150 PROFITABLE STOCK RAISING 



has become an industry of large proportions, and 

 the feeders from eastern farms and from the west- 

 ern mountain valleys have searched for lambs of 

 the most desirable feeding type. This has led to 

 the practice on the part of some sheep breeders of 

 using rams of the extremely heavy mutton type, 

 such as Lincoln or Hampshires, upon the common 

 grade ewe, with the result that an unusually large, 

 heavy mutton form lamb was produced to be placed 

 in the feed lot at five months old. This has given 

 the feeders a lamb of large frame and great feed- 

 consuming capacity and a resulting heavier-dressed 

 carcass has appeared in the markets. This prac- 

 tice has been very successful in cases where all the 

 lambs were intended for sale. The cross, however, 

 is so violent that the product has not been satisfac- 

 tory when part of the lambs are kept for future 

 breeding. Generally, whether under farm or range 

 conditions,* a desirable dual-purpose type of sheep 

 may be maintained by intelligent selection of breed- 

 ing ewes, and the alternation as needed of the type 

 of ram, using the mutton breeds when the stock 

 begins to incline too much to fineness of wool, and 

 using Rambouillet or Merino rams when the coarse- 

 wooled mutton type begins to predominate too 

 largely. 



MANAGEMENT OF BREEDING SHEEP 



The feeding and management of breeding 

 animals of any class diflfers very materially from 

 that of animals intended for the block. This is 

 especially true of sheep. The ewe lambs which 

 are intended for future breeding should be selected 

 as early as possible, preferably just after weaning, 

 choosing only those which conform most nearly to 



