FARM ANIMALS 265 



Sheep in the South. Much difference of opin- 

 ion prevails regarding the practicability of rais- 

 ing sheep in the far South. The question has 

 often been decided in the negative by farmers 

 without looking for any experimental results or 

 without testing the matter for themselves The 

 widely prevalent belief is that sheep cannot thrive 

 in hot countries and this has been the end of the 

 matter in so far as the average farmer is concerned. 

 There are actually many difficulties in the way 

 of sheep raising in the South, but they are not so 

 serious that they may not be overcome. Thus, 

 pure breeds imported from the North often yield 

 but meagre profits to the southern farmer. This 

 may be due to the great change of climate and en- 

 vironment, but it is frequently due to the unusual 

 prevalence of stomach worms. The long warm 

 season of the southern states renders this a large and 

 a much more serious problem than in the North where 

 it is serious enough. In fact, while the stomach 

 worm is the most serious trouble of the sheep in- 

 dustry east of the Mississippi River, it is a par- 

 ticularly difficult problem to cope with in the 

 South. The infestation with parasites, however, 

 may be largely overcome by the intelligent use of 

 pastures, frequent changing of the sheep as often as 

 twice a week from one pasture to another pasture 

 and in localities where the pest is particularly bad, 

 keeping the lambs in bare lots and feeding them 

 on green feeds during the season when the parasites 

 are worst. Excepting for the prevalence of par- 

 asitic worms, however, sheep do not suffer from 

 other troubles any worse than in the North and 

 there appears to be no reason why the sheep in- 

 dustry should not be more extensively developed 

 in the South that it is at present. 



