MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 181 



flock m'eans failure. The easiest way of making profit out of a 

 flock is by adding flesh and fleece to it through the sire. It is not 

 good policy to change the ram when he is doing good service, as 

 changing rains is nothing more or less than experimenting and 

 good sires are not a common article. When buying a ram look 

 to individuality as well as pedigree. Keep an eye out for what you 

 want before you really need it. Select early before the cream of 

 the flock is gone and don't delay until the breeding season comes 

 around before you make your selections. Don't forget that there 

 are culls in the purebred flock as well as in the common grade 

 flock. The best rams are not by any means always those who win 

 the most showyard ribbons, but rather those that sire the best 

 lambs. A ram with a pedigree may be a worthless sire, but the 

 ram without a pedigree cannot be anything else. Always buy your 

 rams of reputable breeders, even if their prices seem a little high. 

 A good opportunity offers itself of purchasing what you need at 

 the state fairs, where the types advocated by the different breeders 

 may be studied side by side. Dispersion sales are also good places 

 to buy rams. 



The purchasing of show rams by the novice cannot be recom- 

 mended. The selection of a ram is a very important matter and 

 the question of profit and loss depends largely on one's skill in this 

 respect. 



Don't use a mongrel ram on any account, for such is a profit 

 killer. Don't use a ram carrying the same defects in conformation 

 that your ewe flock carries and don't select the ram strong in 

 particular points with a view to counteracting the weak points 

 of your ewes. The only way to correct weaknesses in the ewe flock 

 is by using a perfectly smooth ram. 



Don't allow a few dollars to stand b.etween you and a good 

 ram. Don't sacrifice a good flock header because he is a little on 

 the aged side. Don't Cultivate the idea that you must use a year- 

 ling every year. A well-tried aged ram is much better than an 

 uncertain young stock ram. The ram that gives the best results 

 is one of active yet thrifty temperament, and one that has not 

 undergone a showyard campaign. That fitting for the showyard 

 unfits the ram for breeding purposes there is no doubt, and many 

 a valuable animal has been entirely ruined by the process. A 

 ram should be "sirey" about the head and muzzle. The more like 

 a bull-dog he is in this respect the more he attracts the writer, 

 provided his mutton conformation is all right, and those of this 

 type generally are. A wide, open nostril depicts breadth of skull 

 and breadth all over. Of course his fleece and skin should be of 

 the best. Then his carriage should be proud and important. The 

 less daylight appearing under him the better; in other words, the 

 shorter he stands on leg the better. A short leg usually means a 



