CHAPTER XI. 



THE RAM AND EWE. 



The Choice of a Earn. The points which should be observed in 

 buying sheep, already detailed, hold good with respect to the ram. 

 A few other features should be looked for as the ram is the cheapest 

 means of improving the flock. It is well said that the ram is 

 " half the flock." This does not imply that the ewes should not 

 be carefully selected, as perfection cannot be approached if the 

 ewes are seriously faulty ; but, fortunately, the influence of the 

 ram is very great. In the first place, a ram influences the offspring 

 of from fifty to one hundred ewes yearly, whereas the ewe only 

 affects her own lambs. It is highly important that the ram should 

 come from a stock which has been carefully bred and selected for 

 many generations. A ram with a good pedigree possesses a fixed 

 type which he imparts to the offspring. The greatest effect of 

 a well-bred ram is apparent when he is mated with poorly-bred 

 ewes : he possesses greater potency over them than he does on 

 ewes which have been well bred for a long time, as the latter have 

 also obtained fixity of type, and he does not make the same im- 

 pression on them. From this it must not be implied that an 

 inferior ram can be used on high-class ewes without doing harm, 

 as the male is naturally prepotent over the ewe ; but merely that 

 the extraordinary prepotency of the well-bred ram over the poorly- 

 bred one is shown to an exceptional degree. This is well, as it 

 enables a farmer to improve his flock quickly, and at small expense. 

 By judicious selection of his ewes, withdrawing from time to time 

 those which are of inferior type, the whole flock may be raised to a 

 high standard in a few years. 



In selecting a ram for mating with poorly-bred ewes, the first 

 point to look for is quality. If the ewes are small, size must be 

 looked for also, but a squarely framed ram, with every character- 

 istic of early maturity, must be sought for. A few pounds extra 

 laid out on a good ram is money well spent. While, however, 

 recommending that high-class rams should be used, it is not neces- 

 sary for a farmer who intends improving his flock for purely farm 

 purposes to purchase the most expensive rams, a few of which are 



