Here, at Mountain Farm, in most recent years we have had little time to spend in "dolling up" the Southdowns. Approximately two hundred acres of intensively cultivated crops - onions, potatoes, tobacco, corn and clover require practically all of our time except on occasional rainy days. Perhaps this lack of time has had its good as well as bad features. In some instances, we have selected individuals in which that characteristic was not so pronounced. Formerly such individual sheep might have been carried along through the fitting period only to be left at home when the show season started.

We have also seen more or less of a shift in our fitting procedure, and this probably is what older and wiser shepherds have observed earlier in their lifetime than we have; instead of trying to put all the fat on in a concentrated period we are learning to put it on at a slower and safer rate. We are giving more thought to the vital necessity of temporary forage lots. We aren't driving and pushing the fitted sheep about as arduously as we formerly did, and we hope we are getting nearly as good results through greatly enlarging the quarters even to the extent of a long tobacco shed with feed at one end, and water and a clover field adjoining. Self exercising is much easier on the sheep in hot weather.

And so, at Mountain Farm, we have departed from some of the details that once seemed so important, and we are slowly and, we hope, permanently learning to put more stress on essentials: ample green feed, regular dosing, more care in selection, improved quarters, and methodical feeding attention.

With the flock selected and partly fitted, attention is then given to conditioning the fleece. But first the feet need trimming and should receive care at least once a month during the fitting and show period.

We block out the individual by working the fleece with a wet brush and using sharp shears to take down the back and other necessary points to present a blocky yet well blended appearance. Sheep with dirty fleeces are washed in late June or early July. Plenty of water in a tub with most any soap or soap powder will do a good job. Washing is almost immediately followed by dipping. When the fleeces are clean and the ends of the fibers stand out straight, the use of a hand card in a thorough manner followed by the shears will leave the sheep well groomed and with one or two more such trimmings will be ready for any show. Blanketing, after the first trimming following the dipping, results in the continuance of a clean fleece and helps return oil and luster to the fibers sooner than when blankets are omitted.