344 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



sheep from the Spanish Armada, and others to English sheep that 

 traveled northward. Whichever is correct, the type is now dis- 

 tinctive, and is, no doubt, the result of generations of living under 

 the severe conditions prevailing in the Highlands. 



The breed is naturally small, but of good mutton form, covered 

 with a long, flowing fleece, the fibres of which, under a system of 

 good feeding, sometimes grow to 20 to 24 inches in a single year. 

 The wool iis coarse and valued mostly for the manufacture of strong, 

 coarse fibres. Black-faces make good mutton, which commands the 

 highest prices in the British market. Both sexes are horned, the 

 horns of the ram being, of course, much heavier than those of the 

 ewe. The face may be black, or black with white mottles with a top- 

 knot of wool on the forehead and small ears. The body is of mutton 

 type and the fleece so long as to sweep the ground. 



The management of a Black-faced flock is comparatively sim- 

 ple, as they can subsist on very bare pastures and withstand much ex- 

 posure. In ordinary years, on their native heath, they can tide over 

 the winter without any auxiliary feed at all; and in deep storm, a 

 small quantity of natural hay is enough to supply their wants. For 

 a time the popularity of this breed in the Highlands was threatened 

 by the Cheviots, but the severity of the winter of 1859-60 proved the 

 greater hardiness of the Black-faces, and since then they have fully 

 held their own ground. A few of these sheep have been imported to 

 parts of the United States and Canada. (Annual Report Sec'y Agr. 

 of Nova Scotia, 1907.) 



SHEEP FEEDING. 



In feeding all classes of sheep there are general details that con- 

 tribute toward satisfactory results. Among these may be included 

 all those things that are conducive to the general health of the sheep, 

 such as considerate treatment, cleanliness of troughs and racks, 

 healthfulness of the quarters in which the sheep are kept, regularity 

 in feeding, and the use of such accessories as salt, pure water, and 

 sulphur. 



Feeding Breeding Ewes. To enter into detailed discussion of 

 the feeding of breeding ewes it will be best to divide the topic ac- 

 cording to the season, and in this way present the subject of winter, 

 spring, summer, and fall feeding. Under climatic conditions per- 

 mitting the breeding flocks to have pasture throughout the year, 

 what may be termed summer feeding would largely prevail at all 

 times, so with such an understanding local conditions will not neces- 

 sitate much variation from the course of feeding suggested. 



Winter Feeding of Breeding Ewes. Breeding ewes require 10 

 to 15 square feet of space in a building, and ewes weighing from 150 

 to 200 pounds should have an allowance of 1.5 feet at the feeding 

 rack. Less than this causes too much crowding at feeding time, 

 which often results in the birth of dead lambs. Breeding ewes need 

 not be fed more than twice daily. It is a good practice, however, to 

 feed them some fodder outside during the winter season, for in this 

 way they are induced to take some exercise. With this in view the 



