MERINO SHEEP 155 



the fold change masters at prices rivaling those of 

 blood horses. 



The care given these high-bred, fine-wooled 

 sheep is a wonderful contrast to the little re- 

 ceived by flocks in the times when wool-growing 

 was the chief object of our sheep farmers; when, 

 though sheep had good and abundant food, and 

 fairly comfortable shelter from cold and storm, 

 they had nothing more. The lambs were dropped 

 in May after the ewes were turned out to grass, 

 and were not looked after oftener than once a day 

 in fine weather, and got only their mother's milk, 

 if the ewe was a good milker and was fond enough 

 of her ungainly yeanling to own it and give it such 

 care as sheep give their young. Now the dons and 

 dofias of blue blood have better quarters in winter 

 than many a poor mortal, in barns so warm that 

 water will not freeze in them, and are fed grain 

 and roots as well as hay, and are sheltered from 

 even soft summer rains, that their raiment may 

 suffer no loss of color. The lambs are brought 

 forth when spring has nothing in Vermont of that 

 season but the name, and are fed with cow's milk, 

 or put to nurse with coarse-wooled foster-mothers, 

 more bountiful milkers than Merinos, and have a 

 man to care for them night and day. The old-time 

 rams tilted it out on the field of honor, to the sore 

 bruising of heads and battering of helmets, and 

 sometimes loss of life. But now rams of a warlike 



