MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 51 



breeders, in its interest, by way of advertising the breed), for the 

 following on the management of the Hampshire in England:, 

 "We are not one of those breeders who have made record prices 

 for rams. We do not aim at making high averages for our let 

 rams or for our first 100. Our endeavor is to level up the tail end 

 of the flock so as to secure a profitable return on the large num- 

 ber we rear. It is the practice with some breeders to give a large 

 price for a ram with the knowledge that the owner of that ram 

 will return the compliment. We have always discouraged this 

 practice, and therefore are in the independent position of buying 

 sheep to suit our flock. The policy we follow is to buy or hire 

 three lambs, say at 50 each; we consider this better than putting 

 all our eggs into one basket by giving 150 for a single ram. This 

 practice we have found to answer admirably. Our flock has im- 

 proved 50 per cent and it stands very high in popular esteem, and 

 I believe we are the largest exporters of Hampshire Downs in 

 England sheep from our flock going to the United States, Can- 

 ada, Argentina, Chili, Eussia and Germany. This season we have 

 sold 420 ram lambs at an average of 18 Is. 6d. per head. Some 

 breeders may tell you what they sell their first eight or one hun- 

 dred for, but they will tell you nothing about the others. 



"You ask about our methods of forcing. Well, I do not think 

 that we do much forcing. Our ewes we try to keep in the most 

 natural condition possible, and for that purpose we rent a tract 

 of grass land of about 800 acres, where the ewes have gone today 

 and will remain until Christmas. This land has been clear of 

 sheep for nine months and is therefore perfectly clean and healthy. 

 The ewes will have nothing but grass, if the weather keeps mild 

 and open, up to the 10th of December, after which they will get one 

 pound of hay each per day. At Christmas they will return home 

 just in time to get settled down before lambing starts, on Janu- 

 ary 1st. The ewes will get no roots before lambing, but from 

 Christmas they will get one-half pound of linseed cake each per 

 day and their hay ration will be increased to two pounds. As 

 soon as they lamb they will be allowed, in addition to the hay, 

 mangels, cabbage and swedes. The linseed cake will be changed to 

 decorticated cotton cake and bran, the ewes with single lambs get- 

 ting an allowance of one pound per day, per head, and ewes with* 

 twin lambs having twn counds per day. The lambs, as soon as 

 they can feed, get a mixture of the best linseed cake and pea-chaff, 

 and as time goes on tKA mixture is further added to by locust beans, 

 peas, beans and ground linseed. ' This feed .varies according to 

 the age of the lambs, but we reckon they will consume two pounds 

 per day for the last month they are on the farm. 



"Mr. Stephens is a great believer in. hereditary fecundity, and 

 has for years been breeding on twin-producing principles, and 

 as far as it is practical we never use anything but twin ram lambs. 



