304 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



ing, supposing they show strong signs of pregnancy, 

 they are subject to dockage and may possibly be 

 thrown out by the inspectors. 



FEEDING MATURE WETHERS. 



There are advantages that lambs do not possess 

 in feeding wethers. They are big and strong and 

 hardy. They do not die so easily. They do not need 

 shelter so much as the lambs need it. They will 

 thrive quite well on corn and corn stover with little 

 hay. They are adapted to a ruder, rougher style 

 of sheep husbandry than the lambs. 



There are, however, some few essentials to suc- 

 cessful wether feeding. First and most important 

 is to buy the right class and to buy them cheap 

 enough. With the lamb one can afford better to 

 pay too much, since the gain in weight may be so 

 great that the excess of cost may be offset by the 

 good gain in pounds and profitable price for it. 

 With mature sheep much smaller gains can be had, 

 and if there is not a material advance in selling 

 price over cost loss is apt to follow. 



In lamb feeding there is often most profit in buy- 

 ing small, immature lambs. With wethers, on the 

 other hand, the bigger and better matured they are 

 the better the chances presumably are for profits 

 in feeding them that is, if they have been bought 

 low enough so that the selling price will be mate- 

 rially better. There is thus the advanced gain on 

 the first cost besides the pay for what weight is 

 put on. Opinions differ as to what advance in price 



