100 



A brief history of each of the six breeds used in this 

 experiment is given to show the similarity in their blood 

 line. In this connection it will be noted that the oldest 

 and best established breeds were the strongest breeders. 



EWES 



THE EXPEKIMENT. 



The object of this experiment was to ascertain which 

 of the following named breeds of sheep is the best to use 

 on the western bred ewe, both wool and mutton being con- 

 sidered. 



In the fall of 1904 sixty head of western Montana 

 bred yearling ewes were purchased and divided into six 

 different lots of ten head each. These ewes were quite 

 uniform in size and conformation. Some had more Merino 

 blood than others, and some had more Down blood but all 

 were compactly built. Their fleeces were light compared 

 to fleeces of sheep kept under home conditions. These ewes 

 were easy keepers. After lambs were weaned in fall they 

 would fatten quicker and be in better shape for winter 

 than ewes of some of the pure bred flocks kept under the 

 same conditions. Each of these lote was bred to an aver- 

 age pure bred ram of the following breeds : Cotswold, 

 Hampshire, Oxford, Southdown, Shropshire and Kam- 

 bouillet. 



