The Station.

Otago Witness, Issue 1460, 8 November 1879, Page 5

The Station.

CONSTITUTION IN SHEEP.

A Ootswold sheep, or Southdown, has constitution for laying on flesh, and eirly maturity under high treatment. Constitution in a merino sheep will admit of all these meanings of tho term, and still lack what we claim as the essential purposes a sheep is kept for. A sheep must produce a fleece and a carcass. The two must be in harmony and unanimity. If it has tho constitution to to grow more wool than carcass it will be a failure. If cucase and a light fleece it; will be unprofitable to its owner. If for the pastoral reigons to run in the natural way with the flock, it must be constitutionally fit to travel, do service, and secure a living on the range. If fov tho purposes of breeding on a flock in the hands of the average farmer or breeder, the broad back and well-sprung ribs are sought for. They aro found to be the better feeders, and best to lay on flesh and grow large and heavy carcasses, and by

S3me it is claimed heavy fleeces. The claim ia not so well sustained for fL-eaes as for carcasses.

A Spanish merino sheep that has a perfect constitution for the purposes for which a sheep is kept, will have constitution written all over it from top to bot'om ; it will show it in every fibre of its fleece, in ita bone, muscle, in its stand up, and brghfc, shapely appearance. In a merino, the fineness of the fibre usually tells its constitutional vigour and stamina. The Saxons were tender and feeble under some climatic influences and {systems of treatment. So are some of the finer-fibred families of the American merinoa. The stronger- flseced families are the heaviest shearers and most rugged, robust, healthy, long-lived Bheep. They withstand hardship, travel, bad treatment unequalled by any sheep kaown as thoroughbred. The Cotswolds, Leicester, ani Downs are constituted for an especial purpose, and fill it with perfect promptness and fitness. In them the indices of vigour are as plain, as aura, as in the merino. The fineneßSjOf fibre may be less distinct iv vital forces than in the merino, but, doubt;* less, follow the same rules one a3 the other.

When a breeder says he breeds for constitution, he ought to Bay for what purpose, bo that we may know just whab good thing he meaas. If he says to grow woo', we should like to know if they grow too much wool to be healthy and vigorous with good treatment. If they are vigorous from fulness of constitutional vigour, wa would like to know how much they would shear in 365 days — an almanac year, not a Bheep shearing year for breeders who would show big fleecis. One of the handsomest samples of wool we ever received came from a ram who had taken prizes at a Western fair. I showed the samples to a judge of wool, and told him where it came from. He said he. saw the ram, and that he was no account to any man, for he had no constitution at all. That ho saw him at their last fair, and he stood up all the time, and Blept with his ears hanging down like a sick mule. In this case there was a constitution to grow handsome, long fibred fleeces, and not get up enough to lie down to sleep. We have seen some vigorous, bouncing, pounding, thundering rams with* out fleeces j at least too little ts use in a vigcr jus flock of ewes. These.had vigorous, physical constitutions, bub aot of charaoter to grow wool.

There has to be a proper combination of vital forces to make up what is desirable in constitutional endowment. I once asked my family physician what he would call constitution in an animal. Ho said an animal's constitution was in its belly. He said c jnstitution meant stcck with its capabilities of digesting and assimilating food to the various wants and purposes of the animal. We think this true, but have seen a cheep with stomach vigour enough to insure health, large symmetrical carcass, but it 3 skin so illy fitted for growing wool that for that purpose it might have been an imbecile scrub.

Constitution is the culmination of a fostering system of treatment, and not as claimed by some who ere ignorant of all laws of physical development, and think neglect and hard treatment hardens and toughens young animals. As if suffering and shivering could possibly aid in securing a perfectly full physical contour ! Queer hygienic treatment for a feeble man or woman to put them out of doors iv cold, stormy nights to toughen up ! Under such a system the frailest ones die af ocr the hardier ones burvive, and the iiook may appear more vigorous, but what a .shame would come to any really intelligent man to think what a cruelty he had been guilty of in securing the death of his feeblyconstituted animals. It's as mean a3 turning the faithful, honest old horse into the road to find a living or die of hunger or thirst.— R. M. BelJ, in Journal of Agriculture.