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THE MODEL SHEPHERD

(American Sheep-breeder.)

There is more poetry in shepherd life than can be found in many so-called poetical works. Thf bleat of the lamb, the tinkling of. sheep-bells floating "o'er the lea," the sparkling of the brook, the closeness of Nature, and even the barking of old "Shep" is music and poetry of a kind that charms as fe^ other things do. But, withal, the shepherd's life is not without care, since no matter how faithful, conscientious, or careful he may be, losses befall him which bring more sorrow to his soul than that of the flockmaster himself. Therefore the idea that a shepherd's life is nothing more than a sweet pastoral dream, in which the flute and the harp play the leadin,. ro!e, is unfortunately a very misleading one. No matter of what type the shepherd may be or what kind of sheep he handles, to be successful he must be faithful to every detail of his calling. The showman must be as attentive to his breeding flock as to his show flock or success cannot attend bis effort. Scrub shepheids make ecrub sheep. The loss of a young sheep is of no serious moment to the unthoughtful shepherd, but to the thoughtful one it is of as much importance as the loss of some adult member of the flock. The Rood shepherd is an observant, careful, kind-hearted, cautious man, who g'ories in a big crop of lambs fully as much as he does in winning sho-.vyard honours, and whose whole heart and soul are in his work. He is a student of Natuie, and knows that it takes more than mere luck to raise big percentages of lambs. Ho keeps a private mental flock -book, and thiough it knows Just what his flock is doing. He aims ro fet all possible growth out of his lambs. le treats the sick members of his flock at the first moment of their ailment, and does not go on the rampage on such occasions, or at any other time. He treats his owner's flock as he would his own. He finds more comfort in the warmth of the cheep-barn than in that from the stove. He does not speak unkindly of a. breed that he does not hand.c. He knows the value of a pinch of salt. He does not lliint ih&b he "knows it all," but realises that there are a good many things for him yet to learn. He studies individuality before pedigree. H,e knows that the best bred sheep are a failure under poor management. His interest is centred in the flock he handles, no matter what the breed. He knows that sheep of different ege3 and temperament require different

treatment. He does not grab his sheep Ly the wool. His vigilance does not cease when the flock goes to pasture. He knows that kindness js the keynote of successful shepherding. He gives continuous attention to the flock thioughout the >ear. He knows that a successful lambins? season depends upon his management, and that kindness to the flock means money. Nine-tenths of the failures in the sheep busmen are due to the shepherd's negligence, and he that is not interested in his calling is about as bad as a wolf in the fold. Good shupheids are good sheep doctors, better in many cases than most veterinarians, for the reason that few of the latter make a special study of the sheep. Poor shepherds find fault with the breed they handle or blame bad luck for want of thrift iri their flocks. Behind a poor flock we always find a poor shepheul. His neglect is the forei tinner of disaster, and the missing link in the chain of the flockmaster's success. The shepherd who has no patience or does^not think is ne\er successful. There is no breed of sheep that will thrive under the careless shepherd's management. Sometime^ ennronment and bleed have something to do with the failure of a flockmaster, but more often it is through the fault of the shepherd. When the shepherd and the "boss" cannot get along the flock does not thrive. A shepherd's work is his recreation. The good shepherd always has the confidence of his flock.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19080219.2.21.10

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 9

Word count
Tapeke kupu
705

THE MODEL SHEPHERD Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 9

THE MODEL SHEPHERD Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 9

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