216 How THE FARM PAYS. 



It may be that ensilage will be found more desirable for sheep than 

 for cows, if fed in moderation, but roots are quite free from objection 

 of any kind, and as they can be grown, as stated in a pre-vious chapter, 

 quite as easily as ensilage, and require no expensive packing in a silo, 

 no doubt roots will never wholly give way to ensilage, even for sheep. 

 It might be well to mention that most roots are best cut in thin slices 

 for sheep, although mangels being of a soft texture, are easily eaten 

 when given whole. 



For sheep keeping on a large scale an extensive shed arranged as 

 here shown is convenient. When sheep are herded on the open 

 plains or prairie, there are often losses by wolves, which pick up out- 

 lying sheep or lambs, unless the shepherd and his dogs are on the alert. 



SHEDS FOB \ SHEEP BANCHE. 



It is safer to have the flock penned, and such a yard as this would be 

 convenient, providing not only safety, but shelter in case of storms. 

 For winter use some protection of this kind is indispensable. The 

 range of sheds here shown was made for a sheep ranche in western 

 Kansas. The walls were built of sods cut from the prairie ; on the 

 inside, the roof was supported by posts set in the ground; the roof 

 was made of cedar poles covered with thatch of coarse marsh grass 

 bound down with tarred rope. The side sheds were 600 feet long 

 and the end one 300 feet; all were thirty feet wide, thus giving over 

 an acre of ground under the roof with a yard enclosed of nearly five 

 acres. A flock of nearly 4,000 sheep found ample accommodations in 

 this yard and sheds during the winter. The supply of hay for occa- 

 sional feeding in the winter was stacked in a long row down the centre 

 of the yard and gave additional shelter to the sheep from driving 

 storms. If such shelters as this were provided on the plains and 

 exposed prairie farms, there would be very few losses in the 

 flocks. 



