ANIMAL INDUSTRIES 211 



extreme cold, coupled with the provision of reason- 

 able winter feeding, gives all well-cared-for animals 

 surprisingly quick growth and early maturity. In 

 old days strangers always over-guessed the age of 

 sheep by their teeth, being helped to the error by 

 their size. In a way this is true of all animals and 

 it means great gain when weight is most cheaply 

 attained; early sale of increase and quick turn of 

 money; early maternity and, with some animals, 

 more gestations in a year, because temperature, and, 

 with proper arrangements, feed are always favorable 

 for parturition and lactation. 



5. California soils by variety in character, self 

 drainage and retentiveness, richness and productive- 

 ness, match the capabilities of favoring climate in 

 promoting wild growth and give the enterprising 

 grower wide field for choosing feeding plants accord- 

 ing to his conditions and requirements. 



6. Irrigation, whether from ranch brooks or wells 

 or from a regular system, establishes mastery over 

 variations in time and amount of rainfall or makes 

 a grower practically independent of rainfall in regions 

 that were formerly called deserts and are now among 

 the leading stock -growing districts. 



To be a successful stockman, one should have land, 

 capital, knowledge of the business, faith and positive 

 liking for it. There is no sadder farm picture than 

 a stockman scant of land. There can be no exact pre- 

 scription of amounts of land, for animals require 

 different areas, and lands vary in food productiveness 

 and in acre valuation. To secure enough land, it 



