105 MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF SHEEP 



tion for mutton finished only on grass pastures. But it 

 does not follow that good mutton may not be grown on 

 grasses only, as is shown below. 



The pastures best adapted to the production of good 

 mutton are those which combine palatability, succulence 

 and nutrition in the highest degree. This means that the 

 best quality of mutton finished only on grasses will come 

 from areas comparatively moist, as these only can main- 

 tain the requisite succulence in the grasses. Blue grass 

 is possessed of the requisite qualities in a marked degree 

 for making good mutton. Along with clover of sufficient 

 maturity it should make mutton possessed of good finish. 

 While succulence is essential in the grazing for the pro- 

 duction of juicy mutton, over-succulence retards fatten- 

 ing, which explains why sheep are usually in a lower con- 

 dition at the close of an unusually wet season than at the 

 close of one possessed of average moisture. 



Something depends on the breed or grade of the 

 sheep and also on the age, viewed from the standpoint of 

 adaptation for such finishing. Sheep small in size rela- 

 tively will make a better finish usually than those that 

 are large, their lightness favoring easy movement. For 

 a similar reason sheep short of maturity will have some 

 advantage over sheep fully matured, and more especially 

 over old sheep. It is also reasonable to suppose that 

 sheep not accustomed to a grain supplement will also 

 fare better under such conditions than those that have 

 been much used to such a supplement. 



It has been found that the mutton made from grass 

 pastures only on the arable farm is superior in juiciness as 

 a rule to that made on the open range, the reason for 

 which will be obvious. It has also been found that the 

 highest quality in such mutton comes from sheep kept 

 in limited numbers in proportion to the pasture. The 

 sheep are thus enabled to gather food in much variety 

 and such as they relish most, hence the good finish which 

 they soon make and its high quality. In this way nearly 



