246 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



native lambs lie should select them if possible with 

 an eye to getting the good ones, those in health. 

 These are easily discovered. They show their health 

 by the vigor of their action, the quickness of their 

 movements, the brightness of their eyes and if ex- 

 amined closely the pinkness of their skins. Those 

 that are drooping or that show white chalky skins, 

 signs of diarrhea and have dead-looking fleeces are 

 surely infected with worms and if they cannot be 

 discarded they should be treated before being put 

 on feed. 



It is not well to turn feeding lambs out on pas- 

 ture when they are brought home. They will gain 

 little on pasture in the fall, unless it be some special 

 sowed crop such as rape or vetches ; and to turn the 

 lambs on the grass pastures usually results in gnaw- 

 ing the grass to the ground without putting on any 

 gain as compensation. It is therefore best to put 

 them directly into the feedlot and to begin feeding 

 them on dry hay, or other forage. 



NECESSITY FOB DIPPING. 



Earlier in this book directions are given for clip- 

 ping and the reasons why. We will here repeat and 

 emphasize the fact that all sheep that have been 

 shipped on railway cars or penned in railway yards 

 are very apt to be infected with germs of scab. If 

 they have no scab germs they almost surely have 

 ticks on them. Ticks will fatten in the same shed 

 with sheep but the sheep will suffer. Ticks find 

 slow sale in the market place. Scab, if it breaks 



