MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



very highly fed, as it is to exercise show horses, and everybody 

 knows that a horse that is not working could not long keep in 

 good health where his bill-of-fare is the same as when he is work- 

 ing hard. 



Barely do show sheep, after a long railroad journey, take 

 kindly to their feed for some time after being unloaded. This is 

 due to broken rest attending such journeys. As soon as they have 

 become well rested they take readily to their regular meals again. 

 It is poor policy to drive them from the station to the fair 

 grounds in very hot weather, especially if it be a long distance 

 between the station and the grounds. On no account should they 

 be driven any considerable distance in the heat of a mid-summer 

 day. 



CLASSES. 



An aged ram is a ram two-years-old or over. A yearling, 

 or shearling ram, is one that is over a year but under two years of 

 age. He is a yearling from the time he gets his first pair of 

 incisors, or permanent, front teeth, until he gets a "two-year-old 

 mouth," or four permanent incisors. A ram lamb is one that 

 has not yet lost any of its milk teeth. An aged ewe is a ewe two- 

 years-old or over. A yearling, or shearling, ewe is one that is over 

 a year but under two years of age. She is a yearling after she 

 gets her first pair of incisors, or permanent, front teeth until she 

 gets a "two-year-old mouth," or four permanent incisors. A ewe 

 lamb is one that has not yet lost any of her milk teeth. A pen 

 usually consists of three individuals, either rams or ewes, a pair, 

 of two animals of one sex. A flock generally consists of an aged 

 ram, yearling ram, ram lamb, aged ewe, yearling ewe and ewe 

 lamb. "A special" means a special prize offered in addition to 

 the ordinary list of premiums. "Specials" are usually put up by 

 the breed associations. Champion means the best animal of a 

 given breed. Both the male and female classes usually have 

 champions. Sweepstakes, or grand champion, means champion 

 over all competing breeds. 



OVERHEATING. 



This is a trouble which is more common than it should be, 

 and if the damaging influence of too much grain was better under- 

 stood there would be less of such troubles. When a sheep is 

 once in good fit it needs very little grain, but an abundance of 

 succulent rations. Especially is' this true of sheep traveling our 

 show circuits which occur in the warmest season of the year. An 

 overheated show-sheep shows symptoms of great weakness in r 

 hind quarters and is otherwise very much distressed. When a show 

 sheep can not stand upon its feet but for a few moments at a 



