124 FITTING SHEEP 



demonstrate, that where breed, feeding and some of the 

 higher laws of nature are carefully considered and adhered 

 to, that breeding from ewe lambs is not only profitable, but 

 in many instances very desirable; in fact, I have so pinned 

 my faith to such a course of procedure that my experiments 

 will tend in this direction the coming breeding season. Now, 

 brother shepherds, I am not taking the stand to tell you that 

 taking a bunch of ewe lambs promiscuously and breeding 

 them will put you on the road to wealth; neither am I telling 

 you to take any of our modern improved breeds and expect 

 to strike a Klondike right off. Oh, no! But I want to 

 tell you that there is a breed of sheep that will, as lambs, 

 produce offspring that in mutton qualities or heavy-weights 

 vie with any that may be produced from ewes at any given, 

 age. It is the Hampshire. 



"When in the year 1760, Bakewell, who was undoubtedly 

 the father of the flockmaster commenced his improvements 

 of live stock, did he think he would be followed by sons of 

 such high intellectual order or standing as are our flock- 

 masters of to-day? To make my subject anything approach- 

 ing completeness I must introduce one of the greatest 

 flockmasters of the day De Mornay who has given us 

 the benefit of his experiments, and the most valuable proofs 

 of the reasonableness of breeding from ewe lambs. He it is 

 who tells us that the development of constitution and mus- 

 cular form does not take so long a time to effect as does 

 the procreative system. To alter habit and fix an instinct 

 of precocity requires a long and persistent effort on the part 

 of the breeder in the selection of the most precocious of both 

 sexes without interruption for many years, supplying them 

 at the same time with an appropriate and liberal diet.' 



