ESTABLISHING A FLOCK AND IMPROVING IT 455 



ing of wool and evidences of vigor. The first includes 

 a body wide, deep and round, supported by short, straight 

 limbs. The second includes a fleece uniform in length, 

 fineness, strength and density, and evenly distributed over 

 the body. The third includes much width and fullness 

 of chest, a strong back, a powerful and short neck, a 

 strong and wide head, a pink skin and an active carriage. 

 Other requisites are more or less important. There are 

 also peculiarities pertaining to individual breeds that 

 should not be overlooked. These may all be learned 

 through a study of the standards of excellence pertaining 

 to each breed. 



Fancy points, as the degree of the covering on the 

 head and legs, are of much less importance when choos- 

 ing rams to head grade flocks than when choosing them 

 to head those that are pure. Good, strong and useful 

 rams for grade flocks may in some instances be obtained 

 cheaply, because of some slight deficiency or superfluity 

 that would unfit them for service in a valuable pure-bred 

 flock. 



The improvement of the flock It would seem correct 

 to say that absolute perfection is never reached in any 

 flock ; howsoever good it may be as a flock or in the in- 

 dividuals that represent it, there is always room for fur- 

 ther improvement. In a large majority of instances there 

 is room for wide improvement, and it ought to be the aim 

 of every owner of a flock to reach the maximum of im- 

 provement attainable under his conditions. The leading 

 factors concerned in improvement are: (i) The sires 

 used; (2) selection; and (3) food. 



The sires exert or should exert an influence far reach- 

 ing in the improvement of form and covering and in 

 bringing about uniformity in the flock. This improve- 

 ment does not result from any superior influence pos- 

 sessed by the sire by virtue of his sex. It is the outcome 

 of his superior prepotency, and where this is wanting 

 these results will not follow. The sire also exerts an 



