Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-11-11
3arn' a"O HonsstoIO.
MANAGING the reck.

The mode Of conducting a breeding Aock
for profit will vary according TO locality and
cost Of food. Near the large Eastern mar
kets, and on land upon which sheep are
kept as the best compensation for the food
consumed, the ram lambs Of the flock will
principally be disposed Of at a few months
old, as aSording better profit a, this than a,
any subsequent period. The forty pound
fat lamb costs less in food than any forty
pounds OF growth added Afterwards.
and brings abcu, three prices per pound.
II then, a fock Of common ewes is being
crossed with pure blood Southdowu or
Cotswold ram, for the purpose of laying the
foundation and building up an improved
breeding flock, ii will be profitable to keep
only the eve lsmbs-grade rams should new
er be kept for breeding, but grade ewes
will be grea, Improvement over common
ones when bred TO a ram Of the same blood
as their sire. So, in grading up sock to-
wards pure-blood mutton breed, about
half Of the lambs each year may be sold for
the early market. Each generation will
approximate nearer and nearer to the pure
blood until they are practically equal for
mutton or wool.
Ii will be seen tina; ih expense Of grad
ing up this flock over that Of common
breeding is hardly worth considering tina;
in fact, the ram or wetber lambs marketed
each year will be enhanced in value much
more than the cost Of the pure-blood ram
over a common one. But while these eve
lambs are growing up to breeding age, the
defective ones mus; be weeded out, and no,
permitted TO breed. Only those Of good
form and prime feeders should be KEEP, for
breeding. The first requisite Of q prohta-
bic animal is a good appetite and active d.
geston- habitually mincing eater should
always be discarded, whatver beauty Of
external form j, may possess. No profit
ever comes from SLOW feeder. The breed
ing eve, if she raises good lambs, must
secre,e liberal quantity Of milk. and this
can only be done by large consumption
and digestion of food. The young ewes
should not be bred before IA TO Is months
old earlier breeding is not conducive TO
yigor Of constitution.
As the flock increases in numbers, greater
care can constantly be given to selections OF
the ewes 10 be bred-breeding always from
the best The third cross will give ewes of
seyen-eights pure blood, and this can be &C
complished in four years two years more
would give fifteen or sixteen blood so that
sn years would grade up common ewes to
fifteen -sixteenths blood Southdown, Cots
void, or other pure blood. Ii is not, there
fore, long to wait for thoroughly improved
flock, which will. practically, give all the
profit Of the highes, blood. Even the half
and three-fourths blood usually feed about
as well as the higher blood. After the fifth
cross with pure-blood rams, or thirty-one-
thirty part of pure blood, the rams
Of this cross NAV be considered prepo,eni,
and may be used for breeding-ofienev even the
cross below this will be found prepo,en, as
males The English Shorthorn Herd Book
admits four crosses 10 record as Shorthorns; ;
and the same rule would hold with sheep.
But se think breeding together grades Of
low degree tends to o-ing pure blood into
discredit, and is Improbable. Lire Stoek
Journal.