BREEDING OF SHEEP. 67 



A. The rams without horns are to be preferred, 

 because they require less room at the rack, are less 

 liable to wound others, or to be wounded themselves 

 in fighting, and they do no injury to the rest of the 

 flock, or to the ewes with young. The lambs parti- 

 cularly, which come of them, have smaller heads, than 

 those of the horned rams, and are less painful to the 

 ewes, while yeaning ; but in places, where sheep 

 are enclosed within hedges, those with horns are to 

 be preferred, because they prevent them from going 

 through them, thereby losing their wool. 



Q. At what age are rams in condition to get good 

 lambs ? 



A. From eighteen months to eight years of age : at 

 three years old, they are the most vigorous. When 

 rams from 18 months to two years are to be put to 

 ewes, the strongest should be chosen : at six months, 

 they are able to smear the ewes, but not having ac- 

 quired their full growth, they will produce only feeble 

 lambs ; after eight years they are too old for service. 



Q. How many ewes should be given to one ram ? 



A. It is proper to put more ewes to a young vigo- 

 rous ram, than to such as are old and feeble : it is said, 

 that a good ram can serve fifty or sixty ewes ; but to 

 preserve a ram without weakening him, and to have 

 strong lambs, which do not degenerate from the breed 

 of the ram, it is proper to put him to only fifteen or 

 twenty ewes.* 



* This number is too small : there is an instance of a ram, which was 

 by chance shut up with sixty ewes, and he impregnated all of them in 

 one night ; therefore taking a mean number, one ram may serve at least 

 thirty or forty ewes Hazard. 



