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was certainly, so far as numbers go, a commendable exhibit. Mid- 

 dle-wools were not simply the majority, but the sum total of the 

 entries. Southdowns, Shropshire and Hampshire Down were the 

 only breeds represented. Southdowns easily lead in numl)ers and in 

 quality. An especially fine ram, also a pen of good ewes were shown 

 by James MoQueston of Hadley. The flock belonging to the Mas- 

 sachusetts Agricultural College was present and a finer group of 

 Southdowns can scarcely be found in New England. Of the Shrop- 

 shires John Clark's flock of North Hadley deserves mention. While 

 too much out of condition to be especially attractive tliey showed 

 good breeding and points. 



Your committee was impressed by the carelessness shown in the 

 selection of some of the pens of sheep. It would seem as though the 

 exhibitors counted on weak competition rather than on real merit in 

 these cases to secure the awards. Having seen some of the flocks I 

 feel sure that some of the exhibitors could have shown what would 

 have been far more creditable to themselves and to the society, had 

 they exercised more care in selecting their animals for entry. 



Another thing we would mention is the stock rams. About half 

 the entries were good animals of pure blood ; the rest were either 

 pure-bred scrubs or scrub pure-breds. It is hard to understand how 

 intelligent farmers of this enlightened nineteenth century can use 

 such sires when tine registered stock can be so easily procured. 

 The cost of a pure-bred ram to-day is low enough to i)lace 

 him within the reach of every sheep breeder, and the results of 

 using such an animal, in profits and in satisfaction to the owner, are 

 immeasurably ahead of those in using such rams as a few of those 

 shown at the Hampshire fair. I would be in favor of debarring any 

 but pure-bred sires from competing in any of our shows. This is 

 not eminently a sheep-raising section but tiie plan ot using scrub 

 rams will not tend to improve it in this respect. 



It was very noticeable that one of the breeds of sheep most com- 

 monly found in sections where sheep are numerous was entirely 

 wanting. Hardly a trace of Merino blood could be detected. Dorset 

 Horns were also absent. 



Perhaps the most profitable branch of sheep husbandry to-da}' is 

 the production of earl}' lambs. Wool is too low to make that a prin- 

 cipal product of the flock. As it costs no more to produce a fleece 

 weighing six to eight pounds than one weighing only three or four 

 pounds while the difference in price may be a dollar or more per head, 



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