No. 4.] SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 131 



have made an estimate of the expense. The grain as he has 

 given it to me would amount to about $9 ; hay, estimated at 

 6^ tons, at $10 per ton, $63 ; pasturing 21 sheep 28 weeks, 

 at 5 cents each per week (which I think is a very liberal 

 estimate), $29.40 ; service of ram, $5.25 ; making a total of 

 $106.65, which leaves a balance of receipts above expenses 

 of $95.93. 



Question. He got about $1.75 each for the wool? 



Mr. Avery. Yes, sir ; just about that. 



The Chairman. That proves just what I have been trying 

 to impress upon the farmers of Massachusetts for the last 

 eight or ten years, with very poor success ; that is, that any 

 farmer who has a good flock of sheep and who knows how to 

 treat them as Mr. Avery and the gentleman who has given 

 the statement which has been read here do, with average 

 good luck, may reasonably expect to get an income of twenty- 

 five per cent of the investment. 



Question. Is that a continuous income from the sheep, — 

 an income that comes every day? 



The Chairman. It does not come every day. 



Mr. Avery. It comes perhaps twice a year. I have a 

 statement from another gentleman who raises what we term 

 early lambs, or spring lambs, which are turned to market 

 without ever being turned to grass. In this case the lambs 

 were dropped in December and carried to market in March 

 and April. Flock No. 2 numbered in 1890 17 breeding 

 ewes. The receipts from these 17 ewes were as follows : — 



150 pounds wool, at 23 cents, ....... $34.50 



16 lambs, at §9.06^, 145.00 



3 lambs, at $5, 15.00 



Total, $194.05 



I presume those three lambs which he kept came later, 

 and were reserved to replenish his stock. I made an esti- 

 mate of the expense of this flock also, as follows : — 



5^ tons of hay, at $10 per ton, $51.00 



Grain for sheep, 25.50 



Grain for lambs, 16.00 



Pasturing 17 sheep 28 weeks, at 3 cents each, . . . . 14.23 



Service of ram, 4.25 



Total, $111.03 



Balance of receipts above expenses, $83.47. 



