SHEEP RAISING 295 



The "hot-house" lamb industry, as this is called, is a growing 

 and special line of the sheep industry in America. 



Fine Wooled Sheep. This is the Merino group. Their 

 wool is very fine in quality and the fleeces much heavier 

 than in the other breeds. There is an oil secreted by the 

 skin which makes the wool very oily; this is called the yolk. 

 The oil catches much dust, which always gives the sheep a 

 dirty appearance. The sheep are quite small in size and lack 

 the plump form found in the mutton breeds. The mutton 

 is not of good quality, and none but the largest are used for 

 this purpose. 



There are three breeds of Merinos found in America. 

 They are all descendants of the original Spanish blood. These 

 are (1) American Merino; (2) Rambouillet (Ram-boo-ya) 

 or French Merino; (3) Delaine Merino. The males have 

 spiral horns and the females are without horns. 



In all of these the fine wool covers the body and legs down 

 to the feet; but the nose and ears are usually free from wool. 

 The American Merino (Fig. 182) is the smallest and has deep 

 wrinkles or folds all over the body except on the back. The 

 Delaine is less wrinkled and is somewhat larger. The Ram- 

 bouillet (Fig. 183) is much the largest of the group, with 

 no folds at all except sometimes on the neck and breast. 



The Merinos are all hardy and good grazers. Their 

 grades are used for grazing in large flocks on the Western 

 plains. 



Care of Sheep. Sheep naturally live in mountainous 

 and hilly regions, where they get their living by feeding 

 on grasses and native plants of all kinds. There is now 

 greater profit from the raising of sheep in those sections 

 where the country is too rough for the raising of cultivated 

 crops. Sheep make good use of the land that would other- 

 wise be wasted. This is true to a greater degree with sheep 

 and Angora goats than with any other domestic animals. 

 Sheep are naturally kept in flocks, the Merinos in very large 



