222 MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



the teeth are liable to contaminate the wound with germs or 

 bacilli and cause trouble to the lambs. This is one of those in- 

 stances where the theory of learned men does not fit in with the- 

 practical experience of the shepherd, for as I have remarked be- 

 fore, I have castrated thousands of lambs without a single loss 

 except indirectly through the attack of the blow-fly or the maggot, 

 and the remedy for this is to apply tar to the wound at the time 

 the lamb is castrated. Newly docked or castrated lambs should not 

 be allowed to lie on filthy ground for reasons that are obvious. 

 Both in docking and castrating I have never used anything but 

 an ordinary jackknife or pocketknife. Some use a chisel in dock- 

 ing and with success. In castrating old rams clams should be 

 used. 



CULLING. 



There is perhaps as much art in culling the inferior members 

 from the flock as there is in selecting superior animals to add to 

 it. Never mind how taking to the eye a ewe may be, if she is not 

 giving returns, cull her, as those of her class are what lessens 

 profits. The most successful breeders are those who cull closely, 

 and bear in mind that sometimes scrubs come from most worthy 

 ancestors. While shearing time, weaning time, and breeding time 

 are thought to be good times for culling, there is really no partic- 

 ular season for this work, as the proper time to draw an inferior 

 animal from the flock is when you first notice that it is inferior. 

 A sheep that is a light feeder is usually a poor doer, and the 

 thick fleshed ewe that hasn't milk enough for its single lamb is 

 better property for the butcher than for the breeder. A flock 

 well culled may be likened into a farm well tilled. There is more 

 pleasure and certainly more profit in keeping a small good flock 

 than in keeping a large one of indifferent quality, and close culling 

 is the easiest way of keeping the flock up to standard. ~Ewes with 

 damaged udders, broken mouths, and known to be barren, should 

 not be allowed a place in the flock, neither should indifferent 

 shearers. Only in exceptional cases should ewes be kept after they 

 are four or five years old. All poor, ill-looking ewes are not culls, 

 but, on the contrary, exceedingly good mothers, since their poor 

 appearance is sometimes due to the drain on their system by a 

 robust offspring. Small, late lambs often develop into good year- 

 lings when properly taken care of. 



SPRING AND SUMMER CARE. 



From hay to grass is a trying time for sheep, especially if the 

 spring is cold. Many flockmasters discontinue hay feeding entirely 

 too soon at this season of the year. The shepherd should be on the 

 lookout for cold, wet storms, and have the barn always ready for 



