On the Fertility of different Breeds of Sheep, §c. 101 



The Suffolk breed is by far the most fertile, while the Southdowns 

 are at the bottom of the list : the value of the former as a prolific 

 breed is incontrovertible, while the record of the latter, as shown both 

 by tie percentage of twins and lambs, is so low as to suggest cause for 

 some anxiety and to show urgent need for close attention on the part 

 of breeders. 



The Hampshire breed also stands low both with regard to twins and 

 lambs, especially when its low percentage of loss from abortion and 

 barrenness is considered ; whereas the Lincoln breed, although recording 

 only 111-1 per cent, of lambs, shows 29*09 per cent, of ewes bearing 

 twins, and the fault, with this breed, is obviously not so much low 

 fertility as heavy mortality among lambs and a high percentage of 

 loss from abortion and barrenness. 



The most fertile of all pure breeds of which I have records, is the 

 Wensleydale breed, in which six flocks with a total of 319 ewes pro- 

 duce 177'43 per cent, of lambs (included in "Various Pure Breeds"). 

 It is to be noted that both Wensleydale and Suffolk ewes when covered 

 by rams of other breeds, do not appear to produce a larger percentage 

 of lambs than they produce when covered by rams of their own breed ; 

 if anything, they seem to produce a somewhat smaller percentage of 

 lambs. On the other hand, Dorset Horn ewes are more usually fertile 

 and are more prolific with Down rams than with Dorset Horn rams. 



It is a very usual practice with Dorset Horn flock-masters to keep a 

 Down ram to cover those ewes which fail to become pregnant to a Dorset 

 Horn ram, and, when pure-bred ewes are discarded from their breeding 

 flocks, they generally sell them " in young " to Down rams, when they 

 frequently produce as many as 170 per cent, of lambs. 



It appears, therefore, that whereas the fertility of Suffolk and Wens- 

 leydale ewes is at its maximum when they breed to rams of their own 

 kind, Dorset Horn ewes require to be covered by rams of another 

 breed, in order that they may be stimulated to the greatest generative 

 activity. 



Apart from the percentage of ewes which abort or are barren from 

 accident or constitutional defects, the fertility of ewes is chiefly affected 

 by their condition and by the condition of the ram at tupping time. I 

 have overwelming evidence that flocks in strong condition at tupping 

 time produce a higher percentage of lambs than flocks in poor condi- 

 tion at that period (Suffolk, Kent, Hampshire, Dorset Horn, and 

 Lincoln breeds) ; on the other hand, fat rams and ewes are associated 

 with a high percentage of barrenness, and not with a high percentage 

 of lambs. 



In close connection with this subject is the production of twins. 

 Fifty-five per cent, of the flock-masters who send information on this 

 head, report that twins are usually born early in the lambing season, 

 and many of them add that otherwise the crop of lambs is small. That 



