628 



BULLETIN No. 129. 



[November, 



PLATE 41. FANCY SELECTED BREEDING EWES. Photo by courtesy of American 



Sheep Breeder. 



individual selections from different shipments of native ewes com- 

 ing to the market, and it may take several days to get together a 

 shipment. Such ewes are high grades of some of the Down breeds, 

 usually Shropshire, and in addition to being thrifty and sound, they 

 are uniform in quality, conformation, fleece and style. Ewes of 

 this grade are, as a rule, in higher condition than any other offer- 

 ings of breeding ewes because consideration for the requirements 

 demanded makes it necessary to disregard high condition which 

 most purchasers would rather secure through cheap feeding. See 

 plate 41. 



CHOICE BREEDING EWES 



Since the greater number of the more desirable breeding ewes 

 are in this grade a detailed description is undertaken. The selec- 

 tion of choice ewes is based upon form, constitution, age, sound- 

 ness, breeding, quality, and condition. 



AGE AND SOUNDNESS. As stated above, the most desirable 

 ages are two, three and four years, and more particularly two and 

 three years. When breeding ewes go to the country it is the 

 thought of the purchaser that they are to produce, on the average, 

 three crops of lambs before they are sent back to the market as old 

 mutton ewes ; hence, if the age is anv greater than four years the 

 ability to produce profitably for three years is very doubtful. 



