264 Sheep-Farming 



"In 1847 I showed ten Southdown ewes from my' 

 father's Keillor flock at the Highland Society's 

 show at Aberdeen. I was anxious to win both first 

 and second prizes and to displace a worthy opponent, 

 the late Duke of Richmond. In striving to do this, 

 the ten ewes were divided into two pens of equal 

 merit instead of making one superior pen and another 

 inferior to it. The outcome was the loss of the 

 first prize and the gain of the second. James Crisp, 

 the celebrated breeder of Shorthorns, was one of the 

 judges. Meeting him afterwards, I asked him the 

 reason for the award. His answer was, 'Young 

 man, you divided the goodness ; otherwise, you could 

 have easily won the first prize.' " This is one of 

 the most common sheep-yard mistakes inimical to 

 the exhibitor's interests. 



Shed or field feeding. — In preparing show sheep, 

 there is a choice between house and open-air feeding. 

 I have found that sheep kept in the open air with an 

 abundance of sweet herbage and other feed seem 

 more contented than those confined, and the mor- 

 tality is decidedly less ; but my preference is for 

 house feeding, because the wool may be brought 

 to a higher state of perfection and that is always a 

 very material point with the judges. Sheep intended 

 for exhibition should be housed early. There is a 

 difference of opinion among exhibitors whether late 

 or early shearing is best, but this is dependent on 

 the breed of sheep. Those with long wool should 



