CIHM
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ICIMH

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microfiches
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Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian da microreproductionr historiquas

Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques et bibllographiques

The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original
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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.

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apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait
possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmtes.

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L'Institut a mterofiim^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a
6td possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem-
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ou qui peuvent exiger une modifteation dans la metho-
ds nomfiale de filmage sont indk)u^s ci-dessous.

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Opposing pages with varying colouration or
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This Kwn is filmed at tlw raduetion ratio ehaclud balow /

C« doeumMt Mt Aim* au taux da rMuction indiqu* ei-daaaeus.

lOx

14x

18x

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30x

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28x

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The copy filmed h«r« hat b«tn reproduced thanks
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Library
AgricuKurt Canada

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method:

L'txtmplairt film* fut rsproduit gricc i la
g4n*rosit4 d«:

Bibliothiqut
Agrieulturt Canada

Las imagaa tuivantas ont ttt raproduitaa avac la
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Las cartas, planchas, tabiaaux, ate, pauvant Atra
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Lorsquo la documant ast trop grand pour itra
raproduit an un seul clicl)4, ii ast film* i partir
da I'angla supiriaur gaucha, da gaucha i droite.
at da haut an baa, an pranant la nombra
d'imagas ntcassaira. Las diagrammaa suivanta
illustrant la mithode.

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5 6

MKROCOPV nSOlUTION TBT CHART

(ANSI and ISO TEST CHAUT No. 2)

^IPPLIED IM/1GF

1653 Eo*t Main Str«et

I'te) 482 - 0300- Phon«
(7 '6) 288- 5989 - Fa«

DOMINION DEPARTSfENT OF ARORICITLTUUE.

UV£ STOCK BRANCH.

JOHN BRIGHT,

Comii.lsiioner.

H. S. ARKELL,

Attt. Commjaiioner.

PAMPHLET Ho. 4.
April 19H.
SHEEP AND GOAT DIVISION.

THE MANAGEMENT OF SMALL FLOCKS SERIES.

ADVICE TO THE bfGINNER IN THE SELECTION OF
BREEDING STOCK.

By T. Reg. Arkell.

Many men thiiJc that, after they have spent a few months in learning the theory
bf 8h3ep husbandry, they are capable ,f pursuing practical management wi^h an
Assurance of easy success. They have possibly learned the symptoms of diseases with
l^eir remedies and in detail sc.entitic management, but exigencies always arise for
krhich they are unprepared and which probably, when studying the subject, they
l.d not deem worthy of their consideration. It is strict attention to the little things
Bn sheep raising vhat so generally leads to a great success. No one should enter
khZli''-/ > 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<nowledge
ff the sheep business. This makes them a prey to the salesman who sees n'- ueed of
orrecting mistakes that the beginner may make in th- purWmse of his breeding stock
lost generally this class of novice wishes to make personal seJeetion of the animals
nd, If his ideals respecting type are somewhat astray, as is by no means infrequentJv
be case, he gets in his flock many sheep which he would be better without. Had
e been sensibly disposed and confessed his ignorance of many points of breed type
be salesman, unle^ he were most unscrupulous, would have aided him in choosing
fcimals that v/ould prove valuable to him. Few breederB who have any sort of

irl *r '*. . *° 'f u-'" """'. *"''*' '• '"""^ advantage of a man who ingenuously
laves the selection of h,s purcha«; with Hiem In fact, many breeders state that
»ey much prefer a buyer to make a personal choice than sell by description through
le mail, einco m the latter case they feel c> -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

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.

8<iuthttown Rniii.

T^inouln R*in.

Shropahire liam.

Ui'^^

Uiinlfr Lficrotcr Kaiii.

SuSulk Kftui.

Cuuwuld Ram.

,.%■

Uampahire Ram.

Uxford Uiiwn Kaiu.

.^:

Cbus

Cheviot Ram.

Doraet Horn Ram.

CLASSIFICATION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BRKKD8.

Wool Brazil...

Fine Wooled o
Merino.

White-f»ced

(a)Spaniih or Amerioan

Merino.
(6) American Merino,
(c) RambuuiUetind Delaine.

Ml- .m Wooled

Oark-faced or
"Down.."

Whitefaced

Oxford Down.
1 Hampshire .

Suffolk.
Shropahire.

Southdown.

Domi't Horn.

Cheviot.

Mutton Breed*.

R^diflh>brown farpH

Tunis

CoarM Wooled. .

Dark-faced

Highland.

Whitefaced

Lincoln.

Cotswold

Whitfrfaoed.

U ray-faced.

[<eicest >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 <flass is saipcrior to that of
iinmials in A and B. In this respwt all of tlie Merino breeds resemble the type of
'lairy cattle. Emphasis is placed upon wool production, and, in consequence, mutton
.haracters are neglected. In this country their use is limited to crossing with mutton
brcwis upon the ranch. They are more gregarious than mutton slipcp, herd ni„re
eiisily and for these reasons are rntlicr better adapted to rang., conditions The
nims are usually horniHl, an.l the ewes, hornless, although there are sub-classes of the
Kambouillet and Uelaine where both sexes are polled.

THE 'DOWNS.'

„v ''i^V^n"'''"'' "■;''. "^"'■'•"^'' '"■'»-'"' ••'S i" *■"<•«. arc all of the mutton breeds
except the lunis. which is a native of Africa. The Oxford and Hnn.pshire are the
larsost; the Southdown, the smallest. The Soutlidown, with the ..xception of the
Highland, 18 the smallest breed raised in this country. There is not a verv ^rent
60998 — 2 ■ «> >^""

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 bree<ls, nor does
it shear so heavily. The face colour is an even gray or light brown. Wool covers
the poll and legs but is seldom found on any part of the face. The 'Downs' are
claimed to be the liiirdiest of the nuitton breeds and capable of withstanding most
severe winter weather. Both nudes and females are polled. In fact, the Dorset
Horn and Black-faced Highland, of which both sexes bear horns, are the only
prominent mutton hnnnls with these most unncce«>sary 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<l
nrnl legs; while the ' otswold is heavily covered upon these parts and the Lincoln
bears only a slight i ft on the iioll. 'J'hc production of tliese animals in America
IS confined mostly to aiiada. Very few are raised in the I'liited State-.

Black-faced lliglilaiul sheep arc most uncommon in this country. There are onlv
one .,r two flocks. They are even Mualler than the Southdown, and the wool is longer
and coarser tliaii that of the Liii.olu. Owing to their diminutive size, they arc not
ii prntitalile sliccp to raise under inixe.1 fariuiiig conditions, but, since it is claimed
they will tlirive under neglect liettcr than other breeds, are best adapted to rocky
and hilly regions where free raiific can be obtained.

Publithad by authority of Hon. MARTIN BURRELL, Minister of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ont.