338 



SHEEP 



and the entire leg is affected. Careful trimming of the toes will 

 easily remedy this. Sheep of the A class tend to have bad feet 

 and should be carefully selected and mated with the view of 

 avoiding this trouble as much as possible. 



The skin of the Merino should be firm and of a bright pink 

 color and free of all scurfiness. No class of sheep, as a rule, 

 shows such excellent, high-class color of skin as generally pre- 

 vails with this breed. The smoothness of skin varies, that of 

 Class A having notable folds, as has been explained on page 333, 

 Class B having less, and Class C hardly any at all. The skin of 

 Class A sheep is also thicker, mellower, and more porous than 

 that of Class C which is thin and more delicate than the other. 



The fleshing of the Merino of Class A type is limited in 

 degree, being really a very muscular body with almost no fat. 

 A smoother, better-fleshed body occurs with Class B, while 

 Class C in ideal form is well rounded out, smooth in all the 

 parts, neatly covered with flesh without superfluous fat. 



The wool of the Merino, as has been stated, represents the 

 finest grade produced on the sheep. This varies in diameter 

 and length, according to the breed or breeding, and is discussed 

 to some extent under Merino families proper. In all cases, how- 

 ever, the fleece should cover the body densely, and the fibers 

 be very fine, uniform in diameter, and carry considerable crimp. 

 The oil or yolk should be sufficiently abundant to keep the 

 fleece in superior condition at all times, indicating a healthy 

 condition of skin and body. This oil exposed to the sun turns 

 darker in color than when shaded in the fleece and so adds to 

 the dirty external appearance. A white oil is said to turn darker 

 than the more yellow sort. A fleece colored moderately yellow 

 by the oil, being neither white nor egg-yellow, is preferred. A 

 very heavy exudation of oil is objected to as not only causing 

 unnecessary shrinkage of fleece in washing but also as being 

 something of a drain on the animal's vitality. To some extent it 

 is probable that the amount of oil may be affected by the food. 

 Professor J. A. Craig states that lambs fed grain from birth 

 invariably sheared heavier fleeces than those that only had grain 

 during the latter three months of feeding. The wool should 

 be naturally bright and lustrous, with a clean white color. 



