36 



ELEMENTAEY AGEICULTUKE 



Pig. 21. A Merino ram. 



that of any other farm animal except poultry. A 

 few sheep will pay their way and make money for 



their owner on any 

 farm that is not w^et 

 and marshy. They 

 will not thrive on 

 low, moist land. 

 Aside from their 

 fleece and mutton, the 

 bones are used for 

 fertilizer. The skins 

 make leathei* for 

 boots and shoes. The 

 tallow is made into 

 candles, and the skins of the intestines are made into 

 strings for musical instruments. 



Two Kinds of Sheep. We raise two types of 

 sheep, because those that produce the best wool do 

 not make the best mutton. If a farmer is raising 

 sheep for mutton mainly, he keeps a herd of Shrop- 

 shires or Southdowns or some other mutton type. 

 If he is chiefly interested in growing fine wool, he 

 keeps American Merinos or some breed like them. 



Merinos for Wool. The oldest races of the domes- 

 ticated sheep are probably the Merinos (Fig. 21). 

 They were Very likely kept in Palestine in Bible 

 times, and it may be that King David when a lad 

 kept watch over a flock of Merinos. They came to 

 America from Spain and have been greatly im- 

 proved by American farmers. They are the best 



