232 FITTING SHEEP 



vey of how eajy it is for the inexperienced to err in their 

 judgment than by giving a brief history of the yearling; 

 Shropshire grade wether herewith illustrated as he appeared 

 both alive and when dressed. Although I call him a yearling, 

 he was when slaughtered but 351 days old. His dam was a 

 half-blood Merino; his sire an imported Royal winning: 

 Shropshire. From birth to death he was crowded along. 

 on the best rations I had at command, among them being 

 rape, lupins, thousand-headed kale and kohlrabi. He dressed 

 104 Ibs. net. I do not know what per cent he dressed as 

 I did not weigh him when alive, but I think I can safely 

 say he dressed over 60 per cent of his live weight. Before 

 killing him I sought the opinion of many flockmasters on 

 his merits as a mutton sheep. Without exception he was 

 conceded to be an animal of true mutton conformation and 

 an ideal mutton sheep. Every one seemed surprised when I 

 expressed my opinion that he was not an ideal mutton sheep. 

 I did not take this stand because he was not a heavy, 

 squarely-built animal, or because he was not fat enough, but 

 because he did not handle as if he was as thick in flesh as 

 he should be, or in other words he did not come under the 

 hand in the condition that he should. I considered him 

 enveloped in a mass of fat that the butcher would have 

 to trim off from the various joints, with the exception of the 

 legs, to make him saleable. I wish to say here it is rarely 

 that a leg of mutton is too fat. Although having a pretty- 

 fair leg of mutton I considered him poor in twist of course 

 I did not expect him to carry such a big muscle as he would 

 have if he had been left uncastrated. Reference to the illus- 

 trations will prove to the reader how far I was correct in 

 my judgment. It will be readily seen from the cut of the 



