246 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



that the auimal have broad, strong back, well sprung ribs, deep 

 and thick thighs, broad, deep chest, and present a compact form of 

 body. The back and hind quarters of the sheep are the highest 

 in price, and therefore it is the butcher's desire that these be as 

 strongly developed as possible. There is not quite so close dis- 

 crimination between the types of sheep as between the types of 

 cattle. In the first place, on account of the heavy covering of wool 

 it is not possible for the buyer to judge so closely of the type, and 

 in the second place, fatness is relatively of more importance in mar- 

 keting sheep than in marketing cattle. In the Chicago market all 

 sheep are classed as lambs until they are about a year old, or 

 until they have shed their first teeth. From that time until they 

 have shed their second teeth they are known as yearlings, after 

 that as sheep. The bulk of the yearling wethers, unless too heavy, 

 are killed and used as lambs, but yearling ewes mature earlier and 

 cannot be used in this way. They will not break what is known 

 as a "lamb-joint," that is, a square joint in the fore leg. Yearling 

 wethers are used for lambs when they weigh not more than 90 to 

 100 pounds. When they get past this weight they must be sold 

 as mutton. Very few range lambs are fed in Pennsylvania. Quite 

 a number of range lambs reach the Pittsburg market, but practi- 

 cally all are fed in Ohio. There may be profit in feeding range 

 lambs in Pennsylvania, but in general it would seem that the future 

 of the sheep business is most promising for the farmer who raises 

 his own lambs and markets them either from the ewes or after 

 winter fattening. 



Fattening lambs in winter do better in rather open sheds than 

 in close stables. If they can be protected from strong winds, rain 

 and snow, it is all that is necessary. They require even less sh(iUer 

 than fattening steers, on account of the coat of wool. Some experi- 

 ments indicate that it is an advantage to shear the lambs before 

 putting on feed; others that it is a disadvantage. It probably de- 

 pends upon the quarters and the time of the year they are fed. 

 Irihorn lambs will always be discriminated against in the market, 

 so that nothing is gained from marketing the lambs and wool sep- 

 arately. If the feeding period is to extend into warm weather it 

 is better that the lambs be shorn. If they are marketed while the 

 weather is yet cold the wool should be left on them. 



For winter fattening it seems that no feeds have been found so 

 satisfactory as corn and clover or alfalfa hay. The results of ex- 

 periments in Michigan, where corn was compared with a mixture 

 of corn and oil meal, corn and wheat bran, and corn and wheat, are 

 given below. The results of an Ohio experiment, in wiiich corn 

 was comjDared with a mixture of corn and oil meal, and corn and cot- 

 tonseed meal, are also given : 



