22 



N. C. AGBICULTURAL EXPEEIMENT STATION. 



ceived for winter lambs to offset the extra cost of production; and 

 usually the farmers of this State are not in a position to handle a 

 specialized business of this kind. The winter or hot-house lamb is 

 also a product of ewes specially adapted for early breeding, and it is 

 not a usual thing for the mongrel ewes of the State to form this very 

 early breeding habit. Until better foundation stock is secured and more 

 specialized sheep farming is followed the writer believes the production 

 of early spring lambs to be the most profitable line of shi p raising. 



FIG. 8 Grade Shropshire lambs produced from native ewes crossed on a pure bred Shropshire ram. 



Selection of Feeders. 



The selection of feeding sheep at the central markets or from farms 

 for the purpose, of fattening for a later market has not been a common 

 practice in this State, although in Virginia, Kentucky, and some other 

 southern States this plan is followed to a limited extent. In the corn 

 belt States large numbers of sheep are so fattened, often with profitable 

 results. On the western ranges large central fattening plants are main- 

 tained, where sheep are fattened largely on alfalfa and corn. 



This is a business which it pays to investigate thoroughly before 

 going into it on a large scale. For the beginner it would be far better to 

 maintain a few good grade ewes, cross them on a pure bred mutton ram 

 and dispose of the la:ubs in the early spring, retaining the better females 

 to build up the flock. Experience gained in this way would be very 

 beneficial in getting into the sheep business on a larger scale. For the 

 North Carolina farmer the writer believes it a better and a more con- 



