438 JUDGING FARM ANIMALS 



The form of the ewe has been likened to a dairy cow. 

 The withers are somewhat narrow, the chest is deep, yet 

 hardly thick, the back of moderate thickness, the loin strong, 

 the rump long, level, wide and the entire body deep and 

 relatively capacious, showing both digestive and breeding 

 capacity. A ewe with the wide, square, compact form of 

 a wether, is less likely to make a good suckling ewe than 

 the one described. The quality of milk production, essen- 

 tial in a breeding ewe, is indicated in this long, deep form, 

 and the well-developed udder. 



The breed characteristics of the ewe should be consid- 

 ered when judging breeding stock, but if grade animals are 

 being passed upon then the subject is not so important as 

 in the case of the ram. The pure bred ewe should show 

 breed character quite in keeping with the standard, and 

 should be judged accordingly. Even with the grade ewe, 

 there is more evidence of profit in the one showing plenty 

 of improved blood than in the one of nondescript char- 

 acter. Other things being equal, grade ewes showing con- 

 siderable breed character will command a higher price than 

 will those lacking in this respect. Trueness to type of 

 breed, then, may be regarded as an important factor in 

 making awards in judging pure breds, while, in the grade, 

 a reasonable degree of consideration should be given to im- 

 proved blood. 



