272 Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



of less prominence than himself. Year after year he slowly improves 

 his flock by careful selection and mating, and he is thus enabled to send 

 out better rams each year to head the flocks of less prominent breeders. 

 In turn, these less prominent flocks supply better breeding animals to 

 more numerous and still less noted breeders, and so the scheme works 

 out, improvement slowly, but surely, flowing downward and outward 

 from a few flocks to the many. There is a third class of breeders who 

 are producing directly for the market. The produce of their flocks goes 

 to market as fat lambs or is sold into other hands for feeding prepara- 

 tory to slaughter. We may, therefore, classify all flocks of sheep as 

 follows: 



1. A few purebred flocks solely for improvement. 



2. Numerous purebred flocks primarily for propagation and sec- 

 ondarily for improvement. 



3. Many grade flocks solely for mutton and wool production. 

 The breeders of the third class secure their rams from the second- 

 class flocks, and their ewes are generally grades. 



The mutton breeding ram. — The selection of the breeding ram 

 should be most carefully made as he affords the chief opportunity for 

 improvement in the flock. For this reason it is wise to invest several 

 times the average value of the ewes in the purchase of a ram to mate 

 with them. However, it is not so much a matter of securing a ram at 

 a particular price as it is of selecting a sire of merit that is strong in 

 the points wherein the ewe flock is weak, and whose off spring will possess 

 a higher standard of merit than their dams. It is a breeding-up pro- 

 cess, and this fact justifies more careful selection and greater expendi- 

 ture of money in each succeeding purchase of a ram. It is always a 

 matter of locating the sort of ram desired, and the price demanded for 

 him should not stand in the way of a purchase unless it is really exorbi- 

 tant. 



The breeding ram of mutton type must be, first of all, a good 

 mutton animal, including as high development of the form, quality, 

 and fleshing as may be secured. He must, in addition, have a strong, 

 robust constitution as evidenced by a wide, deep chest and middle and 

 good feeding qualities. The story is told of an English shepherd who 

 visited a certain flock to purchase a yearling ram. After much delibera- 

 tion, he found himself unable to decide among several of the offerings, 

 all of which suited him. Suddenly his serious expression changed to 

 one of renewed interest, and turning to the owner he said, "Feed 'em." 

 Grain was placed in a trough in full view of the rams, at sight of which 

 one pricked up his ears and marched quickly to the trough, the others 

 following more leisurely. "That's him," said the buyer, pointing to 

 the ram in front, for in common with all experienced feeders he recog- 



