60 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



There is little doubt that when we have learned 

 our trade better we will in turn use thousands of 

 rams of both the Lincoln and Cotswold breeds upon 

 our range-bred ewes to produce mutton for our own 

 and the foreign markets. 



DORSET HORNS. 



Properly, the Dorset belongs with the downs, and 

 indeed the ancestors of the present Dorset Horns 

 were much like the Wiltshire ancestors of the Hamp- 

 shire Down sheep. There is now little resemblance 

 between the Dorset and the Hampshire breeds, 

 though singularly enough each has taken up the 

 same field of endeavor, the production of early 

 lambs. , The Hampshire lambs usually come at a 

 later time than the Dorsets and do not go to market 

 quite so young, but each has the habit of fattening 

 at an early age, and the Dorset ewe has also the way 

 of dropping her lambs at an earlier season than any 

 other ewe.. Then she is the greatest milker of any 

 of the sheep tribe, and because of this large supply 

 of milk, and because of their vigorous digestion and 

 ability to use grain at an early age the Dorset lambs 

 soon attain to good weights and are usually sold fat 

 from their mothers' sides. In truth, it is not good 

 practice to allow Dorset lambs to attain to an age 

 of above six to eight months, and most profit comes 

 from selling them at two to four months. 



The Dorset, like the Southdown, is of unmixed 

 ancestry, and is one of the most ancient breeds in 

 existence, though doubtless much changed by selec- 



