178 Western Live-stock Management 
ram to be a satisfactory breeder should be at least one year 
old before being used. Ram lambs may be used to a very 
limited extent but with the average breeder this is not ad- 
visable. However, when ram lambs are used they should 
be early lambs and well grown, and should not be allowed 
any more than about ten or fifteen ewes during the season. 
Ram lambs used excessively are very likely to become non- 
breeders later in life and thus the period of greatest use- 
fulness would be lost. It is not advisable to give a year- 
ling ram too free a run in the beginning. Two-year-old, 
three-year-old, and four-year-old rams need less attention. 
Possibly a two-year-old ram is the most satisfactory for 
breeding purposes, at least breeding records kept at 
various experiment stations indicate this. Often a 
breeder can purchase a tried ram and secure him very 
reasonably when the former owner wishes to dispose of 
him to prevent in-breeding. A ram of this kind very 
often proves to be a bargain. In selecting such a ram, 
one should be sure that his mouth is sound. In a small 
flock, one ram can be used for only two seasons. On a 
larger flock, where more than one ram is used, he can be 
kept a longer period without in-breeding. 
The ewe. 
With ewes, as with rams, the ideal form is desirable, but 
in the case of the ewes this is much harder to obtain than 
with the rams. The ewe’s work of reproduction soon 
spoils the beautiful lines that she once had and for this 
reason one should not lay too much stress on the form to 
the exclusion of other qualities. The ewe, like the ram, 
should carry as much breed type as possible. Large roomy 
ewes, possessing a considerable degree of the dairy type, 
raise the best lambs. Very often the barren ewe presents 
