62 FITTING SHEEP 



interest. As soon as a shepherd finds he is interfered with 

 in the management of the flock he quickly imagines his 

 abilities are not appreciated, he becomes discouraged, dis- 

 appointed and despondent; in fact, useless and incapable. A 

 shepherd can no more run a stud flock without the neces- 

 sary appliances than a mechanic can work without tools. 

 Yet there are flockmasters who sadly handicap a shepherd 

 by making no provision for even the crudest of appliances, 

 and then wonder why his sheep are not in bloom. Shepherds 

 should receive a fixed salary with an added bonus resultant on 

 the size and quality of the lamb crop. 



A greater piece of folly could not be thought of than that 

 of an owner of a flock, who, being himself a novice in the 

 business, hiring an expert shepherd to care for his flock and 

 then dictating to him how to run it. The shepherd, if he has 

 a particle of manhood about him, could and would not tol- 

 erate such an outrage on his rights for one moment. Ofttimes 

 the shepherd is better qualified to make sales of sheep than 

 is his employer, he being conversant with their individual 

 qualities, pedigrees, etc., which he has at his fingers' ends, 

 ready for use when occasion offers. It is the duty of the 

 flockmaster to provide abundant shelter, food, appliances, 

 etc., for the use of the shepherd in the management of his 

 flock. He should be prepared to furnish separate enclosures 

 for the sole use of the sheep, and should be ready to do any 

 and everything that the shepherd suggests that would tend 

 to the welfare of the flock. A neglected or ill-managed 

 stud flock is an eye-sore and, indeed, a very poor property. 



When flockmaster, shepherd and sheep disagree, 

 They will do much better divided in three. 



