150 BRITISH SHEEP AND SHEPHERDING. 



ewes are finely bred, in-breeding is not so advisable as where there 

 is a tendency to coarseness. In-breeding to a slight extent is gener- 

 ally productive of smaller and more finely bred animals. Carried 

 beyond a certain point, the sheep become so fine as to indicate 

 weakness. 



The ewe sections of show flocks are usually rather better fed 

 than those kept for ordinary purposes, as the aim is generally t6 

 produce sheep of good size, although not at the expense of quality. 

 Smallness does not necessarily indicate fineness of quality, and 

 sheep may be coarsely bred though small. Small joints are cut 

 from small sheep, but they may lack the quality of those from 

 larger sheep. The ewe lambs and theaves, until they come into 

 the flock, are usually kept in a fairly fresh condition. It is, how- 

 ever, the ram section that receives the most liberal treatment, 

 and this is most marked in the case of the Hampshire sheep, of which 

 a large proportion are used when lambs. In such instances the 

 ram lambs have the first picking of all the best food, and all other 

 sections of the flock are of secondary consideration, as they are 

 put with the ewes when they are only eight months old. The 

 ram lambs are fed as much corn as they will eat from the time 

 when they first feed until they are sold. 



In those flocks where the rams are not used until they are shear- 

 lings it is not usual to feed them at such high pressure. A liberal 

 allowance of corn is given while they are lambs, and this is 

 continued to keep them in a thriving and growing condition until 

 a few months before the sale, when they are fed on as heavy an 

 allowance of corn as is consistent with safety, the object being 

 to get them thoroughly fattened. It is found necessary by breeders 

 to fatten their sheep more than is consistent with the activity and 

 vigour looked for in a sheep going to service, because buyers will 

 not recognise the valuable points of the animals unless they are 

 developed. High feeding tends to the production of better wool, 

 the appearance of finer quality of meat, a better outline, and 

 more level handling, and shows definitely how much flesh the 

 animal can carry. If these points are not developed buyers will 

 not give credit for them, and the fault of over-feeding is one which 

 is rendered necessary by the purchaser, and should not be ascribed 

 to the feeder who does it on compulsion. Ewes too highly fed 

 lose the power of breeding, consequently many breeders are very 

 chary of showing ewes ; naturally, to be successful, the best ewes 

 have to undergo the process of over-fattening ; and as they, or 

 such a large percentage of them, are spoiled for breeding purposes, 

 it is obvious that yearly drafts in this way greatly hinder the 

 improvement of the flock. 



House-Feeding. Although at one time it was strongly urged 

 that the most profitable management of sheep was associated 



