Every Farmer Should Have Some Sheep on His Farm 



sheep on low lands where they incur the risk of foot rot, but are selecting the 

 higher or rolling lands, of which there are millions of acres. Internal parasites, 

 present in greater or less degree in almost every sheep growing country, may 

 be avoided by shifting and changing pasture often on the unlimited range of cut- 

 over lands. External parasites, or scab, may be controlled by the simple process 

 of dipping. A great change of sentiment regarding the dog has come about and 

 the people of Mississippi now prefer more sheep and less dogs. Drastic laws are in 

 sight and predatory animals as a menace in the future will be negligible. 



The range sheep at first on the cut-over lands in the South were as a rule 

 undoubtedly descendants of the old Mexican ewe imported during an early day 

 from Spain, and in that state were a mixed type, greatly degenerated by inbreed- 

 ing. Roaming the denuded woodlands were small flocks of 15 or 20, with no 

 human care except when their burdens were tenderly lifted at shearing time. 

 These sheep, thanks to our propitious soil and climatic conditions, actually 

 propagated and in a way worked out their own salvation with fear and trembling 

 before their neglectful owners. Now, if these inferior gracfes of sheep, without 

 care or feeding, survived our mild winters, is it not a powerful argument in support 

 of cut-over lands as a sheep country? 



Sheep run on Southern cut-over lands should be of such breed as grow a good- 

 sized carcass and a medium wool production. Our nation is rapidly becoming a 

 mutton-eating country. If there be anything in the statement that the warm cli- 

 mate of the South retards putting on a heavy fleece, the value of the increased 

 carcass would more than atone for the decreased wool production. 



Among the advantages of sheep range conditions on cut-over lands are mild 

 winters, early lambing and minimum loss from cold — not so hot in summer, with 

 carefully selected breeds, as to work a ru iious degeneration in quality of the fleece 

 and not so cold in winter as to make feeding a continued necessity. We may 

 further mention cheap lumber, inexpensive sheds, fuel and fence posts on the 

 ground for the getting, private ownership of land without Governmental re- 

 straints, no thick underbrush to pluck the wool, near-by markets and no wolves 

 or coyotes. 



Early Lambing 



"The best paying feature of the sheep industry is the quick sale of fat lambs" 

 says a sheep expert of one of our Southern State Universities. Healthy 

 lambs make use of every ounce of feed that goes into them and while they are 

 young is the time to plan and feed for early marketing. The lambs should be 



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