362 THE HANDBOOK FOR PRACTICAL FARMERS 



liable to cause severe constipation and impaction ; this is especi- 

 ally true in the case of pregnant ewes. Corn silage can be 

 safely and profitably fed, provided it is free from frost or mold. 

 Roots such as mangels, sugar beets, turnips and rutabagas make 

 excellent succulent roughage for sheep. Mangels or sugar beets 

 should not be fed to rams or wethers, for very long, as they are 

 liable to cause bladder stones ; ewes, however, do not seem to be 



Fig. ISS. — Manner and place of opening fleece to examine the densest and 

 finest quality of wool. Note also color and condition of skin. The same 

 may be done on the liiiid quarter to examine the poorest quality of wool. 



SO troubled. Roots may be fed in conjunction with or success- 

 fully substituted for corn silage. 



Marketing. — Pure bred sheep should be sold by private or 

 public sale. Good pure breds should bring a much higher price 

 than that quoted for market classes and grades. Sheep are 

 usually shipped in double-deck cars. The average car will 

 accommodate from one hundred to one hundred and fifty head 

 per deck. The minimum freight rate on most roads is 16,000 

 pounds. A day or two before shipping only dry roughage should 

 be fed. An average shrink in transit for sheep is four to eight 

 per cent, depending on management and length of travel time. 

 The average dressing per cent for fat sheep is fifty-three to 

 fifty -eight per cent. When it becomes difficult for the lambs to 



