226 TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 



further extended through the range districts. At present, the 

 rangeman has a place for wethers if his location is such that the 

 shipment of animals is difficult and expensive, if he has very 

 cheap grazing lands and can produce his animals at very low 

 cost, or if he has too few breeding sheep to run his ranch at its 

 full capacity. As a mutton product, wethers are used in hotel, 

 restaurant, dining car, and steamship trade, or in any place 

 where the heavier cuts may be advantageously used. The grades 

 of wethers are prime, choice, good, and common. 



Ewes. Yearling ewes, ewes discarded as breeders, and 

 surplus breeding ewes compose this sub-class. Wide differ- 

 ences are therefore noticeable in age, condition, and weight of 

 offerings. As a rule, ewes dress out lower and yield propor- 

 tionately less lean meat than wethers, and hence bring a lower 

 price. The higher grades of ewes are utilized for hotel and 

 restaurant trade, while the lower grades supply the demand for 

 cheap mutton in cities, mining camps, and other places. The 

 grades of ewes are prime, choice, good, medium, and common 

 or culls. 



Bucks and stags. The supply of these is limited and hence 

 they are not graded. This sub-class is of no special importance 

 to the producer of mutton. 



Feeder Sheep. 



The chief distinction between mutton sheep and feeder 

 sheep is the degree of fatness. Other distinctions are notice- 

 able, however, for a study of the two classes discloses the fact 

 that thinness of flesh is not alone sufficient to gain ready ad- 

 mission to the feeder class. The animal should also be free 

 from extreme coarseness, and should not be much lacking in 

 vitality because of disease or old age. The supply of feeder 

 sheep is greatest during September, October, and November, 

 at which time rangemen are thinning their flocks in preparation 

 for winter. An investigation conducted by the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture* in 1915 indicated that 64 per cent, of feeder 

 sheep and lambs are purchased in the fall, 26 per cent, in the 

 spring, 9 per cent, in the summer, and 1 per cent, in the winter. 

 Furthermore, 47 per cent, of feeder sheep and lambs purchased 

 are bought locally in the district in which they are fed or grazed, 

 39 per cent, at centralized markets, and 14 per cent, in the coun- 



*U. S. Dept. Agr. Report 113, p. 17. 



