130 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



of 21 breeding ewes in the year 1890. They were fed upon 

 rowen hay twice a day during the winter till the first of 

 March ; after that they were fed oftener, and a daily ration 

 of grain was added, consisting of bran four quarts, oats four 

 quarts, and corn two quarts. They were turned to pasture 

 May 1. The receipts that year were as follows : — 



28 lambs, average weight August 1, 91 pounds, sold at 6^ 



cents per pound, , . . . $165. G2 



168 pounds wool, at 22 cents, 36.96 



Total, §202.58 



which is very nearly $10 per head. This gentleman gave 

 me no figures of the expense except the grain, which amounted 

 to only $9 for the 21 sheep. 



Questiox. "Where were those sheep kept? 



Mr. Avery. This flock was in the town of Shclburne. 



Question. What was the breed of sheep ? 



Mr. Avery. A hi^h-srrade South Down. I have known 

 this gentleman's flock for the last ten or fifteen years, and 

 he has used nothing but the very best of pure-bred South 

 Down sires. He has paid on an average probably $25 for 

 those rams, used them two years, then changed them to 

 prevent in-breeding, and he has replenished his flock by 

 keeping the best of the lambs. I figure those lambs as all 

 sold at 6^ cents per pound ; he did not sell them all, but of 

 course it is perfectly fair to figure them at that price. He 

 reserved five of the best of the lambs, which averaged 100 

 pounds apiece. 



Question. At what age? 



Mr. Avery. They were dropped in March, and they 

 were sold the first of August. Something like five months, 

 perhaps. He has improved his flock in that way, by using the 

 best pure-bred sires and selecting the best of the lambs. 

 Now, these lambs would have brought him G.V cents a 

 pound per head if he had sold them, and most of us would 

 probably have thought that was too much of a temptation 

 to resist, and would have let them go to the butcher ; but, 

 if we arc going to get a flock of sheep which will give us the 

 result which this flock gave him, I do not know of any way 

 that we can get them except to raise them in this way. I 



