FARM ANIMALS 263 



must turn into mutton. He must, therefore, 

 face the problem of whether these sheep and lambs 

 are to be sold to the feeder or whether they 

 are to be shipped East and sold at a very low 

 price, on account of their poor market condition, 

 or whether he should go to the extra expense and 

 extra risk of putting a market finish on such ani- 

 mals . This matter has accordingly been thoroughly 

 tested in many of the range sheep states. In 

 Idaho it has been found that by the means of 

 clover, pea hay, whole oats, and such roots as 

 mangels and carrots or with small quantities of 

 silage an excellent quality of mutton may be 

 produced on range sheep. At times there may 

 be little profit in such feeding, judging from the 

 actual cost of the gain on range sheep, but the 

 profit is always relatively great if we stop to con- 

 sider the low price which ranchmen would other- 

 wise have to accept for the range sheep. Not 

 only in the Pacific Northwest and the northern 

 Rocky Mountain states, but also in the Southwest 

 the feeding of range sheep has been found to be 

 a profitable industry and has given added impetus 

 to methods of range improvement, cultivating 

 every foot of ground upon which water can be 

 turned. In all of these western range states the 

 surprising fact has been true within the past year 

 or two and is still true in many localities, namely, 

 that mutton is produced, sold on the hoof and 

 shipped to the eastern markets, after which it is 

 brought back again from the packing houses. 

 There is absolutely no business sense in such a 

 procedure. The local markets in the range 

 states are quite sufficient for the fine mutton that 

 can be produced at present and if the practice 

 of feeding range sheep at home increases beyond 



