Sheep Husbandky. 197 



And ill closing- let jne call_yoiir attention to the success of 

 one l)oy, who curly showed a liking for sheep. At the age 

 of ten years he had the care of his father's flock of graded 

 sheep, which, thongh often losing its best members by being 

 sold, reached quite a high standard, averaging nearly eight 

 pounds of washed wool. This boy raised a large flock of 

 turkeys one year, sold them, and with the money bought a 

 rifle. But the love of sheep was too strong for tlie rifle, 

 for when an opportunity was offered to exchange the rifle 

 for a full blooded Merino sheep, he yielded up the rifle. 

 Having one full blooded ewe gave a still stronger d.esire for 

 more, and purchasing ten bare faced, bare legged, inferior 

 old culls, he struggled along, making other small additions, 

 until, at the age of twenty-one, he found himself twelve 

 hundred dollars in debt ; but with constant study of 

 his sheep and using all the good stock animals to 

 which he could gain access ; finding that heat propa- 

 gated growth, also that sweet apples were well adapted 

 to grow the carcass and fleece ; keeping his breeders in good 

 condition ; giving his flock all the needed attention ; con- 

 stantly raising and improving and selling from his flock ; 

 taking tlie laws of nature as liis rule ; feeding according to 

 the most natural demands of the sheep ; giving a variety of 

 food, the sweet apples taking, in a measm-e, the place of 



green food, in five years he found liimself out of debt, 

 and witli more money in the bank than his first indebted- 

 ness, besides a fine flock of sheep. Sheep from his flock 

 have been sold into almost everv State in the Union. He 

 salts his sheep twice a week ; shears the first week in May ; 



