6o8 



breeding and management of the flock, they dwindled rapidly, and 

 in a few generations became worthless, of small size, poorly clad, 

 and weak of constitution. 



Already the conditions of life are producing quite different 

 types of sheep of the same breed. The most marked instances of 

 this occur with our merinos. So pronounced is the difference 

 between the merinos from different colonies that the veriest tyro in 

 sheep husbandry can distinguish at a glance between those bred 

 in Tasmania and those raised in Victoria. Riverina has another 

 type, and Mudgee another. Experts can readily distinguish 

 between the sheep raised in many of the districts in each colony. 



The farmer who deals in sheep must have a keen eye as to the 

 adaptation of the sheep he purchases to the natural surroundings 

 on his farm. Master Fitzherbert, in his " Boke of Husbandry " 

 (1532), clearly recognised this, for he gives the following shrewd 

 advice : " And take hede where thou byest any lean cattle or fat, 

 and of whom and where it was bred. For if thou bye out of a 

 better grounde than thou haste thyselfe, that cattel wyll not lyke 

 with the." To the man who regularly deals in sheep I have nothing 

 to say. If he does not know more about the business than can be 

 learned from any treatise he has been premature in going into the 

 business. To the farmer who purchases a lot of sheep to fatten off 

 when he happens to have a self-sown crop to utilise, I would say, 

 "Go where you will get sound, healthy stock, and pay a fair 

 market price for them." The sheep that are put on to a farmer's 

 hands as a great bargain at a low price are generally the last sheep 

 he should have on his place. 



