SUPPLEMENT. 767 



to pass over. But standing in the front rank of successful Southdown breeders at the 

 present day we are naturally reminded of the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Kichmond, 

 the Earl of Suffolk, Lord Arlington, Sir William Throckniorton, Bart, Messrs. J. J. 

 Colinan, M.P., G. and R. Emery, John Ford, Henry Fookes, G. C. Gibson, Hugh Gor- 

 ringe, If. Humphrey, A. Ifeasnian, J. Henipson, F. M. Jonas, George Jonas, and last, 

 though not least, my excellent friend Henry Webb. 



HOW TO FORM A FLOCK PCACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 



In the formation of a flock of Southdown or any other breed of ewes great care and 

 judgment are, of course, most essential. Uniformity of character, so that the ewes 

 look as much alike "as peas in a peck," should be your first object. If you desire to 

 judge of the general character of a flock of Southdown ewes, and to see if they have, 

 as it were, a llmiily likeness, have them driven a, short distance from where you 

 and then suddenly wheeled round so that their heads are thrown up ami their faces 

 seen at a glance. This will enable you to detect any marked want of uniformity, if 

 there be any. Iii a word, the ewes should be " matching " to the eye. When drawing 

 ewes and .separating them into lots for the rams, you must exercise great j udgment in 

 the selection, carefully noting individual formation and peculiarities, so that the ewes 

 in each I at are as much alike as possible, and adapted to the style of ram you intend 

 to put to them. 



There is no flock so perfect but some defects will be found in the ewes which 

 require correcting, and, therefore, care should be taken to use a ram which will bo 

 likely to improve in the offspring the faulty points observable in the ewes. It must, 

 moreover, be a matter to which the flockmaster gives anxious attention in selecting a 

 ram that in correcting defects in the ewes he does not overlook any faulty points in 

 the ram which mny be transmitted through the ewe and thereby create imperfections 

 in the lamb which the mother did not possess. 



Only by practice and carefully observing the true principles of breeding is the flock- 

 maater able to make a proper and judicious selection of rams and ewes so as fitly to 

 mate them. I therefore desire to impress upon you, agricultural students, the absolute 

 necessity of your becoming thoroughly and practically acquainted with the good and 

 bad points of sheep, no matter what their breed, remembering that the same care and 

 skillful judgment requisite for the successful management of Southdowns are also re- 

 quired in the management of other flocks. 



Each breed has its own marked peculiarities, faults, and merits, which must be well 

 studied and carefully looked after or a man will never become a good and successful 

 sheep-breeder. 



BREEDING. 



Hemember that the breeding of good or bad animals is no game of chance. You 

 might as well expect to breed a superior Shorthorn beast by using an Alderney bull 

 on a first-class Shorthorn cow as to breed a really good Southdown sheep by using aii 

 inferior ram on a good Southdown ewe. 



If a man desire, and most flockmastcrs do desire, to breed good and shapely sheep, 

 no matter what their breed may be, he must first endeavor to deserve, success by going 

 the right way to work to obtain it. Leave nothing to chance. 



Many persons when they have hired a good ram try to get as much out of him as pos- 

 sible, and give him as many ewes as he can be got over. Now, I look upon this as an 

 unwise thing to do. Nature has its limits; and it is far more judicious to limit the 

 number of ewes put to a ram to from 50 to 70. The ewes will thus be seasoned at the 

 proper time, and have strong, healthy, and vigorous lambs. If you overdo a ram and there 

 are many ewes " run over," you will probably breed a number of weakly lambs, to say 

 nothing as to the bad effect upon the ram for the following season. 



I may observe that I by no means recommend what is commonly known as a " teaser " 

 ram to show which ewes are in use. Nature never intended that such a course should 

 be adopted, and I would impress upon you the necessity of following the laws of nature 

 as eld i can. Wh;-n : -we is taken from the teaser to the rain by which she 



is to be served there is frequently a great deal of nervous excitement and fear produced 

 in the c\ve, and this being so how can we wonder if there are many cases of ewes "run- 

 ning over," when they have been subjected to such unnatural treatment, which may be 

 aggravated by the rough conduct of an irritable or bad-tempered shepherd. 



PRACTICE AT MERTON. 



I feel that I can best explain my views and recommendations if I allow myself once 

 more to say a few words with respect to the system of management adopted in the Mer- 

 ton flock. In doing so I desire it to be clearly understood that though I have been con- 



