194 JUDGING SWINE AND SHEEP 



JUDGING SHEEP 



Next to horses, sheep are the most difficult class of live 

 stock to judge. The sheep is covered by a coat of wool 

 which, in the show ring, is generally long and dense enough 

 to hide the form of the animal's body. The skillful shepherd 

 by the clever use of the shears can trim the wool so that 

 the appearance of the animal is very deceptive. In judging 

 sheep, the judge must rely upon his hands to discover the 

 exact form of the animal. He who would become skilled 

 in the art of judging sheep must train his hands to determine 

 accurately the form and covering of flesh on the animal's 

 body beneath the covering of wool. To avoid the possibility 

 of leaving any part of the animal unexamined, the judge 

 should adhere to a regular routine of handling and follow 

 it closely in the examination of the sheep. 



The Form of the Mutton Sheep. — The form of the sheep 

 sought for mutton purposes should be, in general, the same 

 as that looked for in the beef animal and the lard hog. 

 Good development in the parts of the animal upon which 

 the best meat is obtained is required in the good mutton 

 sheep. Were the demands of the butcher entirely satis- 

 fied, the sheep would have a peculiar form indeed, because 

 butchers call for an animal that is heavily developed in the 

 region of the leg of mutton and along the back, and slightly 

 developed in the region of the head, neck, and legs. This 

 form of animal, however, is an impossibility, and the man 

 selecting sheep knows that in actual practice the butcher's 

 ideal can only be approximated. The judge's ideal is an 

 animal that is well developed in all the essential parts. 



Form. — The mutton sheep should be low, blocky, and 

 squarely set upon short legs, with the body as long as possible 



