274 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



eat and die in consequence. Salt should be before 

 them at all times. 



The writer is of the opinion that the one valuable 

 feature of this practice is the cheapness of its exe- 

 cution. There is certainly some wastes, unless pigs 

 follow the lambs, and in some instances at least 

 there is a high death rate owing to the impossibility 

 of limiting the amount of corn eaten. However, as 

 a usual thing the lambs learn slowly to eat the corn, 

 finding it hard to shell, and do not founder. 



Mature sheep are sometimes turned into the 

 cornfields to glean their own harvest. There is 

 probably more danger of founder in old sheep than 

 in lambs, since they the more readily begin to eat 

 the ears. It may be said here that it is unsafe to 

 turn native sheep in the cornfields, as being accus- 

 tomed to corn they will get too much of the grain, 

 while their western kindred will take more readily 

 to the fodder. 



In conclusion it may be said that the western 

 feeders have very great advantages in their cheap 

 and abundant forage and grain and their mild, 

 sunny climate. They achieve success by close at- 

 tention to details ; the lambs are fed with very great 

 regularity as to time and amount. One man will 

 feed 2,500 or more, so the labor cost is light. 



Their disadvantage is in their remoteness from 

 market, entailing higher freights, and in the specu- 

 lative character of the western men which leads 

 many of them to jump from one industry to an- 

 other, feeding few lambs one year and very many 



