CHOOSING THE EWES. 75 



(as described in a previous chapter), for a time, until she becomes 

 reconciled. The ewes thus made to serve as foster mothers will, 

 after two or three seasons, accept the situation, and readily adopt 

 the second lamb. In some flocks a lamb has occasionally sucked 

 three ewes, and in some cases, some enterprising lambs will forage 

 around and get a meal from any ewe that will permit it to suck. 

 It will be necessary to curb the enterprise of such lambs occasion- 

 ally, lest they rob the others. When a flock of ewes is purchased 

 each year, in August or early in September, they must necessarily 

 be picked up in the most convenient manner, either from passing 

 droves, or some well known drover may be engaged to procure 

 them. Fairly good ewes may generally be procured by either of 

 these methods for about $3 per head. In selecting ewes from a 

 drove, care should be taken to examine the teeth to ascertain their 

 age, and none less than three or four years old, or what are called 

 "full mouthed" ewes, should be chosen. The ram should be 

 chosen in this case as in the previous one. Whatever breed may 

 be selected, compactness of form and vigor should be looked for, 

 rather than size ; a moderate sized ram, with a large roomy ewe, 

 will produce a better lamb than a pair of the opposite characters. 

 High condition in the ram is not desirable ; a merely fair condition 

 is more conducive to certainty in getting lambs ; nor in this busi- 

 ness is it best to confine the ram ; the exercise with the flock being 

 better for the animal's health than confinement. If the flock is 

 too large for the one ram, it should be divided and separated, or 

 two rams used, each being shut up on alternate days ; no more than 

 50 ewes can be served by one ram in the time during which the 

 service is required or at most 40 to 60 days for this is the time 

 during which the season for selling lambs continues. The ram 

 should not be less than three years of age. As ewes go five months, 

 or about 150 days with young, those ewes that are served in the . 

 latter part of August will have lambs in January, and these lambs, 

 without any forcing, can be made marketable in April. All of the 

 lambs should be dropped before the middle of March, and it will 

 be found advisable and convenient to so apportion the ewes to bo 

 served, that the dropping of the lambs may be spread over the 

 whole of this period as regularly as possible. The presence of 

 dogs about a flock of this character should not be permitted. 

 They are not only entirely useless, but are really an annoyance and 

 an injury. After the lamb is a few days old, if thought necessary, 

 it may be taught to suck some warmed, sweetened cow's milk, and 

 any help to its growth, in the shape of extra food, will be useful. 

 There is danger, however, of over-feeding a young lamb, which 



