16 N. C. AGEICULTUKAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



form with healthy udders and sound teeth, showing them to be not over 

 two, three, or four years old at most. In the pure-bred business there 

 will be a better opportunity to select choice ewes, although they will 

 cost considerably more than the grades. The breeding flock should be 

 uniform in weight and type, since these qualities transmitted will add 

 greatly to the value of the offspring. 



If pure-breds are to be used in starting the flock it will be advisable 

 to buy from parties who are conservative in the claims for their ewes. 

 A great many times fancy prices are paid for pure-bred sheep when 

 better ones could have been procured for probably one-half or two- 

 thirds the amount of money. 



Only strong, healthy, capacious ewes of uniform type and wooling 

 should be selected. A broken-down ewe with a scant milk supply is of 

 no value whatever in the flock. 



Age to Breed Bam. 



As a general thing sheep are bred too early in life for the most satis- 

 factory results. The ram is often bred to a flock of ewes in the fall 

 following birth, a practice which should never be followed except by 

 experienced sheep breeders. Under no circumstances should the ram 

 be bred before he is a year old and better still not until the second fall, 

 when he will be from eighteen to twenty months old. Some breeders 

 will not use a ram heavily even at this age. Ram lambs put into service 

 too early can never reach their natural size nor attain their normal 

 thrift and vigor. While the ram has a very strong reproductive system, 

 early abuse will render him impotent and unprofitable. Proper feeding 

 is far more important during the early stage than the production of a 

 crop of lambs. During an emergency a very early lamb may be used in 

 the fall on a few ewes, but the practice generally leads to excessive 

 service and eventually a very unsatisfactory breeder. The ram is nat- 

 urally a vigorous animal but early breeding will be sure to cause a 

 much shorter period of usefulness. 



Age to Breed Ewe. 



A great many breeders follow the practice of breeding lambs at eight 

 and ten months of age, but the most successful flock-masters will allow 

 the females to more nearly approach maturity. With the male the 

 service can be regulated, starting with a few services well distributed, 

 but with the female the burden of maternity is thrust upon her at once. 

 For this reason the extra burden of reproduction should not be allowed 

 to hold in check her natural maturity. If the ewe is not bred until 

 after she is a year old the results will generally be more satisfactory. It 

 will depend somewhat on the size and vigor of ewes just what plan will 

 be best to follow, as size and development should be the principal de- 

 termining factors when the ewes should be bred. The practice of breed- 

 ing ewe lambs will steadily and persistently decrease the size of the 

 animals in the flock, which an experienced flock master will not tolerate. 

 The ewe lamb should be fed judiciously and allowed plenty of exercise. 

 By so doing and withholding them from the ram until well matured 

 they will, when placed in the breeding pens, more than make up for the- 

 apparent loss. 



