72 
Suffolk  Sheet). 
in  all  Suffolks,  as  it  has  already  been  in  the  best  flocks. 
The  average  weight  of  fleece  (first  year  clip)  is,  on  the  good 
soils,  about  8 lb.  of  washed  wool.  Ewes  will  clip  from 
5 to  7 lb.,  and  rams  up  to  14  lb. 
Fecundity . — No  account  of  the  Suffolk  sheep  would  be 
complete  without  a reference  to  the  great  productiveness  of 
the  variety.  One  of  the  great  merits  of  the  ewes  is  that  while 
they  have  the  power  of  earning  a living  on  a wide  range  of 
poor  pasture  when  empty  or  not  far  advanced  in  pregnancy, 
they  are  also  capable  of  converting  a large  amount  of  food 
into  milk  when  suckling  their  lambs.  It  is  necessary  that 
this  should  be  so,  for  otherwise  the  very  large  number  of 
“ doubled  ” and  even  triplets  which  are  dropped  could  not  be 
reared  with  profit.  Lambing  returns  received  by  the  Suffolk 
County  Agricultural  Association  are  therefore  given  below. 
The  following  figures  represent  entries  from  registered  Suffolk 
flocks  only  : — 
Total  Number  of  Suffolk 
Average  Number 
Date 
Ewes  from  registered  flocks 
in  the  Competition 
of  lambs  weaned  from 
each  100  ewes 
1900 
3,033 
15328 
1901 
2,146 
150-56 
1902 
3,076 
151-27 
1903 
5,452 
158-49 
1901 
2,959 
158-06 
1905 
3,967 
153  34 
1906 
2,676 
150-60 
1907 
4,903 
154-15 
1908 
5,474 
149-91 
1909 
6,681 
153-67 
1910 
5,459 
145-58 
In  the  above  competition  one  instance  is  on  record  of  a 
flock  of  310  ewes  yielding  183‘23  per  cent. — in  this,  as  in  all 
the  above  cases — of  weaned  lambs.* 1  In  the  same  competitions 
the  record  of  losses  among  the  ewes,  from  time  of  turning 
in  the  rams  till  weaning,  is  practically  2'5  per  100  ewes  mated. 
These  figures  clearly  demonstrate  the  excellence  of  Suffolks 
as  nurses,  and  the  slamina  shown  by  them  when  producing 
their  offspring. 
Showyard  Distinctions. 
The  merits  of  a variety  of  sheep  are  well  tested  by  the 
Carcass  Competition  at  Smithfield  Show,  for  we  find  all 
specimens  of  the  short-woolled  breeds  contesting  for  the 
honours  one  against  the  other,  and  of  the  two  judges  who 
make  the  awards  in  these  classes  one  is  invariably  a meat 
salesman  of  repute.  Therefore  the  following  list  of  honours 
shows  the  Suffolks  to  be  mutton  producers  of  the  highest 
quality  : — 
1 To  be  exact,  the  rule  is  “reared  to  May  1st.” — S.R.S. 
