Formation of a Flock 139 



The middle-wool breeds are so numerous and spring 

 from such a variety of conditions and systems of 

 handling that for any farm that is not so low as to 

 limit the choice to the long-wools, there can be found 

 a breed already improved and adapted to its peculiar- 

 ities. It is a mistake to expect good results from 

 sheep of any breed when placed in an environment 

 materially different from that of the native home of 

 the breed or expect them to mature earlier or later 

 or at different weights than were common to their 

 ancestors. 



Breed type. — It is not points of conformation that 

 adapt a sheep of a particular breed to specific con- 

 ditions, though size alone may indicate rate of 

 growth and maturity. All the mutton breeds have 

 been bred according to the same general standard ; 

 some breeds approach the ideal more uniformly 

 and more closely than others. In the breeds that 

 are less uniformly close to the mutton ideal, there is 

 always some feature of ability to respond to certain 

 conditions and methods of handling that makes 

 them most economical in the sections in which they 

 have been developed. While breeding for a valuable 

 carcass and adaptability, the improvers of the breeds 

 retained the features of general form, shape of head, 

 character of ear, facial coloring and wooling of face 

 or the absence of it, largely as they were found in 

 the original stock with which the improvement be- 

 gan. These distinguishing features have received 



