408 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



recent years for stock and feeder cattle, the slight margin in the 

 cattle business and the loss by cholera of the hogs following after 

 the cattle, have turned quite a few cattle feeders away from their 

 old love, and they have each fall bought more or less sheep. Most 

 of us have one thing in common with the sheep — we all follow 

 where one seems to have successfully gone, and as the sheep 

 feeder, as a rule, has made money during the last ten years, every 

 one is wishing to get into the business. There have been a lot of 

 mistakes made, a lot of money lost and a lot of men are convinced 

 that there is no money in "the blamed sheep." 



To be a successful feeder requires more use of brains than 

 any other line of agriculture. The man making a success is the 

 one who has learned to think in. sheep language and is on speaking 

 terms with every lamb, yearling or wether in the feed lot. One 

 good way to express the ability needed is by taking the men who 

 are successful feeding hogs, divide them by two and you will have 

 the successful cattlemen; again divide by two and you will have 

 the successful sheepmen. 



The farmer with brains and who is not afraid of using the 

 said brains can make money handling sheep. A large amount of 

 patience, sharp-sightedness, care and generosity is needed. No 

 bunch of sheep can be hurried at anything, through a gate, upon 

 feed or anything else. Only bad results come through hurry and 

 noise. We once had a good feeder working for us, who was a good 

 man with anything else than sheep, but he couldn't walk through 

 the sheep lot without losing his temper and stirring the lambs up. 

 We were forced to let him go just because of that inability to get 

 along with the lambs. Always take plenty of time doing anything 

 around the sheep pens. If you wish to drive them through a gate 

 and they bunch up on you and begin to mill, don't yell your head 

 off, but try to force a few of the leaders through and the rest will 

 trail after. 



The successful feeder must always be on the watch for things 

 happening in the pens. A lamb may need docking, another is not 

 getting enough feed because the wool has dropped down over hig 

 eyes so that he is blinded, still another may get his head caught 

 in the hay rack and stay there all night. Sheep are the most helpr 

 less things on the farm and need constant attention. 



Care in being punctual with the breakfast for the lambs will 

 do wonders. If you make a practice to feed at eight o'clock in the 

 .morning, be sure that you don't feed at ten o'clock half of the tinie, 



