The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1913-02-01
Even Spread and Lustre Adds to the
Value Of the Fleece Need
ey Short Legs.
TEETH INDICATE THEIR AGE,
Central 1ncisors Appear After First
Year and One More Pair are
!. Added Each Season.

A. E. Nelson, instructor in agricul-
ture in the Bemidji school, has writ
ten the following paragraphs on
.How to Judge Sheep = n.s, w.
''Sheep are the hardest of all
classes of farm animals to Judge and
when one must pass on q number of
sheep in a limited time it is neces-
sary that he work quickly and &C.
curately. -sr 49,
when possible, one should always
handle sheep as it is only after
examination, with the hands that one
can pass his best judgment. After
the sheep has been caught, press
down the lower lip with the thumb
so that the age can be estimated
from the teeth. AS the sheep has
eight permanent incisors which ap-
peared in regular orders in supplant-
ing the milk teeth, it is an easy mat
ter to estimate the age up to Ave
years. s..sss...s.
"The milk teeth are always smaller
and narrower than the permanent
incisors. The permanent incisors are
somewhat wedge shaped, being wider
at the top than at the bottom.
"A lamb has only milk teeth but
the first and central pair of incisors
appear when the sheep is slightly
more than one year old. The next
pair Aof incisors will appear one on
each side of the central pair when the
sheep is two years old The third
pair appear when the sheep is slight
ly over three years old and the fourth
pair when the sheep is between four
and five years old. Grain feeding
will hasten the age indications.
"After the age has been ascertain
ed, examine the head to see II it is
of the desired shape. The head should
be rather short throughout, wide be-
tween the eyes and ears, although
this conformation will vary some
with the breed. The eye should be
clear, large, alert and free from dis
ease The ears should be Of medium
size, soft, and pliable.. The neck
should be full, short and blend
smoothly into the shoulder
"A eve necked sheep is usually
thinly fleshed over the shoulders and
is never desirable. The shoulders
should be we'll laid together at the
top and we'll covered with natural
flesh. The ribs should be widely
sprung, giving the animal round
appearance. ~
"The back should be level and, e.
pecially in breeding sheep, should not
have a tendency to dip In this reg
ion. The loin should be wide, with
a thick natural covering Of flesh. The
hoofs should be we'll laid in and the
hind quarters should be long and
wide In as much as the loin and
hind quarters are the high priced
portions of the animal at present, 1t
is essential that these parts be care
fully examined.
"sheep should always be set low
down. That is, the legs should always
be short, but the length Of the legs
will depend somewhat on the breed.
The feet should point straight ahead
and should be well supported In the
postern or ankle joint. This is one
place where breeding sheep are often
at fault.
"The best feeding lamb is the
thick, low set, heavily muscled
type. The feeding lamb does not
need much bone as he goes onto the
market at an early age. He should
be sold when he weighs about 100
pounds. The younger he is put into
the feed lot, the cheaper will be the
cost of the meat.
much might be said Of the wool Of
sheep but, generally speakinR. f
should be Dense, fine. CLEAN, long.
bright in color and lustre and spread
evenly over the body.