SHEEP— TILING. 127 



The great profit of sheep is in the small flock. Mine are 

 housed every night from the 1st of November until the follow- 

 ing May. I sow every season a small piece of oats, and cut it 

 green just after the grain is well filled. This answers a double 

 purpose. It makes splendid feed for the sheep and gives me 

 lots of " bedding." We have now our flock so improved that 

 the South Down blood predominates. I like the Downs for 

 the reason that with ordinary care they are always fat, and as for 

 the mutton it is the finest in the world. I have gone somewhat 

 in detail with the handling of this little flock, first, for the 

 purpose of showing what the $25 has earned, and, second, to 

 urge every man who owns a farm to keep a " few sheep," both 

 for the profit and the pleasure he will derive in seeing them 

 steadily increase, giving him each year both food and rai- 

 ment. So far as the cost of keeping is concerned, it is so small 

 in proportion to the profit that I do not give the figures. 



TILING. 



After a thorough observation and travel all over the 

 northwest, I am satisfied that there is not anywhere a finer 

 or richer body of land than the Grand Prairie of Illinois along 

 the line of the Chicago & Alton Railroad. But it has its 

 drawback. For the last few years wet seasons have followed 



