CHAPTER I. 



THE FINE-WOOL BREEDS. 



It is not thought worth while to present 

 here extensive accounts of the various breeds 

 of sheep ; however, some mention must be made 

 with the characteristics pertaining to each. 

 Breeds originate from environment, from pe- 

 culiar characters of soil and vegetation and 

 climate, and from the mental idiosyncrasies of 

 the breeders themselves. Each breed has its 

 own particular field where it serves best a 

 certain purpose. For all that, breeds are some- 

 what flexible and several have a wide range 

 of adaptability. Conditions of market and 

 of environment make some breeds more prof- 

 itable than others in certain locations. What 

 would pay best on the range, in some remote 

 state where wool by its cheap transportation 

 brings the major share of profit, might not 

 pay so well in near prbximity to large cities 

 where the demand is for quick-maturing mut- 

 ton. Inversely, sheep are not suited to range 

 conditions that are not good shearers, good 

 to "herd," that is, having the mental trait 

 that makes them stay close together and an 

 ability to withstand occasional times of starva- 

 tion. On the farm the ability to live through 



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