CHOOSING AND JUDGING SHEEP 367 



Condition and weight. — Since the weight depends much on 

 the condition of the sheep, they will be considered together. 

 As weight is a breed characteristic, no definite figures can be 

 suggested, but the animals chosen should be fairly large for the 

 particular breed to which they belong. Among wool sheep the 

 condition should be such as to indicate thrift and health ; exces- 

 sive fleshiness is not essential. In general, the condition must 

 be determined by the touch, as the wool often deceives the eye. 

 Among mutton sheep a fair amount of flesh is desirable, even 

 in the breeding stock, as the tendency to fatten quickly is a 

 very important consideration in this type. 



Quality.- — Sheep possessing much quality are desired for 

 both mutton and wool production. With sheep, as with other 

 farm animals, quality is determined by the bone, skin, and hair. 

 The bone should be dense, clean, arid of fine texture. The skin 

 should be soft, pink in color, and comparatively thin. Care 

 must be exercised in respect to the thinness of the skin, as a 

 thin paper skin is often associated with weakness of constitu- 

 tion. The hair on the ears, face, and legs should be soft and 

 silky. These are important features in sheep intended for 

 wool or for mutton, for breeding or for feeding. Sheep possess- 

 ing a tight, heavy, pale skin, coarse, harsh hair about the face 

 and on the legs, and heavy rough, coarse bone are deficient in 

 quality. 



The constitutional vigor deserves much attention, for in its 

 absence the wool will be of poor quality and the mutton sheep 

 an unprofitable animal. Vigor is estimated by the general 

 expression, by the condition of the skin, and by the chest ca- 

 pacity. The expression of the eyes, ears, and head should be 

 mild and lively, and the sheep should be on the alert. The skin 

 should be deep pink and not pale. The chest capacity should 

 be large. A good way to estimate the chest capacity among 

 sheep is to note the distance between the front legs along the 

 floor of the chest. If the distance between the legs is small, it 



