630 BULLETIN No. 129. [November, 



CONDITION. While choice breedine ewes should be thrifty and 

 active, fat is not desirable as the purchasei prefers to place these 

 ewes on pasture and cheap forage feeds, which will secure the con- 

 dition desired at a lower cost than the price demanded on the 

 market. Breeding ewes are somewhat like feeder lambs in that 

 they are the result of a sort where those ewes of desirable form, 

 quality, breeding, age, soundness, and thrift, but somewhat lower 

 than mutton condition are selected cut from those that are fatter 

 and desirable for mutton. See plate 42. 



GOOD BREEDING EWES 



Several factors combined cause breeding ewes to grade as good, 

 such as undesirable markings, age, weight, conformation and con- 

 dition. Very often ewes of this grade are shipped from the Chi- 

 cago market to parties in the country who act as dealers, and these 

 dealers divide the shipment into small lots and sell them to the 

 farmers. In this way small uniform lots may be secured and some 

 of these lots may grade as choice, while others would grade as 

 common, and still others would grade as good. See plate 43. 



COMMON BREEDING EWES 



The general run of this grade show no single line of breeding. 

 In many instances they are so noticeably advanced in age that it is 

 evident their stay in the country as producers will be short. Per- 

 haps there is no better way to define this grade than to say they 

 are on the border line between breeders and feeders, and fortu- 

 nately they are not sold in any considerable numbers as breeders. 

 See plate 44. 



BREEDING BUCKS 



While the rams sold out of Chicago market as breeders vary 

 in age, weight, and markings, there are no recognized grades. 

 Those most sought after are dark faced, smooth, low set, vigorous 

 looking rams of a year or more in age. In times of great scarcity 

 ram lambs are taken out for breeding purposes. Inspection of 

 rams selected for breeding out of the open market reveals the fact 

 that the greater percentage show undesirable form and a mixture 

 of breeding. It is deemed unnecessary for the writer to go beyond 

 the province of this bulletin to point out to intelligent breeders the 

 effects of mating grade ewes with sires of the type generally found 

 on the open market. See plate 45. 



