CHAPTER VI 

 THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE FLOCK 



Having secured his foundation ewes, it is thence- 

 forth the aim of the owner to enlarge the flock by the 

 retention of the females in the increase. Within 

 five or six years at the most, the original stock will 

 have been disposed of as no longer capable of breed- 

 iag. The ewe flock will then consist entirely of 

 animals bred by the owner. Real success demands 

 that there be a continuous improvement in uni- 

 formity and in average individual merit. At the 

 best, the foundation ewes will have some points 

 susceptible of improvement, or it may become ap- 

 parent that a change in some feature would add to 

 the profit from keeping them. In the correction 

 of defects and effecting of improvement, the flock 

 owner has three opportunities, all of which he must 

 utilize in advancing toward his ideal of a flock of 

 maximum efficiency for his purposes. The first 

 of these is in the selection of rams. The second 

 opportunity is in the culling of the ewes, and the 

 third is in the growing and developing of the lambs. 



Selection of rams. — Truest economy calls for the 

 highest degree of excellence in the ram. Needless 

 to say, he should strongly represent the type that is 



147 



