400 NATURE OF THE RANGE AND OF THE SHEEP 



is, they should] be able to thrive when kept in large flocks or bands, 

 and they should have the habit of staying close together while 

 grazing. 



Breeds for Range. Until a few years ago range breeding ewes 

 were largely or altogether of Merino parentage, but at present 

 there is a disposition greatly to reduce the percentage of Merino 

 blood in breeding stock and a belief is growing that it ought to be 

 dispensed with in some regions. The Merino has been popular 

 because it is hardy and 1 better adapted to herding than any other 

 breed. Its wool, being dense and oily, has been better than that of 

 any other breed for withstanding alkali dust and the penetrating 

 dryness of a semi-arid climate. The recent decline in the popular- 

 ity of Merino blood is traceable to a number of factors. Methods 

 of handling sheep in many parts of the West have improved so 

 much that the extreme hardiness, characteristic of the Merino, is 

 no longer indispensable. The high prices paid for lambs during 

 the past five years have stimulated the desire to produce as much 

 mutton as possible from a given number of ewes. This has given 

 rise to a demand for rather large, strong, deep milking ewes, capable 

 of raising a large percentage of lambs and growing them rapidly. 

 Trials with lambs carrying a preponderance of mutton blood have 

 shown that they make rapid gains and attain heavy weights on 

 mountain range by the time they are old enough to wean. In 

 addition to all of these influences, the conditions surrounding the 

 sheep business have been such as to thoroughly arouse the interest 

 of sheepmen in such matters as breeding, and this interest of itself 

 has had some bearing on changes in breeding. 



At this time it is difficult to predict how much change will 

 ultimately be made in the breeding of range sheep. Aside from 

 the herding qualities which all range sheep must have, the kind 

 of sheep wanted is a type that represents the most effective com- 

 bination of mutton and wool. It has been found that an excellent 

 market lamb can be produced by crossing a pure-bred mutton ram 

 on a grade Merino ewe, but the trouble with this practice is that 

 it makes no provision for the future supply of the ewe stock. It 

 was once possible for the mutton lamb raisers to renew their breed- 

 ing ewes from regions that were not well adapted or located for 

 raising lambs for the market, but very few such regions exist at 

 the present time. 



So long as sheep are herded on open ranges, it is improbable that 

 Merino blood will be dispensed with. The percentage of it in bands 



