8 SHEEP FEEDING 



WESTERN SHEEP 



Western sheep come from west of the one hundredth merid- 

 ian. Western sheep are those that are raised in that part of 

 the United States that in a general way lies west of the one 

 hundredth meridian, or the line that divides the humid and 

 the semiarid regions of the Great Plains, running through 

 the central portions of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, 

 Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. 



Old Spanish Merino the foundation of early Western flocks. 

 It is generally supposed that the early Spanish Merino had 

 a great deal to do with the formation of our first Western 

 flocks. In support of this belief we can see to-day marked 

 evidences of Merino blood in most of the Western ewes. 

 In some states subsequent crossing with pure-bred Down 

 or coarse-wooled rams has almost obliterated all evidences of 

 this early blood. In others Merino sires have been used of 

 late years and Merino characteristics predominate ; while 

 in other regions so little new blood of any kind has been 

 introduced that, as a result, a class of sheep remains that is 

 hard to classify with reference to any of our modern breeds. 



Western lambing season covers long period. Lambing 

 season in the West extends over quite a long period, begin- 

 ning in late winter in the south and not finishing until May, 

 and in some cases until June, in the north. However, the 

 lambs are not marketed in order of age, for some of the 

 first to reach the market are the Idahos. In Idaho they 

 have a quick-maturing type of sheep, largely Downs, and 

 this, with abundant early rains, produces an early fat lafnb. 

 The order or succession in which the sheep are marketed 

 does not depend so much on age as on how early or late 

 the season may be, the abundance or scarcity of grass, the 



