News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-09-17
SHEEP FOR THE FARM.
Pointers That VIII BE Useful When
One Goes to Make Selections.

Pointers That Will he Useful When
One Goes to Make Selections.
To begin with, it must be remem-
Dered that most mutton breeds can be
raised probably for their flesh alone.
OF course the wool should be taken in
to consideration, as it is also a valua-
bic product from the flock. Get as
much of it as practicable. 1t should
also be of as good quality as possible.
In considering the fat sheep. which of
course is the ultimate end of all NUT
ton breeds, it should be the object of
the breeder to select animals which
produce as large quantities of the high
priced cuts as possible.
In judging mutton sheep the object
is to determine which animals will pro-
duce the largest amount of valuable
meat Always begin at the head and
work backward First examine the
mouth to determine the age of the an
imaL An old sheep with poor teeth
will not fatten well, nor will the prod
uce be of high quality when it is OBJ
ing that the feeder, the butcher, the
consumer and the wool manufacturer
must be considered The feeder wants
the animal which will make the most
economical gains; the butcher wants
the animal which will dress the great
est amount of high priced cuts.
The feeder wants a head wide be-
tween the eyes and comparatively
short. The chest should be wide and
deep. Determine this by holding the
hands fiat above and below and on Ell
Their side. The buyer will soon be able
to Judge of the capacity of sheep for
assimilating feed. The Shoulder blade
should be sloping and the point OF the
shoulder well covered. Examine the
back very carefully. 1t should be
straight, with no sagging whatever.
The backbone should be attached to
the hips smoothly, and the ribs should
be we'll sprung. Always grasp the leg
of the sheep just above the knee ana
see that the animal is well heshed
down. Much depth and thickness in
the twist are very desirable. The chest
should be WIDE indicating lung capac-
ity.
In examining the fleece, open it on
the shoulder and TANKS, then on the
hind quarter The best wool is found
over the shoulder. That on the hip is
not so good. Never open the fleece on
the back. as there is a tendency for
the mud and rain to get down and
produce rheumatism and general dis
comfort.
Quality in a sheep is indicated by
the head, absence of hair on legs and
face, fineness of bone. etc. Condition
in sheep is difficult to determine. for
the reason that when the sheep begins
to take on fat this is stored up on the
inside first. Later the fat appears on
the outside particularly about the
rump: then follows along the back and
finally down over the shoulder and on
the flank.
In animals for breeding purposes
these points must of course be given
due weight, but it must also be remem-
bered that the breeding animal must
have great vigor of constitution, capac-
ity for transmitting characteristics and
moderate coarseness of bone. A very
fine bone is not desired in a breeding
animal; neither must it be too coarse.
In an animal to be fattened the matter
of taking on flesh quickly is of more
Importance than constitution and char
acter of bone.