Nov., 1910.] ANNUAL REPORTS. 37 



a Shropshire-Native, weighed 50 pounds alive, dressing only 22 1-2 pounds 

 or 45 per cent. Ready sale could not be found for this carcass which was sold 

 even on a rising market for only S3.00. This clearly demonstrates that the 

 Boston market at least does not want early lamb carcasses weighing less than 

 25 pounds, and from close observation of the market demands the writer 

 can advisedly state that the highest prices always go to carcasses weighing 

 between 28 and 30 pounds. 



From our experience we have found that early lambs shrink in dressing 

 from 50 to 55 per cent, and on an average about 52 per cent. Consequently, 

 lambs should have a live weight of about 60 pounds before being sent to the 

 shambles. It takes from ten to twelve weeks to get lambs to this weight. 

 On the whole, thus far, the best results at this station in raising early lambs 

 have been obtained by crosses of the Hampshire or Shropshire ram upon a 

 .Merino, Merino Grade or Dorset Horn ewe. The long-wool crosses have not 

 proved nearly so satisfactory. Matings were made early in July this year, 

 and it is hoped that many lambs will be dropped that can be killed and sold 

 in February when the highest prices usually prevail. 



(b) Breeding Multi- nip pled Sheep. 



Through the kindness of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and Dr. C. B. Daven- 

 port, this station was presented this year with two multi-nippled sheep, a 

 ram and ewe, each possessing seven apparent nipples. The ram has been 

 mated with about forty ordinary two-nippled grade ewes. This should afford 

 ample data for a thorough study of the inheritance of nipples. 



(c) Inheritance of Twins. 



At the present time sheep breeders, especially those catering to a fancy 

 trade in pure-bred stock, prefer single lambs to twins. The reason for this 

 is that few dams can be found that are able to nurse successfully two lambs. 

 One good lamb that can be sold for a high price in the fall is better than two 

 small, stunted lambs that must be kept through the winter and are sold the 

 next spring or summer at a combined price, frequently little better than that 

 received for one the season before. 



With the advent of sheep possessing as many as four active nipples these 

 conditions will change, for such a sheep is easily capable of producing suffi- 

 cient milk for the support of two lambs. Naturally, then, since nothing occurs 

 in nature in a hit-or-miss fashion, arose the possibility of being able to control 

 the number of lambs at a birth. The principles underlying the inheritance of 

 twins must, however, first be determined. Work in compiling data in this regard 

 was begun last summer and will be pursued throughout the winter by means 

 of circular letters to sheep raisers and a study of the many record books of 

 breeders' associations. 



(d) Post-natal Variation in Growth. 



The frequency whereby we have considered it necessary to measure sheep 

 in the breeding experiment in order to gain an average result has led us to 

 study weekly the growth of lambs from birth, with the purpose in view of 

 discovering the extent of variation, if any, in the growth of the different 

 visible parts of the body. 



