102 SECOND THOUSAND QUESTIONS IN AGRICULTURE 



feed all grown on the place. He has fifty beauties farrowed by six 

 sows last June. He takes pride in looking at them, in feeding them, in 

 showing them to visitors and while they have probably paid their 

 way through the sales of breeding stock and culls for pork, they 

 have at the same time produced a surplus of 120 head from the two 

 original sows in two years. These 120 head are each worth about 

 eight times as much cash as if they were scrubs. 



Gestation of Sheep and Swine. 



How many days do sheep and hogs carry their young, and how 

 often do they come in heat? 



Usually when not with pig or suckling, a sow will be in heat about 

 3 days out of 21, or once in three weeks. Whether or not a sow is safely 

 in pig will be known about 20 or 21 days after breeding. The period 

 of gestation is about 112 days from date of service although young 

 sows are apt to carry their pigs for a slightly shorter period, sometimes 

 106 to 108 days, and old sows may be taken a longer time, extending to 

 possibly 115 days. Ewes when not bred or suckling come in heat 

 from 2 to 4 days out of 7 months and if they do not become impreg- 

 nated after service, heat will recur after about 17 to 28 days. The 

 average gestation period of ewes is 150 days, with extremes varying 

 between 146 and 157 days. 



Sheep Breeds for Range. 



What is the best sheep for mountain range? Is there a breed that 

 frequently drops twins? 



Merino sheep are conceded to be the best range sheep, due to the 

 fact that they are more easily herded and have the vigor and con- 

 stitution to stand the hardships which are required of them at times. 

 Outcrosses are made at times to some of the mutton breeds, but in all 

 of our larger flocks of range stock Merino blood predominates for the 

 above reasons. All breeds of sheep drop twins, which accounts for the 

 high percentage of lambs that are raised where good care is exercised. 



Sheep on Alfalfa. 



/ have thought of raising grade Shropshire sheep, using alfalfa as 

 feed. What would the outlook be for the sale of bucks, and could 

 200 head be kept on 40 acres of alfalfa, yielding 175 to 200 tons per year? 



There has been a heavy demand for well-bred Shropshire rams. 

 The sheep of the future will be largely grown in the manner you 

 describe. There is, however, one requirement that you will have to 

 live up to and that is to secure well-bred foundation stock. The 

 outlook for such an undertaking depends more upon the class of stock 

 you raise and upon your selling ability than anything else. Experience 

 seems to show that you are well within your limit in figuring five head 

 of sheep to the acre of alfalfa. 



