HOW TO SELECT A RAM.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 434, 27 February 1875, Page 2

HOW TO SELECT A RAM.

Cweful Invaders prefer this season 'rforsilect ing rtrns to any other, as the)' cau now viev* them in ■t>!ieir wool, there bring a be.t'er opportunity of comparing the relat ye. merits 'fcf 1 a sheep while they are unshorn. For .1 l»>njr i\ie to come tho quantity and quality <!f w 0!, a., sheep 'carries will, l>o consi Iqred the main points in our fl >e'<B\ This is dearly owing to the abumlnnce of feed;- the extent of our pSSlures, and the\c untMfratiVely low price of inen-t- At Home it would ''ijnt pay fo keep a sheep for the Sike of its wool* while* here the { sheepowners look to the flueue »»s, the principal re-. lui<n 'rterival-le from their flicks. -In selecting" sheep, wool will thmfore be the principal eonsideralioti. As tlfe Lmohi' is the I >ree<l v »&>;*s. valned*, in this dis'ri'-t, our remaiks will be c^nfini^d fefw?; that, breed. In li>oki»s over V flock of JDincolus it will generally be found' th;*t there are t.vo eas-ly disgerjiffile staihp's df su"e.e-pjitrir; only a very\few bMhe \j'ry best; stu.l flocks at Home c Misistings^niirely of one, or the other. The onc'has lon.' coarse « o.il wlp'ch'fa'ppn'ren't'ly hangs' heavily on-the'hheep-Almost, from the' ('ay the^c sheefi are f-horr this class of wool lias a fcewlemy to ' f»a»t on tho baok •, One of its chat'icter'Stjcfl is th fe it i« very < fteti m»t.ted — a pwmlmritv th tt is. however, aixoyne.ittly pu<ih a drawback a» in^sf. peopln vvi^itlijlmi itjwe Tlie wool in is v»»ry Voile t\w I nirla in it ! lWSrtM'y d-cded, ppk jatljer l<ni^- A, micoscop'c' evWni. u%ti »•> will "^^o^ jm-^vo thnt the : seri'utious are- \v\lcly act. , '4,'h? -fib^e'is-very o-fiaqn^ an.l owing 1 to beinfjf thiok, ap eiins;,'m<ire hihtrou^, than the otheivola^s we ape abou ? t(\>r^efer tqL f liie second has a Maple not nearly so/'lOtuf as the fi>rmer. The wool is clo>t», and id some instances it [ will not. part 011 the buck, even- when- the-&ht?ep carries a twf|\i»month's gnuyrhl On examining tho wo.il cltwely, ir will l>e foundih-it the woof does not hang in strand's, but the whole flueqe, appeals ;to luang together very evtnly This wool w,iil'very rarely mat The curls are n>t so decided as ijj j the tirst- men turned', l-nt are f.r mij&& untaevhtiif. ' The set rations are a'so much closer. The, wool does not look quite so white and Instrous aat^ie for"mer, o-.xing prmcipHlly t_> i^ being mo^e tj^inspnrent. A trial of stierii-ilNnil genera' fo, reiuit in favour ot the latter. There is very' j^t f e^' any d.ff 'fwnce in the weight r>f tlui fleeces bat in ca:ca>e the fine woo lei sheep \^l getiejally b'&fimml the htanesr,. Exp.run -i.ts h^e also sloWn that the wo 'l of the latu-r will hrin^-a higlieV price than the former. Wind is perhaps ilte b« sft p»oof of l.|ie relative value i««*ll tl.e prize s!ieep lately imported from Home belonging tq^he latter ckss. On' t^ point Mr" Miller's paper, read' before the Agriei^^ ral Society of Hawke's Bay, although otherwise^ very valuable one, is very misleading, as he states that by breeding frjin the isires of the former stamp a fljckovvner would! obtain ewes and wethers with the wool of the latter. We will now point out a faw of the principal qualities to be looked for, and defects, to be avoided, in choosing a r<tm. It will be found that a pure Lincoln has the finest wool on the breast, from whereftt gradually gets coarser to-wards the hind quarters,- the middle of the ribs supplj mL» the samples usually sought for in the should' r.- If a sheep has_the wool differently distributed it is not pure. The less difference there is in the wool from the different parts, the better. Woolly legs indicate that the fleece is soft, as does also a" wellwoolled head. The hind-gnartere should ;be carefully examined, and all kempy sheep condemned. A sheep that stands well apart with both lore * and hind legs, can carry more wool as well as mutton. The back &hquW be straight, although in a Lincoln it is never found as straight as in a Leicester. The rump drooping a little is not considered a draw baok but too much should be avoided. Small blne^black patches distributed all over the ..skiu. are signs of good blood, and a sheep that has not got them maybe put down as 'doubtful. The head of a Lincoln, should be smaller than that o£ a Leicester. Au short ! almost square head, with a- great breadth acro.ss.the | eyea, iw a desirable point in any sheep and especially j in a< Lincoln.. A fall dark and prominent eve, a I rather large ear, well covered with soft down<iiko hair, and wide jiostrils, should never be overlooked. If a-breeder attends to these dire'ctiorjaWhen adeck ing rams,, he will find no reason 1b complain of his sheepjiot turning Qut as Be expected -^" Wanganui Kflrd..d."