CIHM Microfiche Series (IMonographs) ICIMH Collection de microfiches (monographies) Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian da microreproductionr historiquas 1 Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques et bibllographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibiiographically unique, which may alter any of the images in :hG reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming are checked below. n n D D D D D Coloured covers / Couverture de couleur Covers damaged / Couverture endommagde Covers restored and/or laminated / Couverture restaur^ et/ou pellicula Cover title missing / Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps / Cartes g^raphiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black) / Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations / Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material / Reiid avec d'autres documents Only edition available / Seule Edition disponible Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin / La reiiure senate peut causer de Tombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge int^rieure. Blank leaves added during restorations may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming / Use peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmtes. Additional comments / Commentaires suppl^mentaires: L'Institut a mterofiim^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6td possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem- plaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibli- ographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modifteation dans la metho- ds nomfiale de filmage sont indk)u^s ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages / Pages de couleur I I Pages damaged / Pages endommagtes □ Pages restored and/or laminated / Pages restaurtes et/ou pellteul^s r~l^ Pages discotoured, stained or foxed / L^ Pages dteolortes, tachettes ou piques I Pages detached / Pages d6tach6es I the business without having had a thorough practical experience. IJtherwise it is best for hn. co commence in a smaller fashion. As his flock increases tn sue so will his experience and he will learn for himself the proper methods to Ipply to every condition that may arise. L .lJ°\"°Y ^5^'"n"« dis,,lay an over-confidence in their prowess and i -npolled, in order to uphol their honesty td trustworthiness, to send a better animal than the price reallv calls for With fcrs^nal i^lection the seller's liability is limited, since he does' not feel himself ispongible for what the purchaser does. 60998—1 \6k 9 SELECTION OF BREED OR TYl'E. Choice of breed i« the first diffipiilty that bexots the beginner. Tlic common question with those entering the 8he<'p business is: What is the best breeds To that the only answer that can be given is that all breeds are good when adapted to the conditions under which llicy will bo subjected in the district where the beginner' >« farm or ranch is lociitcd. mul meet loi'iil murkct ri'i|uircmciils. The sehftion of breed also depends largely upon the individual taste of the shepherd and the object he has in view in raising thtun. In Canada success can be attained with any of the popular breeds produced here, but no per-'on should ever commence raising a breed for which he knows he cannot olitiiin a rcnciy sale. Perhaps his means and conditions do not warrant him to enter into the production of pure breds. If he is breeding sheep merely for mutton purposes, high class grades will suffice, .vet even in buying grades he should take care to select only those possc-ising a good mutton conformation. Many farmers think that, since they own simply grades, 'any old sheep' at all will produce g>>od enough results in the flock, and, therefore, the more cheaply they can buy the better. This is false economy, for very frequently they obtain in their flock animals that do not pay for the expense of their keep. UNIFORMITY OF TYPE. Unity of type in the flock should be the direct aim of every breeder. This applies to grades as well as pure-brcds, and refers to the selection of a type of sheep, possessing similar mutton and wool characteristics. With pure breds this feature is especially important. In a flock of sheep where several types obtain, choice of a Buitable ram is most difficult. Besides, disparity in this respect detracts from the general appearance of the flock and gives the buyer or casual observer an unfavourable opinion. Every breeder should aspire to produce a distinctive type. lie should endeavour to breed a class of sheep possessing characteristics that, wherever the animals are, they will be recognized as his breeding. But to attain this he shouM never uphold some fancy character in preference to utility features. No features should bo given undue prominence beyond another, especially one that is purely ornamental. The establishment of an ultra form of some fashionable characteristic has at times become an obsession with many bree-l < wf puro-bred sheep, and this sin (for it cannot be called anything else) must bf r "'he lultimate destination of most pure-bred rams is at the head of grad J their utility feature.- should only be taken into consideration. The beginner should study well and become .th the type or breed he has selected. He must be able to recognize undesii .atures and disqualifications. These he should endeavour to preclude from his flock, end to this end he shoulil practice a rigorous culling every yer.r. Individuals which do not possess the merit- that his ideal calls for should be banished from the flock. Sheep having grnvi' defects of character or type should not be used for breeding purposes. The absolutely perfect sheep, however, is still unknown, but every breeder should essay to approach as well OS possible to what he considers perfection of type. Therefore, he should practice judicious care in the initial selection of his foundation stock and in hi- subsequent breeding operations. Merino R»in. 8brown farpH Tunis CoarM Wooled. . Dark-faced Highland. Whitefaced Lincoln. Cotswold Whitfrfaoed. U ray-faced. [r Romney Marxh . English. Border. THE MERINO. In America the Merino is separatcti, according to degree of skin wrinkling or foldintr. into three distinct da.ses: A. B, and C. Althou^'h skin wrinkling com- prises the obvious means of division, fundamentally it is based upon the finene* of the wool fibre, since a direct correlation exists between the quality of wool and extent of skin wrinkling. The most heavily wrinkled are recognized as possessing the finest fleece. The American Merino, which is descemled. without radical change troin the ultra fine-wooled Spanish, is wrinkled virtually over the entire body The wool IS very fine and has a large yolk or oil content, which gives to it a high ihrinkage The skin folds of representative animals of class C are confined mostly to the neck arid breast with a few slight ones, at times, upon the shoulders, thighs and tail head. The mutton conformation of shcci) in this >^"" r 10 dejrree of ditference botwi-i-n the Oxford mid Hampshire in respeit to size. The Oxford sliears more wool of a somewhut coarser nature than the Hampshire and has a more compat-t hody Both are wooled upon tlie poll and \egi and frequently over the face. I'lu. Imir colour of the O.xford will vnr.v frci- a black to an even gray; while the Ilanipsliire in this regard i^ uniforml.v black ..r dark brown. The Suffolk to a jrreat extent resembles the Hampshire. It is rather smaller, however, and possesses no wip. ! on the head or legs. The Shropshire is exceptionoHy well coven-d upon tlic face nml legs, the wool surrounding the eyes and descending even below the pasterns. The hair colour is a uniform brown. It is not so large as the Oxford or Ilamiishirc. The mutton of ihe Southdown is held in high repute for its exfjuisite Javour. However, the yield is aot as great as with the other larger breesary appendages. OTHKR MEDIUM-VVOOLED BREKDS. Dorset Horns, owing to their ability to breed fairly assuredly at any time of the year have been developed largely into a general purpose sheep for the production of early, or what are commonly called 'hot-house' lambs. For this purpose Tunis, having a similar (|ualification, are also raised. Consequently, these breeds have become popular especially with farmers living near large cities, where there is a demand for tlii-* class of mutton. In size they are comparable with the Shropshire. The Dorset is < . cred with wool on the poll and leg.s, but the Tunis is usually bare, resembling in this respect the SuflFolk. Thus far the Cheviot has not been introduced into Canada to any extent. It 'is not a very large breed, and the quaJity of its wool is on the borderland between the medium and coarse-wooled types. It has been bred for years on the hills of Korthern England and Scotland, and should, therefore, be pre-eminently suited to rough and hilly districts. Wool covering is similar to that of the Suffolk. ' COARSE-WOOLED BREEDS. f^ le Lincoln is probably a little larger than the other coarse-wooled breeds. In fac. It la sometimes called the largest of the domestic classes of sheep. The wool is long and coarse and does not command so high a price as the medium. The mutton too IS of a coarser texture. The Cotswold and Leicester are very similar in general character to the Lincoln. The Leicester, however, possesses no wool on the licn