CHAPTER I. 

 ESTABLISHING THE FLOCK. 



THE VALUE OF SHEEP ON THE FARM. 



It is generally known that, when properly man- 

 aged, sheep are most profitable animals on the 

 farm. They do not require nearly so much labor 

 as other farm animals, especially in the summer, 

 when the farmer is the busiest, cultivating, hay- 

 ing, and harvesting. Another advantage is that 

 no expensive building is necessary for properly 

 sheltering and housing them. Likewise the outlay 

 of capital needed to start a flock of sheep is small 

 compared with that required for other stock. With 

 good prices for wool, a breeding ewe will pay for 

 her maintenance during the year with her fleece, 

 and will raise one or two lambs, or perhaps even 

 three, which are net profit to the owner. With the 

 steadily increasing demand for good mutton and 

 the good prices paid for the same, it can easily be 

 seen that sheep husbandry pays well, if handled 

 in the right way. 



Sheep are economical producers, and require 

 less feed for the production of a pound of gain 

 than the average for other classes of live stock. 

 They have no equals as weed destroyers, for they 



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