FITTING SHEEP FOR SHOW RING AND MARKET. 123 



Breeding of Ewe Lambs. 



Whether the breeding of ewe lambs is advisable or profit- 

 able depends much on the breed of sheep, the farm on which 

 they are raised, the kind of food to be procured, and last, 

 but not least, the shepherd in charge. 



The Hampshire, one of our best known Down breeds, 

 has proved itself par excellence the most precocious of all 

 breeds. To illustrate what I say I will quote from an article 

 from my own pen that appeared in Wool Markets and Sheep 

 regarding the subject. 'The question of the prudence and 

 profit of breeding from ewe lambs is a somewhat mooted one, 

 and while some who have experimented along such lines, 

 undoubtedly with a flock lacking in the desirable precocious 

 and prolific instincts of some well known breeds; or, per- 

 haps, with land minus certain desirable and indispensable 

 chemical qualities, or not unlikely lacking the necessary abil- 

 ities to successfully handle such a flock, will tell us that 

 nothing but a disastrous issue confronts us; on the other hand 

 we are met by men who have delved deep down into the 

 -depths of science, and with Darwin tell us of what seem to 

 us almost impossibilities. 



"The day has been and is to-day when it was thought 

 that sheep only of certain breeds would do on certain kinds 

 of land. Now, in these days of the ripening of science and 

 rapid progress what are we to do? Are we to get a breed 

 of sheep exactly suited to the conditions and quality of the 

 land, or are we, with improved draining facilities and highly 

 valuable chemical manures, to condition our land to our 

 flocks? 



"I contend, and with facts and figures wish to clearly 



