86 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



benefit these mountain flocks. At present they are 

 suffering from the result of long-continued in- 

 breeding. An infusion of fresh and unrelated 

 blood would marvelously improve them. 



Earlier in these pages I have in this 1911 edition 

 given some space to the thought that the "mut- 

 tony" Merinos are splendidly adapted to stocking 

 eastern farms. With Merinos, Delaines, Blacktops 

 or Eambouillets the greatest profit comes from 

 cross-breeding. There is fear, however, that in 

 doing this at present, when the ewe flocks of these 

 breeds are in all too insufficient supply, one will lose 

 one's breed altogether, since the cross-bred lambs 

 had better be all sent to market. The ideal plan to 

 pursue is to use two rams, one the most "muttony" 

 of Merinos of the type of the ewes, breeding him to 

 half of the ewes (the better ones), the other ram of 

 mutton breeding and all of his lambs going to mar- 

 ket, while the pure-bred Merino ewe lambs will be 

 saved to add to the flock. If one cannot follow this 

 course and is uncertain of where one can get a re- 

 newed supply of ewes, one can use a mutton ram 

 one year, marketing the lambs, a Merino the next 

 year, giving chance to save enough ewe lambs to keep 

 the flock strong. Opinion is much divided as to the 

 wisdom of crossing the families of Merinos among 

 themselves. A dash of Eambouillet blood increases 

 the size of the smaller families of Merinos, and 

 gives better feeding powers and mothering faculties. 

 On Eambouillet ewes a cross of Blacktop is said 

 considerably to help the shearing and to make the 



