36 



what inferior, not having so high a proportion of edible meat to whole 

 carcass as the Southdown or even the Shropshire, ranking about 

 medium in this regard. They are first class as early maturing stock 

 and as wool producers. As feeders they do very well, standing pen 

 feeding well and making rapid gains. In their native country they 

 have long been famous for their tendency to breed at almost any time 

 of the year; not only do they produce lambs twice a year if desired, 

 but twins and triplets are fairly common. Of course in the winter 

 lamb business one strong lamb is better than a pair of rather mediocre 

 ones, quick growth being desired. The ewe will raise one lamb faster 

 than two. 



With these brief descriptions of the various breeds, serving as a 

 partial guide for selection, the next step is establishing a flock. It is 

 not necessary to build a new set of barns in starting in the sheep 

 business, as many people imagine, the only shelter and protection 

 required by sheep being dry quarters and sheds to protect them from 

 cold, driving rains. A very economical way to start a flock is by the 

 purchase of a few old ewes. Ewes of four to five years of age, if their 

 teeth are still in fairly good condition, make a very satisfactory and 

 yet economical foundation. They can be purchased from some large 

 sheep breeder at a comparatively low price, because in a large flock it 

 is best to keep only younger females, selling off the old ones after they 

 show signs of poor teeth. It is not wise to attempt to save money on 

 the ram in the same manner. "The sire is half the herd" is an old 

 saying, as true as ever a proverb could be, but countless numbers of 

 people fly right in the face of the advice it conveys and buy sires of 

 a mediocre sort. With a herd of females of any sort the only way 

 open for quick improvement is to purchase a sire that is better than 

 the average of the flock. A good ram at a high price is cheaper than a 

 medium individual at a low figure. 



In the production of winter lambs more care should be taken in the 

 selection of ewes than where the aim is to establish a good farm flock, 

 as winter lambs must be good individuals to command the best prices, 

 and should come from young, vigorous mothei's if they are to grow 

 the best, make the quickest start and finish the strongest. The above 

 method of securing a foundation flock can therefore hardly be recom- 

 mended as a beginning for the ''hot-house lamb" business, but for 

 any other sort of market production it will be very practical. 



With a pure-bred sire on average ewes the first lamb crop will 

 usually be an improvement over their dams. Out of this lot come the 

 individuals which are to replace the old ewes, which seldom retain 

 their usefulness much longer. If some of the old ewes show \'igor and 

 health, and retain a workable set of teeth, they may be used as breeders 

 for another season, after which they should be discarded, as by that 

 time a sufficient number of younger females will probably have been 

 produced to serve as the foundation of the permanent flock. The 

 ram first purchased can be used on the old ewes, and, if a strong ram, 

 may be used on his offspring, provided they are exceedingly vigorous, 

 but such use is rarely advisable. It is preferable to use another ram 

 of even better breeding on the young ewes, and continue this process, 

 getting as good a ram whenever needed as can be obtained. In this 

 manner the quality of the flock will be continuously improved. It is 

 their devotion to the highest grade of stock that has made the English 

 breeders so successful, while our indifference to this point has pre- 

 vented our attaining the same measure of success. 



Ewes should be bred so as to drop lambs in INIarch, or earlier if 

 possible, because it is to the man first in the spring market with good 



