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selections. Those that have their teeth can utilize almost any kind 

 of feed, but toothless ewes cannot. If toothless ewes are taken 

 the price paid should be such that the purchaser can afford to pre- 

 pare their feed so they can utilize it to good advantage. 



PURCHASING BREEDING SHEEP ON THE OPEN MARKET 



Both rams and ewes are sold on the Chicago market for breed- 

 ing purposes. 



The rams are natives and mostly grades of the Down breeds. 

 A glance at these rams purchased in the Chicago Yards for breed- 

 ing purposes is sufficient to prove to experienced sheepmen that 

 they should not be selected to sire market lambs. Since they are 

 mostly grades they are practically devoid of breed character; many 

 of them are very deficient in form and quality. A great many of 

 them are sent to market because they have been unsatisfactory as 

 breeders. They are purchased with a view to mating them with 

 grade ewes the history of which the purchaser rarely knows any- 

 thing about except in a most general way. When the purchaser 

 selects a ram indifferently bred to mate with these ewes he cannot 

 reasonably expect to produce high class lambs for the market. Not 

 infrequently the ram selected for breeding comes to market with the 

 ewes he is. to be mated with and it is very likely that he is closely 

 related to them. Matings from selections of this description must 

 be regarded as faulty inbreeding from which maximum results are 

 not likely to be obtained. 



Of the ewes selected for breeding purposes those give best re- 

 sults that are rugged in constitution, of good form, sound in mouth 

 and udder, and bear abundant fleeces of medium wool. Both native 

 and western ewes are taken from the market for breeding purposes. 

 In some localities the native ewe is preferred over the western ewe 

 because she usually has dark markings about the face and legs. 

 Other localities desire western ewes because it is claimed they shear 

 a greater amount of wool and they are more nearly free from in- 

 festation by internal parasites. If the purchaser of breeding ewes 

 is careful in his selection he is able to secure sheep that will give 

 good results as producers of lambs. 



The most desirable native ewes are grades of some of the Down 

 breeds usually Shropshire and they range in age from two to 

 four years. It is claimed that of the western ewes, those produced 

 by a cross between the long wooled mutton sire and the Merino dam 

 give best results. Those who have selected ewes of this type claim 

 they are excellent shearers and that they produce lambs that sell 

 well upon the market. 



