120 



THE SHROPSHIRE 



birth. In the selection of breeding ewes most American breeders 

 need to emphasize the practice of retaining females that are able 

 to produce strong lambs and grow them well. Unless this is done 

 there is danger of marked prolificacy being a hindrance rather than 

 a help to the breed. There was a time when Shropshire breeders 

 would sacrifice too much, in such essentials as constitution and 

 ability to make rapid growth, for the sake of extreme wool covering. 

 Distinctive and picturesque as are Shropshires with woolly heads and 

 legs, they do not conform to the " rent-paying " idea early conceived 

 by improvers if they do not possess the power of growing strong, 



Fig. 76. — Keeping watch tor the fellow in front. Shropshire rams. 



lusty, sappy lambs. It is better to have only a moderate wool 

 covering than to be without this power, a fact which all Shropshire 

 breeders should keep in mind. 



Shropshire rams, because they impart their mutton qualities 

 uniformly to their lambs, have been widely used in the United 

 States and elsewhere in cross-breeding and grading up. Their off- 

 spring from either pure or grade Merino ewes develop into splendid 

 market lambs (Fig. 75). 



Distribution. — Because of inherent good qualities and efficient 

 promotion, the Shropshire breed has been widely distributed. It 



