SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT 117 



at all and can put them out of the flock ; and by giv- 

 ing them a little extra feed, they will soon fatten, 

 when they may be sold. 



There is a practice not very common among shep- 

 herds of forcibly holding ewes that persistently 

 reject the ram, and allowing him to serve them. 

 They will not often conceive from this service, but 

 it occasionally causes them to come in heat naturally 

 in from ten days to three weeks. Some early lamb 

 breeders make considerable use of this practice. It 

 can do the ewe no harm in case it is unsuccessful. 



CAEE OF THE PKEGNANT EWE. 



Perhaps the greatest stumbling block in the way 

 of the inexperienced shepherd is in the care of his 

 ewe flock during pregnancy. Either he feeds them 

 too well, or on unsuitable foods, or he deprives them 

 of air and exercise, or he goes to the other extreme 

 and lets them brave the storms without enough 

 food. Either condition will surely be fatal to his 

 fortune, though of the two extremes the worse is 

 that of too much food and no exercise. Such a 

 course is surely fatal to his hopes of a large crop of 

 strong lambs. 



If one would have success with these pregnant 

 ewes he should consider their condition in a state 

 of nature. Then they roamed the hills, selecting 

 the higher points as places to sleep; they sheltered 

 beside rocks or under pines. They were not in 

 large flocks and found sufficient food as they were 

 not restrained by fences. They had abundant exer- 



