114 REPORT OF THE SCOTTISH COMMISSION 



places, aided by Provincial Government Grants, are doing good by 

 the introduction of pure-bred rams of recognised breeds. This, 

 it is hoped, may eventually lessen the practice, at present quite 

 common, of keeping for use any good-looking ram lamb, irrespective 

 of parentage. 



Many of the older flocks were of the Cotswold or Kent breeds. 

 These in many cases have been crossed with Southdowns, Shrop- 

 shires, or Leicesters. There is a preference over most of the 

 Dominion in favour of Shropshires, especially in parts where heavy 

 falls of snow may be expected. As a defence against severe weather, 

 short-wooled breeds are most in favour, those more open in their 

 fleeces being apt to get over-weighted during long-continued and 

 heavy snowstorms. 



In Ontario and Quebec there are many good flocks of sheep, 

 and it may be safely affirmed that the earnest and intelligent 

 sheep-breeder is apparently doing well. At Toronto Exhibition 

 the champion Shropshire ram at the Royal Agricultural Society's 

 Newcastle Show was exhibited by his new Ontario owners — besides 

 many other animals of quite exceptional merit. All parts of North 

 America look to Great Britain first and then to Ontario for the 

 supply of pure-bred rams. To the United States especially the 

 export trade of pure-bred sheep has become quite an important 

 industry, far exceeding the home trade. In many parts of the 

 Province of Quebec, and even in Ontario, leaving out of account 

 the flocks of the pure-breed specialists, there is ample room for 

 improvement in the common flocks, both in numbers and quality. 

 The development of dairying, the poor fencing, and want of skill 

 on the part of the farmers, have been causes inducing the decline 

 which has taken place in the numbers of sheep. In Quebec there 

 were nearly double the numbers of sheep thirty-seven years ago 

 that there are now, while in Ontario in the same time there has 

 been a reduction of nearly a fourth. 



In the prairie provinces sheep -keeping is not popular except 

 with a few. The l^te large influx of population has probably put 

 some new life into the industry, but outside the sheep ranches of 

 Alberta, of which not much information was available, there are 

 probably not more than forty or fifty farmers who give themselves 

 out as sheep-men, and many of these even are in quite a small way — 

 some forty to sixty ewes being considered quite a large flock. There 

 seemed to be a great extent of country where sheep should do well 

 with attention as to folding, with suitable fencing, and the provision 

 of adequate succulent food in winter. Inquiries at any sheep- 

 men that were met elicited always the same answer — " Sheep do 

 very well and do not give much trouble," while some were enthus- 

 iastic about them and blamed their neighbours and fellow-farmers 

 generally for their lack of interest in such an easy and lucrative 

 addition to their farming methods. All through the west 

 there is said to be an increasing demand for pure-bred sires, 

 and good prices and keen competition marked the ram sales of 

 1907. 



Quite recently a market for lambs has been opened by the 



