MODERN SHEEP : BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 187 



BREEDING. 



Darwin truthfully said: "Not one man in a thousand has 

 accuracy of eye and judgment sufficient to become an eminent 

 breeder. If gifted with these qualities, and he studies his subject 

 for years, and devotes his lifetime to it with indomitable persever- 

 ance, he will succeed, and may make great improvements; if he 

 wants any of these qualities he will assuredly fail. Indomitable 

 patience, the finest powers of discrimination, and sound judgment 

 must be exercised during many years. A clearly pre-determined 

 object must be kept steadily in view. Few men are endowed with 

 all these qualities, especially with that of discriminating very slight 

 differences. Judgment can be acquired by long experience, but if 

 any of these qualities be wanting, the labor of a life may be thrown 

 away." 



To improve the flock, great care on the part of the shepherd 

 is absolutely necessary. Unless a well-laid plan of breeding to a 

 certain type is followed, disaster must result. Steady and persist- 

 ent line breeding is the only safe rule to follow to accomplish much 

 as a breeder. Individual selections must be carefully made so that 

 the line is not broken so far as either blood or type is concerned. 

 Uniformity of type should be the great aim of the flockmaster and 

 should take precedent to size, therefore, don't allow the tape or 

 weigh scales to lead you astray. 



Feeding is a part of breeding, as we understand improved 

 breeding today. "Keep improving," is a good motto for the breeder. 

 If the flock does not improve, it must deteriorate. There is no 

 such a thing as standing still in the breeders' world. The breeder 

 who is satisfied .that his flock is perfect will not long take rank 

 with great breeders. 



Good breeders are found among those who avoid breeding from 

 males and females possessing similar defects in conformation, for 

 they well know that defects seem to be more easily transmitted to 

 the offspring than good qualities. 



Good, pure-bred rams will improve a mediocre pure-bred flock, 

 just as a pure-bred ram will improve a mongrel flock, but a poor 

 pure-bred ram will ruin a well-bred pure-bred flock. 



In many American flocks, the sin of reserving ram lambs that 

 should find their way to the shambles, is too prevalent to insure 

 such rapid improvement of our sheep stocks as could be desired. 

 Another . mistaken policy is that of using rams, particularly strong 

 in certain points with a view of offsetting the weaknesses of cer- 

 tain points of the ewes instead of using a perfectly smooth ram 

 and through him in a short time smooth the entire flock. 



There is a limit to the breeder's work in some directions. The 

 time will never come when the dual purpose animal will possess 

 the combined characteristics to the fullest extent that are found in 



