Autumn Management of the Flock 167 



separate the lips sufficiently to allow a view of the 

 teeth. 



Breeding yearling ewes. — The number of ewe 

 lambs will ordinarily be considerably greater than the 

 number of ewes to be cast off. This allows a thorough 

 culling of the lambs to be made. In the fall of the 

 yearling form, they can again be gone over and only 

 the most promising used to replace the old ewes 

 that have been discarded. It is very desirable to 

 breed yearling ewes to an old ram that is known to 

 be a sure breeder and a good sire. When this is 

 done, there can be no mistake in selling those that 

 fail to produce good lambs because the inferiority 

 in the lambs in such cases is properly attributed to 

 the ewe. 



Time of mating. — The time at which the breeding 

 season begins will depend largely on the local con- 

 ditions and the parentage of the flock. It will be 

 generally found that ewes of Dorset descent or 

 Merino breeding may be bred at unusual seasons, 

 but with other breeds of sheep the usual breeding 

 season is either in September or October. It usually 

 begins with the first cold weather that comes in the 

 fall. The length of the winter season and the time 

 at which the ewes may be first turned on pasture are 

 the factors which are mainly involved in deciding 

 the beginning of the best period to have the ewes 

 lamb. The ewe carries her lamb about one hundred 

 and forty-seven days, though this may vary three or 



