54 FITTING SHEEP 



is entailed. Every animal should be catalogued, giving full' 

 pedigree, etc. All ewes should be bred. All should have 

 careful preparation by being carefully fed, and just before 

 the sale day arrives should be carefully trimmed and num- 

 bered on the side or back with stencil or stamps and mark- 

 ing ink. Pens must b.e provided into which it is usual, in 

 the case of both ewes and lambs (other than show lambs), 

 to put three sheep this making a pen. The pens should be 

 made of a temporary, or rather, a portable character, so as 

 to facilitate speed in allowing the sheep to run into the sale 

 ring. The ring should have two gates, the one for ingress 

 the other for egress. Show and other rams are usually sold 

 singly. Show ewes and ewe lambs either singly or in pairs, 

 as the case may be. It is well when making the pens to plan 

 them so that they may be easily converted into shipping 

 crates; the shipping of all sheep to purchasers at a distance 

 devolving upon the vendor of course. 



Preparing Rams For Sale. 



One of the greatest mistakes our shepherds are making to- 

 day is the pampering of rams intended for service on the 

 range. Fancy a ram receiving access to rich domestic pas- 

 tures and grain almost ad libitum being turned out with a 

 large flock of ewes on the .ranch where he has, as it were, 

 to rustle for an existence. The writer cannot but think this 

 to be wrong. In the case of stud rams it is entirely different. 

 A ram intended for use among stud flocks should receive the 

 most liberal care and feeding. The up-to-date, modern mut- 

 ton sheep is none other than the production of the highest 

 art and skill of the flock-master in both mating, feeding and 



