274 MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



Most shepherds are artists in their particular calling, and when 

 their exhibits are in full dress ready for the frays of the arena 

 they may be not improperly called "things of beauty." 



That eminent English authority, Prof. Wrightson, gives the 

 following charming effusion on showing: "A master might as 

 well try to take prizes without sheep as without a shepherd, and it 

 would not be possible to commit all the store of knowledge, pos- 

 sessed by a competent shepherd to paper. Neither possible nor yet 

 desirable; and if it could be done, the written directions would not 

 ensure the same success in other hands. First-rate shepherds are 

 not so uncommon as they are difficult to find, because they are 

 not given to changing their situations often. A pleasant feature 

 of sheep-farming is that mutual regard of master and shepherd, 

 both men appreciating each other's value. Training is carried on 

 with some little affectation of secrecy, and much undertoned and 

 almost whispered consultation. The attention is constant and the 

 daily care extraordinary. The trimming of show sheep is a matter 

 of importance. There are those who object to trimming, but it 

 is impossible to show sheep ie the natural unkempt and rough 

 state. It is really cruel to ask a breeder to exhibit his sheep in a 

 great show, before ladies and gentlemen, without dressing them. 

 What would a horse-breeder say to a regulation insisting that his 

 hunter or his thoroughbred should appear ungroomed and rough, 

 with long tail and uncombed mane? A sheep-breeder has similar 

 feelings, and similar failings. Besides, the public like to see 

 animals well turned out of hand, and even the pigs appear with 

 their hair curled and oiled, and their skins blooming as if they 

 had been immersed in a bath composed of toilet vinegar. Trim- 

 ming may be overdone, or unfairly done, but to the legitimate 

 use of the art there can be no objection. The methods vary with 

 every breed. The Leicester appears, like the parson, all shaven 

 and shorn. The Lincoln is smeared over with some mysterious 

 unguent, which makes the hands feel very disagreeable if they are 

 allowed to touch the fleece. The Cotswold comes out curly in 

 coat, white, and redolent of soap and water. The Southdown 

 appears as like a plum as a sheep can possibly be made, and bears 

 evidence of the shears over his entire carcass. A very snug gen- 

 tleman indeed is the Southdown when in his war paint. Trimming 

 is carried to the greatest perfection in the Down races, and they 

 certainly reward the artists who have accomplished their tasks so 

 deftly/ 5 



STARTING ON THE CIRCUIT. 



After the finishing touches are put on the show flock the 

 shepherd should set about making provision for its comfort dur- 

 ing transit to the showyard and during its sojourn in the show- 

 yard. He should select some of the very choicest clover or alfalfa 



