 story of the Spanish Merino in its home country forms one of the most 

 interesting chapters in the history of live stock. 1 In their pilgrimage 

 from South to Central Spain each spring and their return in the fall 

 the great flocks made annual journeys of over a thousand miles. Only 

 the strongest and most rugged survived the long, fatiguing marches. 

 The ability to exist in enormous flocks, to range over a vast territory, 

 and to subsist upon scant food are the leading of the many remarkable 

 qualities wrought by stern Fate into the very constitution of the Merino 

 sheep. 



Almost opposite in several characteristics are the mutton sheep, com- 

 prising the middle- and loug-wooled breeds, which were developed in 

 Great Britain primarily for the production of meat, with wool second- 

 ary. In shape of body these breeds resemble the beef breeds of cattle, 

 being blocky and compact. In the districts in which these breeds were 

 developed they were reared in small flocks confined to limited pasture, 

 the best specimens being saved and nurtured each year with intelligent 

 attention to all their wants. They have been sheltered from storms and 

 liberally fed with rich roughage and grain in the sheepfold whenever the 

 fields were scant of herbage or the weather severe. In general the life 

 of the English mutton sheep has been one of quiet contentment and 

 plenty. In this country we cannot hope to attain the wonderful success 

 reached by British flockmasters unless we closely follow or improve upon 

 their methods. 



During more recent years the Delaine-Merinos and the Rambouillets 

 have been developed from the original Spanish Merinos, with the object 

 of securing a fine-wool sheep that would furnish more mutton. These 

 are of dual-purpose type, between the two extremes in form of body. 



825. Size of the flock. The sheep is distinctly gregarious. The im- 

 proved American Merino still shows the result of inheritance in its 



*Low, Domestic Animals of the British Islands, Vol. II. 



