1 68 MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



what kind of sheep will or will not thrive on certain kinds of 

 land and in certain districts. They seem to have a natural 

 intuition in this direction. Generally speaking, the higher the 

 altitude, the smaller the sheep, and the lower the altitude, the 

 heavier, while on medium or upland altitudes, medium sized 

 animals are found. Of course this is not an invariable rule, but 

 is one of considerable truth. 



It is remarkable how the quality of wools is affected by 

 the soil. According to those who have made a study of this 

 question, clay soils produce the best, sand soils the second best 

 and lime the most, inferior quality of wool. For breeding pur- 

 poses, light soils are generally looked upon as the best such 

 as are often found on limestone strata, sandy and gravelly soils 

 are also considered very healthy and suitable for sheep raising, 

 although the natural products of such soils are not so good for 

 young stock as those from the limestone on account of the defici- 

 ency of lime. Heavy cropping lands are not usually so suitable 

 for breeding sheep as some of the less fertile lands, except in 

 instances where breeds have been "to the manner born," such as 

 the Lincoln, for instance. 



It is not the climate perhaps as much as the presence or 

 absence of lime and phosphoric acids in the soil that determines 

 the quality of a sheep breeding farm, therefore experimenting 

 with new breeds in different localities is not a proceeding to be 

 recommended. It is better to choose a breed that has been 

 proven to be the class for the district in which your farm is 

 situated. 



An Irish agriculturist says: "One-half of the success of 

 farming depends on practical knowledge of the farmer of the 

 right kind of crops to grow, and the best methods of cattle, sheep 

 and horse breeding; the other half depends on the weather, 

 Science helps, but does not command/' 



Soils are characterized as clays, loams, sands, gravels, chalks, 

 peats, heavy, stiff, porous, impervious, light, friable, wet, dry, 

 cold, warm, rich and poor, and the most successful sheep breeder 

 is he that studies the nature of his soil. Farms may be divided in 

 three classes, grain farms, grazing farms and stock-raising farms. 

 Don't make the mistake of taking one for the other. 



It depends to a great extent upon the soil and lay of your 

 farm as to what breed of sheep you should keep. 



The following clipping, evidently from an English paper, 

 was recently handed the author, who would like to have given 

 credit and the source from which it originated were it possible, 

 since it contains a great truth that may be studied with interest 

 and benefit : . "Climate is not a matter of temperature, nor is the 

 result of food to be anticipated by the analytical chemist, else 

 the Southdown before mentioned would not change character 



