99 

 BREEDING AND FEEDING SHEEP 



James TV. Wilson. 



Sheep-farming has been practiced since the earliest 

 times, and is one of the most profitable branches of the live 

 stock industry. The modern breeds are the result of care- 

 ful selection and breeding of those best adapted to the 

 various localities, each breed being established for distinct 

 purposes. Soil, climate and feed in these localities deter- 

 mined to a large extent the characteristics of the breed. 



Nearly all of the common breeds are of foreign origin, 

 and the two controlling factors in their development were 

 the production of mutton and the production of wool. 



The sheep has been termed the plant scavenger of the 

 farm. In fact, there are very few plants sheep will not 

 jat during some stage of its growth, and yet the cured 

 fodders and grasses must be of the best quality to obtain 

 the best results in feeding operations. 



Sheep require less pasture than any other animal on 

 ie farm. After the grain is cut and stacked, sheep are 

 irned on the stubble to eat the weeds which otherwise 

 r ould go to seed. 



Many farmers make a practice of turning lambs into 

 :he corn field in the early fall to gather up all the weeds. 



Many farmers in the corn belt sow rape with the grain 

 furnish additional feed since this affords an abundance 

 of succulent forage late in the season up to the time of 

 severe frosts. 



Bulletin 119 of this Station (edition exhausted) re- 

 >rts an average gain on lambs in a two year's experiment 

 >asturing sheep on rape of .34 and .37 of a pound daily. 

 This gain is larger for the same breed, and was made much 

 cheaper than the gain made by any of the lots in this six 

 years' experiment where grain and oilmeal were fed. 



