44 MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF SHEEP 



food in order to produce the wool. On the other hand, 

 it is adverse to mutton production, first, when it is pres- 

 ent beyond the actual needs of the sheep to insure a con- 

 dition of comfort ; second, when the effort to secure it of 

 a certain quality leads to confinement which results in re- 

 duced vigor ; and third, when maximum production of wool 

 is sought regardless of the influence which it exerts on the 

 development of carcass. It is present beyond the needs 

 of the sheep when it becomes oppressive on the advent of 

 warm weather. The decrease of vigor in the Saxon 

 Merino, which accompanied the efforts to secure wool 

 superfine in quality, illustrates the adverse influence re- 

 sulting from too much confinement. The lack of mutton 

 form of the highest type in Merinos illustrates the ad- 

 verse influence on the carcass where maximum produc- 

 tion is sought in wool. 



Likewise when maximum production is sought in mut- 

 ton, the influence is adverse to maximum production in wool. 

 This finds illustration in the far less degree of the im- 

 provement of the wool product made by Bakewell in 

 Leicester sheep as compared with the improvement made 

 in the mutton form. While it is impossible to achieve 

 maximum production in wool and mutton in the same ani- 

 mal, it is, nevertheless, quite possible to reach high at- 

 tainment in both respects in the same animal. This is 

 amply illustrated in the transformation of the Spanish 

 Merino into the Rambouillet and Delaine types. It is 

 also illustrated in the high productions of sheep of the 

 Shropshire breed in both wool and mutton. 



Wool and mutton breeds contrasted — The more ap- 

 parent contrasts between the two classes are such as re- 

 late to size, form, hardihood and prolificacy. Breeds 

 recognized as wool producing are of less size, as a rule, 

 than those usually recognized as the mutton breeds. The 

 average weight of the American and Saxon Merino is less 

 than that of the mutton breeds. The difiference, how- 

 ever, is growing less. This result comes from the in- 



