WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 825 



for 75 or 100 ewes. In many small flocks he is allowed to run with the 

 flock from the 25th of October until the next spring. As there is a 

 growing demand for early spring lambs for mutton, some flockrnasters, 

 who have good warm quarters breed for early lambs, but the majority 

 breed to have the lambs come when the grass will do to graze and the 

 ewe will give milk enough to make the lamb develop rapidly. When 

 properly managed the per cent of ewes that fail to breed is very low, 

 the average for the State not being more than 3 per cent. 



The per cent of lambs raised, owing to the large number of twins, 

 will not vary far from 95 per cent. Many report 100 per cent of lambs 

 raised, while others go as high as 125 per cent. While the majority of 

 farmers keep sheep for both mutton and wool, the mutton is the largest 

 source of revenue, lambs second, and wool third. The time has come 

 when Iowa farmers should know that sheep as weed exterminators, or 

 scavengers and distributors of fertilizers for renewing the soil on worn- 

 out lands, will pay aside from the other three sources of revenue. 



The usual time for shearing is from May 20 to June 10. Many shear 

 as early as April, but this is dangerous if the weather is unfavorable, 

 unless warm and comfortable quarters are provided. The majority of 

 farmers do their own shearing, using a platform or bench for the sheep 

 to rest upon ; others stretch a canvass over a layer of straw. In some 

 parts of the country professional shearers go around and shear sheep 

 at from 6 to 7 cents per head. The fleeces are carefully tied up, 

 sacked, and sold either to a local wool merchant or local factory, and 

 in a few instances shipped to Chicago, Philadelphia, or Boston. The 

 weight of the fleeces vary from 6 to 17 pounds; the general average is 

 from 7 to 8 pounds. The Iowa wool is mostly graded medium, or fine 

 medium. A small portion of the annual clip is worked up by factories 

 in Iowa and adjoining States, while the great bulk of it is shipped to 

 Chicago and eastern markets. 



Iowa lays no great claims to her mutton sheep that hitherto have 

 been sold. The home demand is good. The best muttons have not 

 been on the markets to any great extent, because most of the best sheep 

 are retained for breeders, and only the common wethers are sold off 

 each year. There is a wide range in the weight of mutton sheep. 

 Common animals weigh from 95 to 140 pounds. But few large muttons 

 are sold, as most of the males are saved for stock rams and the females 

 for breeders. 



The entire cost of keep, feed, etc., for a sheep a year varies from 75 

 cents to $1.25 for the common kind, and $2 to $4 for full-bloods. The 

 cost is generally measured by the experience of the flockmaster, his 

 conveniences for handling sheep, the kind of care given, and the amount 

 and kind of grain and other feed provided, and the value of the land 

 on which they are kept. 



While the methods of feeding vary with different flockmasters in 

 different parts of the State, the usual custom is to feed during winter 



