84 Bureau of Farmers' Institutes. 



Question. — Don't yon allow your sheep to go out for exercise? 



Answer. — ~No. Who ever saw an old sheep take exercise? 



Several Voices. — I have. Your sheep are not brought up as 

 ours are. 



Mr. Woodward. — If sheep are fed unbalanced rations, such 

 as dry, fattening foods, they must go out and get exercise. They 

 must have something to burn up the undigested food in them. 

 But, when the sheep are kept in a barn and are fed warm silage, 

 or turnips and clover hay with wheat bran, they will require no 

 exercise. 



Question. — 'How about beans for sheep? 



Mr. Woodward. — Beans and bean fodder are all right in a 

 limited quantity for store sheep. Feed a few potatoes in con- 

 nection with the other foods. If, however, you feed too many 

 beans the sheep will die. I have killed a number that way. 

 They all died from burst bladders. I don't know how it occurs; 

 have asked a number of medical experts, but they all replied that 

 they did not know. There is something in the bean, when fed 

 too largely to sheep, that influences their kidneys and bladders 

 to such an extent as to cause death. Another point: If sheep 

 are to be put in a barn they must have all the absolutely pure 

 water they will drink. They will not drink dirty or impure 

 water, nor eat food that you have placed your foot on. I have 

 tried it and seen the sheep eat all around that part of it, leaving 

 it untouched. 



Question. — Which will pay best, wool or mutton ? 



Mr. Woodward. — Forty years ago the farmers kept sheep for 

 their wool alone. It was profitable then, but is not now; but, 

 some sheep may be profitably kept on most farms if meat is made 

 the predominating factor. Winter lambs are most profitable to 

 grow, but to be successful the sheep should be properly kept and 

 fed. Make the sheep barns dry, warm, light and well ventilated; 

 put the sheep into them early, before cold weather sets in, and 

 feed them corn silage, clover hay, wheat bran, some linseed meal 

 and turnips. Sheep are weed destroyers and will eat off almost 

 every weed as fast as it springs up; so they are valuable on a 

 bushy, weedy farm. They are also valuable to put in an orchard. 

 Put in twice as many as the land will support; then feed enough 

 bran to support them. Three cents' worth of bran will keep a 

 sheep pastured in an orchard one week. Sheep will eat every 

 wormy apple that falls before the worm has time to crawl out of 

 the hole. Give me a flock of sheep to put in an orchard a mile 



