The Improvement of the Flock 149 



are older sheep to represent him and to show the 

 breeder's faith in him. If the parents pass the test 

 of inspection of their other offspring, this should be 

 assurance as to their similarity in type. Their 

 individual points cannot be ignored, but sheep that 

 are old enough to have the offspring of several years 

 to speak for them are not likely to be very attractive 

 in appearance. The first parents constitute the most 

 important part of a pedigree. Failure of parents to 

 stand such a test cannot be atoned for by the excel- 

 lence of the grandparents. This is highly desirable, 

 but must be looked upon as added assurance of 

 the worth of the parents rather than as an excuse 

 for their shortcomings. If grandparents and great- 

 grandparents also are known to have been good 

 breeders, the descendant of such a line has still less 

 chance of being a poor breeder. As the number 

 of generations of careful weeding out of all sub- 

 standard animals is added to, there is an increasing 

 degree of purity of the blood and freedom from the 

 possible appearance of inferior features. The chief 

 real reason for the popularity of imported sheep is 

 in the fact that they usually come from flocks that 

 have been bred with the greatest care for so many 

 generations that the blood is more nearly pure to 

 good tendencies and therefore stronger in transmis- 

 sion than is the case with animals from flocks that 

 have not been bred for a long time according to an 

 uninterrupted plan. 



