FATTENING SHEEP WHILE GRAZING 189 



all farmers may provide for their tables a luxury in the 

 meat line by simply keeping a small band of sheep to 

 gather food, much of which but for their presence would 

 go to waste. More sheep could be used in this way, and 

 with much advantage to the owners, than are now found 

 in all the United States. 



Finishing on grass with grain The attempt to finish 

 sheep that have been carried through the winter on grass 

 pastures, as cattle are frequently fattened, is not of fre- 

 quent occurrence. That it is not arises probably from the 

 following among other reasons: (i) Except as lambs 

 sheep are seldom sold for slaughter from the early pas- 

 tures, and the later pastures are generally more or less sup- 

 plementary; (2) the quick fertilizing of the land has sel- 

 dom been sought by feeding grain to sheep on grass pas- 

 tures ; and (3) it has been found that they can be fattened 

 more cheaply and satisfactorily when the grass pastures 

 are supplemented by other grazing, as rape, roots, corn or 

 peas. The materials for early finishing on grass are often 

 scarce, as lambs are usually sold under the age of one 

 year, or before the new grass comes, and the dams are 

 employed at that season in nursing their lambs except in 

 the case of those that may have suckled early or milk 

 lambs. 



That direct profit will result from feeding grain to 

 ewes that are nursing early lambs, while they nurse them 

 and subsequently, though on good grass pastures, can 

 scarcely be doubted. When the ewes also are to be sold 

 as soon as they can be made ready for the market, any 

 loss of flesh should be prevented by such feeding when 

 the change is made from the shed to the pastures. That 

 direct profit will result from feeding wethers grain under 

 such conditions has not been determined apparently by 

 experiment. The chances are against it. But the full 

 return from such feeding of grain must include the manu- 

 rial benefits given to the land. 



The wisdom of grazing and even of fattening sheep in 



