580 BULLETIN No. 129. [November* 



delphia, New York, Baltimore, Washington and Buffalo. These 

 live shipments are usually made up of choice grades. The sheep 

 slaughtered in Chicago are disposed of locally and by shipments 

 to other consuming centers. The following sub-classes mark the 

 divisions under which mutton sheep are graded: LAMBS, YEAR- 

 LINGS, WETHERS, EWES, BUCKS and STAGS. 



It is estimated by traders upon the Chicago market that at least 

 eighty percent of the sheep received at that place are lambs. This 

 observation in part confirms the current statement that mutton 

 production has become very largely a lamb proposition. As stated 

 in the discussion under Mutton Sheep, both the producer and the 

 consumer prefer lambs to older sheep. They are preferred by the 

 producer because they make cheaper gains than sheep, and by the 

 consumer because they are more palatable and more convenient to 

 use. 



At from twelve to fourteen months of age lambs pass into the 

 yearling and ewe classes. But it is the degree of maturity the 

 young animal has attained rather than a set, definite age which 

 determines whether or not it belongs to the lamb class. Native 

 lambs usually reach maturity at an earlier age than western lambs 

 because they receive a greater abundance of feed, and they are gen- 

 erally free from Merino blood. Let it be understood that the above 

 statement is no disparagement to Merino blood. On the other 

 hand it is not difficult to see that the slower approach to maturity, 

 which holds an animal in the lamb class for a longer time, may 

 prove a decided advantage. For example, a feeder may buy light 

 western lambs in October or November and feed them until the 

 following May, at which time they will still be classed as lambs, 

 while native lambs of the same age and similarly treated would be 

 regarded as sheep. Because the term lamb applies to a compara- 

 tively long period in the life of the animal, there comes a time in 

 the year when for several weeks it is necessary to make two sepa- 

 rate quotations on lambs, one of which is designated as spring 

 lambs to distinguish lambs that are born in the year the quotations 

 are made, from those that were born the year previous. These 

 separate quotations first appear about May 20, and continue until 

 July i. After the latter date all offerings born in the spring of 

 the previous year are known as yearlings or ewes. 



The most important factors in determining the grade to which 

 lambs belong are form, quality, condition and weight, and the 

 grades recognized on the market are : PRIME, CHOICE, GOOD, 

 MEDIUM, COMMON or Cuu,s. 



