No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 457 



of wool, the greatoi' will be the opcnjiiji,- tor llic growiuji of niultou 

 lambs. 



I have never been au extensive breeder of sheep, but have never 

 been witliout them, and have never known a time when a few sheep 

 could not be made profitable. And my life experience has not been 

 confined to either the mutton or the wool breeds; and I am free to 

 say, that very much depends on circumstances whether it be better 

 to grow mutton or wool breeds. Where a man has a large farm, 

 and can afford extensive range to sheep, or where he desires to keep 

 them in large flocks, we are convinced that the fine wools are the 

 better adapted to his w^^nts. But on a small farm, where the num- 

 bers must necessarily be limited, we feel justified in recommending 

 the mutton breeds. They can be got into market at any age from 

 three months of age upward, and thus avoid the liability of becom- 

 ing overstocked, as is the case with fine sheep on a small farm. 



It is possible, however, to use fine ewes for the production of mut- 

 ton lambs, and it can be done quite successfully. In fact some men 

 have a preference for fine ewes, and even agree that they produce 

 lambs equally as good, as ewes from the mutton breeds. But per- 

 sonally, our experience does not justify this conclusion. We prefer 

 at least a good infusion of blood from the mutton breeds, and 

 thereby increase the milk production which is very essential in 

 growing mutton lambs. And in this connection we would say, it 

 does not justify us to raise ewes for breeding purposes. As a 

 rule a lamb 3 months old will bring more money than it costs to 5»ro- 

 cure an ewe old enough to breed. And we prefer to allow some one 

 less favorably located to produce our breeder; and we save the 

 expense of her keeping for a year before she is old enough to breed. 



In order to raise market lambs successfullv, it is necessarv to 

 have an abundance of stable room for the flock; indeed about twice 

 as much as Would be necessary for wintering stock sheep, and 

 should be so arranged as to be made quite comfortable, in cold 

 weather. The flock should be in fine condition when winter begins. 

 And if the lambs were marketed before harvest the previous season, 

 and the ewes have had good pasture, they are likely to be in good 

 flesh by breeding time. And without these favorable conditions 

 we had better not try to raise lambs before spring time. 



The proper time to mate for market lambs depends on circum- 

 stances. We have had them dropped in almost every month from 

 early winter until spring; and have concluded that from Feb. 20th 

 to March 1st for most farmers will give the best returns for the 

 feed consumed. A good healthy ewe, well cared for, should produce 

 enough of milk to grow her lamb from 4 to 6 weeks without pasture. 

 And when more nourishment is needed, it can be produced more 

 cheaply on pasture than in any other way. 

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