General Care of Sheep. 521 



never be withheld. A sheep should have from one to six quarts 

 of water daily, according to feed and weather. 



Sheep require salt, and it should be supplied them at regular 

 intervals. In winter it may be given in a trough used only for 

 this purpose. In summer, salt may be rendered otherwise use- 

 ful by scattering it on the sprouts growing about the stumps and 

 brush patches, or over noxious weeds. In consuming salt so 

 placed a flock will destroy many harmful plants. 



796. Vermin. Sheep are subject at all times to attacks of ticks 

 and lice. Wherever these animals are kept there should be a drip- 

 ping tank ready for use at any time. At shearing time the ticks 

 leave the sheep and pass to the lambs. The lambs should then 

 be dipped. 



There should be frequent examinations of the flock to note its 

 freedom from vermin, and the trouble forestalled by dipping if 

 any trouble is apparent. No flock can thrive while its members 

 are infected by parasites. 



II. Fattening Sheep and Lambs. 



797. Mature sheep. It is generally conceded unwise to feed 

 yearlings for the block, since they are shedding teeth and are 

 therefore not in condition to give good returns for feed and care. 

 Unless prices for wool rule high the stockman cannot afford to 

 carry wethers past the period when they may be fed off as lambs. 

 Culls from the flock can be prepared for the butcher at any time 

 by the use of a little extra grain. In the vicinity of cities, 

 profitable sales can be made of fat culls offered at times when 

 regular feeders have failed to supply the market. 



798. Fat lambs. The demand for well-fattened lambs steadily 

 increases, the tender, juicy meat finding favor among Americans. 

 Not only do prices for fat lambs rule high as compared with 

 mature sheep and farm animals generally, but there are other ad- 

 vantages in favor of feeding off lambs before they reach maturity. 

 A given weight of feed goes further with lambs than with mature 

 sheep; the money invested is sooner turned, and there is less risk 

 from death and accident. Thus everything tends toward hurry- 

 ing lambs to market as rapidly as they can be fattened and as 

 early as they can be disposed of to secure the highest prices. 



