LESSON XL VIII 

 SHEEP AND GOATS 



An ancient industry. For ages the herding of sheep 

 has been an important industry. Before man began 

 to till the soil, the shepherds tended their flocks in 

 mountain pastures, and in dry lands where sheep were 

 the only animals that could live on the scanty pas- 

 turage. The shepherds watching their flocks by night 

 on the Judean hills are closely associated with the 

 greatest event in Biblical history. One of the most 

 beautiful bits of literature is the Twenty-third Psalm, 

 which expresses, in terms of the shepherd and the sheep, 

 faith in Divine care. 



Uses. Sheep are raised for wool and meat ; and 

 the two general classes of sheep are the mutton breeds 

 and the wool breeds. The wool breeds have been de- 

 veloped mainly for wool production. The Merinos 

 are fine-wool sheep ; the Shropshire Downs, Oxford 

 Downs, and other Downs are medium-wool sheep ; 

 and the Cotswold, Lincoln, Cheviot, and Leicester 

 breeds are long-wool sheep. The Down breeds are 

 also good mutton sheep. The Horned Dor sets are 

 raised principally for the meat of the lambs ; the Lin- 

 coln and Cotswold breeds are also good mutton types. 



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