Nov. 15, 1924 
Relation of Sheep to Climate 
493 
hot summers. The many loose-wool 
sheep resulting from such crosses could 
not endure cold winter rains. The Down 
breeds were next used to* replace the 
long-wool sheep, and the resulting 
crosses were more satisfactory (27, p. 
113). 
The sheep population has not yet 
reached large numbers in the Corn 
Belt, probably because of the limited 
pasturage, and because climatic condi¬ 
tions are unsuitable, as the summers 
are hot with frequently a rather high 
humidity. The Southern States have 
never had large numbers of sheep, and 
except in Kentucky and Tennessee the 
sheep are rather scattered. In general, 
they are small and angular, with a 
light fleece of poor quality. The 
fleeces of sheep introduced into these 
States deteriorate, and the mutton 
breeds lose their plumpness, evidently 
because of the need of covering and 
protection. R. Lydekker (17, p. 217) 
states— 
many tropical breeds of domesticated sheep retain 
a hairy coat comparable to that of wild sheep, but 
in other breeds, especially those inhabiting tem¬ 
perate and cold climates, this is more or less com¬ 
pletely replaced by wool, except on the face, ears, 
and legs, where the hair is generally retained, 
McKee (19) remarks that “ sheep are 
not as good milkers in hot as in cold 
climates.’ 1 
The sheepmen in the Western States 
maintain their flocks in the valleys 
during the winter and lambing season; 
then they move the flocks up the 
mountains, where they remain until 
fall. Occasionally heavy losses are 
incurred during these seasons because 
of the cold and deep snows. A flocK 
of 100 sheep shipped to the Kadiak re¬ 
gion of Alaska did fairly well during 
the summer on the luxuriant growth of 
grasses, although many suffered from 
foot rot. When closely confined for 
protection in winter, their fleeces 
dropped off in large patches, and ema¬ 
ciation followed (3, p. 17). 
The sheep introduced into Colombia 
were the ordinary “Churro,” or com¬ 
mon Spanish breed. They flourish in 
the highlands but not in the hot valleys 
and plains. Unless the lambs are 
shorn early, the wool becomes loose, 
falls off in large patches, and is re¬ 
placed by shining, close-lying hair 
similar to that o'f goats. This hair is 
never replaced by wool (17, 2177-250). 
According to Griffith Taylor (26), 
“sheep [in Australia] occupy the warm 
inland drier belt and the cattle the 
wetter coastal regions.” 
On the north island in New Zealand, 
the Romney Marsh and the Lincoln 
breeds are found in large numbers, 
whereas the Merino is found only on 
the south island, where drier conditions 
prevail. The Romney Marsh breed 
comes from the county of Kent, in 
southeastern England, where the land 
is low and marshy. They are practical¬ 
ly free from foot rot and can withstand 
cold wet weather. In New Zealand 
the conditions for the Romney Marsh 
are more favorable than in Kent, as 
evidenced. by improved quality and 
length of the fleece. The Lincoln is 
quite similar to the Romney Marsh, 
although developed under somewhat 
different climatic conditions. In re¬ 
gard to moving sheep from one locality 
to another, Professor Wallace (28) 
states: 
There is an invariable rule that brooks no break¬ 
ing that to thrive they must go from a poorer to a 
richer soil and more favorable climatic surround¬ 
ings. For example, they must go from a humid 
into a drier district. It has been claimed that 
Oxford sheep coming from the cold, heavy clay of 
Oxfordshire and there subjected to the fogs and 
low temperatures do better in the drier and 
warmer localities. The long-wool and down breeds,, 
if put on the mountain lands where the Chevi¬ 
ots, Blackfaces, and Welsh sheep thrive well, 
could not survive long enough to enable them to 
make the change. Lincolns, bred in Shropshire,, 
do not attain the great size they do in their home 
country. The Kerry Hill (a Welsh breed), if re¬ 
moved to places where the soil is deep and the 
climate damp, get old and crocky or broken down 
in appearance and slack in their wool; It is 
claimed that the long wools thrive best on a light,, 
dry soil, on account of the wool not getting su 
clogged in wet weather 
It has been assumed that sections 
haying a dense sheep population have 
favorable climatic conditions for sheep 
production. Such dense world centers 
exist in South America (Uruguay and 
northeastern Argentina), South Africa- 
(Basutoland), Australia (New South 
Wales), New Zealand, Great Britain, 
European Turkey, and Bulgaria. Rus¬ 
sia and the United States also have a 
large sheep population (6). 
COMPARISON OF CLIMATES 
The climatic' factors here considered 
are temperature, rainfall, and humidity. 
Comparisons were made by the use of 
the hythergraph (temperature-rainfall) 
(13, 14, 15, 24, 35) and the climo- 
graph (temperature-humidity) (1, 22) - 
Graphs were made from the mean 
monthly temperature, rainfall, and 
humidity records for various meteor¬ 
ological stations located in sheep¬ 
growing sections. Each point on the 
hythergraph represents the mean of 
the temperature and the rainfall for a 
particular month. The points for each 
month in the year were plotted and 
then connected. For the climograph 
the mean monthly temperature and 
humidity were used. By this method 
