410 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



sheep force almost all feeders to use western-bred sheep. In ad- 

 dition to the absence of internal parasites, the western sheep are 

 more uniform in size, quality and feeding. They herd better and 

 are more gentle. In selecting western feeders, good quality, open 

 wool and ruggedness are the main, points. The size and degree of 

 fatness are minor. A large number of experienced feeders make 

 good money with "pewee" lambs — those that are very small, but 

 the average man had better let them alone, as they require a world 

 of care and babying. Unless the feeder is experienced and is in 

 shape to grind his feed, old ewes will be a source of money loss. 

 Good 55 to 65-pound lambs and 60 to 75-pound yearlings are the 

 best for the beginner. Too heavy stuff will be discriminated 

 against when marketed, as the buyers like what they call "handy- 

 weight" sheep — those which, when dressed, will present a neat, 

 small carcass for the butcher to hang out. It seems true that the 

 demand for mutton is governed quite largely by the display made 

 by the small retail butchers. In cold weather the carcasses can, be 

 exposed for sale, but in mild weather mutton turns dark very soon 

 when out of the cooler and is in less demand because of that fact. 

 Of course, the larger percentage of yearlings masquerade as lambs 

 when the skin is off and the legs break lamb joints. The Ameri- 

 can people have not developed much of an appetite for heavy mut- 

 ton cuts. The lamb roast and cutlets are the favorites. 



The feed used is really of less importance than the way it is 

 used. Corn alone will fatten yearlings very nicely. There has 

 been many a bunch fattened who have received nothing more than 

 what they could glean from a cornfield — blades, husks and grain. 

 In many cases it was the cheapest way to feed. Oats, corn and 

 clover hay will fatten lambs nicely; in the absence of oats, corn 

 and clover will do. Cottonseed meal is very useful, especially when, 

 silage is used. Alfalfa and cowpea hays are as valuable as clover. 

 In the absence of any hay, sheep can be fed on silage, cottonseed 

 meal and corn. About all of the feed can be varied or substituted, 

 save corn. Plenty of corn, is always needed. One great danger in 

 feeding silage is the too free use of it, especially with lambs. If 

 fed in too great quantities the lambs seem to grow too much and 

 do not fatten as rapidly as they should. A pound of silage daily 

 per head is about enough. This winter we overfed a bunch of 

 lambs on silage; they did not gain, as rapidly as they should and 

 killed badly. By the way, there is no greater thing in marketing 

 than the standard of your sheep. 



