126 SHEEP : BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



POINTS. 



So far the ewes speak for themselves. Old, broken- 

 mouthed, or, we may add, ruptured ewes must go, and a 

 faulty udder is in most cases an unpardonable defect. It is 

 less easy to still further cull the flock of its less desirable 

 members. Great judgment is required in culling out the weak 

 members, but the opportunity must be taken, and no doubt 

 rigorous weeding is one of the secrets of improving a flock. 



A weak, bare, or badly coloured head, speckled ears, when 

 a uniform colour is the type, pink or badly coloured lips and 

 nostrils, and spots where no spots should be, a rusty, sour, 

 ugly head, in any breed, should be got rid of. It is no great 

 matter if we cull beyond our usual draft, as there are plenty 

 of opportunities in early autumn to replace, by buying a few 

 good ewes. 



Nothing looks better than good heads, and, strange as it 

 may seem, a sheep's head, which is only worth gd. at the 

 butcher's, is worth a lot of money when carried on a good ram 

 or ewe. 



Next to the head and ears we look for good necks. Ewe- 

 necked sheep never look well, and a good scrag is a strong 

 point. Let us, therefore, as far as possible weed out long or 

 hollow-necked ewes. A muscular neck indicates strength of 

 constitution and good muscular development, and I have 

 never known a sheep breeder who did not strongly object to a 

 shabby neck. Mr. Ellman, the father of the Southdown 

 breed, insisted on the importance of this point. Mr. James 

 Rawlence, of Bulbridge, one of the oldest of our noted 

 breeders, would not keep a weak-necked ewe, and no man 

 who values his flock would buy a ram with this fault. The 

 neck ought to be muscular, arched, tapering and neat. 



Shoulders are as important as neck, and should be con- 

 sidered as follows : First, they must blend with the neck. 

 They must be well laid back so as to produce thick " crops " 

 and a great girth. Secondly, they must be wide over the tops. 



