606 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



Investment. 



93 ewes, at $2.17 $199. 81 



One ram 25. 00 



Cost of feed in winter. . 141. 00 



Cost on May 1 305. 81 



Receipts. 



Wool sold in June $136. 30 



34 lambs sold July and August, at $3 102. 00 



40 lambs sold in September, at $3 120. 00 



42 fat ewes in October, at $4. 14 173. 88 



50 Merino ewes in November, at $2. 75 137. 50 



Total receipts 669. 68 



From the progeny of the sheep purchased he had 10 of the best ewe 

 lambs on hand, which weighed 123 pounds at an average when 7 months 

 old. He estimated them to be worth $50 and the ram $25. This would 

 make: 



Ram and lambs on hand $75. 00 



From sales . . 669. 68 



Total 744. 68 



Investment . . 365. 81 



Balance 378. 87 



He thus had $378.87 for the use of 50 acres of pasture, and he con- 

 sidered that the droppings on the land fully repaid the pasturage. He 

 considered it folly to breed for wool alone. The Merino was not desira- 

 ble for the table, but two crosses of Shropshire or Southdowns would 

 make good mutton sheep and a good, fair fleece of medium wool. 



The Hampshire Downs have not made a great show in the State. 

 There are one or two small breeding flocks, and there are some who 

 admire them, but they are not well enough known to be generally 

 appreciated. 



The Oxford Downs are better known than the Hampshires, and have 

 some staunch friends who consider them superior to f he Shropshires or 

 the Southdowns. Not superior to the latter in quality of mutton, but 

 superior where quality and quantity are both considered. There are 

 a few pure-bred flocks in the State, and the increase in numbers is con- 

 servative. The Oxford cross on the Merino has been known to produce 

 a 2-year old ram weighing 200 pounds, and a flock of 100 at that age in 

 Illinois have averaged 180 pounds and produced 7J pounds of wool per 

 head, or nearly 2 pounds more than the general average of the South- 

 downs in the State. The Oxfords are considered extremely valuable 

 to grade up the common sheep of the country. 



The Cotswolds were long a favorite mutton sheep in Illinois, and the 

 cross of the Cotswold on the Merino was at one time the almost uni- 

 versal practice. Great numbers were brought in from Canada and a 



