CHAPTER L 

 THE FINE-WOOL BREEDS. 



It is not thought worth while to present here ex- 

 tensive accounts of the various breeds of sheep; 

 however, some mention must be made of the char- 

 acteristics pertaining to each. Breeds originate from 

 environment, from peculiar characters of soil and 

 vegetation and climate, and from the mental idio- 

 syncrasies of the breeders themselves. Each breed 

 has its own particular field where it serves best a 

 certain purpose. For all that, breeds are somewhat 

 flexible and several have a wide range of adapta- 

 bility. Conditions of market and of environment 

 make some breeds more profitable than others in 

 certain locations. What would pay best on the range 

 in some remote state, where wool by its cheap trans- 

 portation brings the major share of profit, might not 

 pay so well in near proximity to large cities where 

 the demand is for quick-maturing mutton. Inverse- 

 ly, sheep are not suited to range conditions that are 

 not good shearers, good to "herd," that is, having 

 the mental trait that makes them stay close to- 

 gether and an ability to withstand occasional times 

 of starvation. On the farm the utility to live 

 through hard winters on sparse allowance of food 



(27) 



