WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 741 



brought into the State improve iu vigor and yield a greater quantity 

 of wool. It is largely a matter of belief, however, as regards an in- 

 crease of size. Western sheep seem to do better here than in Montana 

 or Oregon, for the reason that they are run in smaller bands, and re- 

 ceive accordingly better care than can be given in the large flocks from 

 which they originally came. The great point about the State's adapt- 

 iveuess for sheep is that in no case is the constitution impaired, wher- 

 ever the sheep may come from. They usually show improvement with 

 proper management in an increased quantity and improved quality of 

 wool, especially after the first year. The bulk of the sheep come from 

 JMontana, Oregon, and Colorado. The sheep from the South and Bast 

 require more care the first year than those from the West. The noted 

 improvements so far manifest among the flocks are attributed to their 

 being run in smaller bands, the better care given, and the abundance 

 of nutritious grasses of extra quality on which they have to graze. 



The class of breeding rams in use in North Dakota includes almost 

 every known breed and their grades, as well as crosses of different 

 breeds. Among the smaller flocks in the eastern part of the State 

 long-wool and medium-wooled bucks or their grades are most common. 

 In nearly every county the Merino ram is used, yet generally through- 

 out the State the Shropshire is the favorite. The Oxford Down, the 

 Cotswold, the Leicester, and the Hampshire are more numerous than 

 was anticipated by the writer. Experiment seems to be the prevailing 

 idea at present, and what the final result will be is a difficult matter to 

 forecast. In Stark County the Dickinson Merino, Hampshire Down, and 

 Shropshire seem to be the leading favorites, while in the rich farming 

 districts the mutton breeds, the long- wools, and the medium-wool Downs 

 constitute the favorite breeds. But the fine-wools of Merino blood 

 must necessarily be generally prevalent wherever sheep-raising is the 

 main pursuit. The ages of the bucks in use run from one year old and 

 upwards, although the favorate age for finer breeding is two years old. 



The number of ewes bred to each ram is, for Merinos, from 30 to 50, 

 and for the Cotswold and Downs from 40 to 75; in some cases as high 

 as 100 ewes are bred to a single ram. The usual plan of operation is, 

 about December 1st, to let the buck in with the flock of an evening. 

 In the morning he is turned away from the flock and well fed and housed 

 during the day. This plan is kept up from four to six weeks, or until 

 the ewes are all bred, when he is turned out with the flock and remains 

 until the following summer, in some cases as late as August. 



According to various reports received from different parts of the 

 State the average per cent of lambs raised is really quite large, espe- 

 cially when it is considered that the grazing districts are mainly of the 

 open range country, and that very many of the flockmasters are inex- 

 perienced. But the flocks are uniformly small, and high results may 

 be accounted for by that fact. The minimum averages about 75 per 

 cent, while the maximum is as high as 130 per cent. Another reason 



