172 PROFITABLE STOCK RAISING 



dends to the owner by a system of intelligent sheep 

 husbandry. Large areas of land which are sus- 

 ceptible to cultivation in all parts of the country 

 are kept in pasture of a more or less permanent 

 nature. There is no more profitable method of 

 utilizing this grass than by raising sheep upon it. 

 Even where it is kept primarily for the use of milch 

 cows a considerable number of sheep can be pas- 

 tured without any apparent decrease in the carry- 

 ing capacity of the pasture. Any sort of grass 

 which is suitable for permanent pastures will be 

 consumed readily by sheep. Clover, blue grass, 

 vetches, brome grass pastures or any of the various 

 legumes planted primarily for soil renovation 

 make sheep pasture of the very highest quality. It 

 has been frequently questioned whether it is ever 

 safe to pasture sheep upon alfalfa. Severe losses 

 have occurred in many instances through its use, 

 but it is now well established that alfalfa may 

 be safely pastured if care is taken to grad- 

 ually accustom the sheep to its use. They should 

 never be turned into an alfalfa field hungry, and it 

 is usually better to wait until the dew is off in the 

 morning during the first week or two of grazing. 

 Cowpeas, rape or rye sown in corn stalks furnish 

 immense amounts of excellent pasture for sheep in 

 late summer and in autumn. For pasture in the 

 very late fall and very early spring, rye probably 

 has no equal, although its value for this purpose 

 has frequently been much underestimated. 



