438 FEEDING ANIMALS. 



It will be seen that the expense of grading up this flock 

 over that of common breeding is hardly worth considering ; 

 that, in fact, the ram or wether lambs marketed each year 

 will be enhanced in value much more than the cost of the 

 pure-blood ram over a common one. But while these ewe 

 lambs are growing up to breeding age, the defective ones 

 must be weeded out, and not permitted to breed. Only 

 those of good form and prime feeders should be kept for 

 breeding. The first requisite of a profitable animal is a 

 good appetite and active digestion. A habitually mincing 

 eater should always be discarded, whatever beauty of ex- 

 ternal form it may possess. No profit ever comes from a 

 slow feeder. The breeding ewe, if she raises good lambs, 

 must secrete a liberal quantity of milk, and this can only 

 be done by a large consumption and digestion of food. 

 The young ewes should not be bred before 14 to 16 months 

 old ; earlier breeding is not conducive to vigor of constitu- 

 tion. As the flock increases in numbers, greater care can 

 constantly be given to selection of the ewes to be bred 

 breeding always from the best. The third cross will give 

 ewes of % pure blood, and this can be accomplished in four 

 years ; two years more would give |f blood ; so that six 

 years would grade up common ewes to fifteen-sixteenths 

 blood Southdown, Cotswold, or other pure blood. It is 

 not, therefore, long to wait for a thoroughly-improved 

 flock, which will practically give all the profit of the 

 highest blood. Even the half and three-fourths blood 

 usually feed about as well as the higher blood. After the 

 fifth cross with pure-blood rams, or thirty-one-thirty- 

 second part of the pure blood, the rams of this cross may 

 be considered prepotent, and may be used for breeding 

 often even the cross below this will be found prepotent as 

 males. The English Short-horn Herd Book admits four 

 crosses to record as Short-horns ; and the same rule would 

 hold with sheep. But we think breeding together grades 



