WINTER FEEDING FOR WOOL. 179 



wool than any other animal does of hair. Of course this 

 greater product makes it necessary that the sheep be sup- 

 plied with a larger allowance of these food elements than 

 other animals, just in proportion as the fleece is greater 

 in weight. But there is another thing to be thought of, this 

 is the fact that the wool is naturally supplied with a greasy 

 or waxy substance which is known as the yolk. This is in- 

 dispensable to prevent matting and entangling or felting of 

 the wool on the sheep's back, \vhich would completely de- 

 stroy the value of the fleece. So that this yolk is to be pro- 

 vided for, and this soapy material contains a large quantity 

 of oil and potash which really go to make a sort of soap. 

 We learn this fact when we wash a sheep before shearing 

 it. And of course these materials for this large quantity 

 of yolk must be supplied in the food. 



Then we have three important substances to supply in 

 the sheep's food that are not required in the food of other 

 animals. It follows that sheep need special feeding if we 

 should have the-most profit from the flock. And without 

 going into further particulars on this point we may say that 

 the foods best suited for the flock are those in which these 

 special elements are supplied. These foods are clover hay, 

 rape, turnips, cabbages (all of these are rich in sulphur), 

 and of grains, oats, peas, beans, bran, linseed oil-meal and. 

 corn; pea and bean straw may be included in the rough fod- 

 ders. Alfalfa will take the place of clover, but the common 

 grasses are all deficient in the needed special elements of 

 the sheep's food. Thus it is necessary for the shepherd to 

 feed a due proportion of these special foods in regard to 

 their effect as to cheapness as compared with the common 

 grasses, of which the worst of all for a flock is timothy. 

 Orchard grass makes one of the best pastures after clover, 

 but clover is pre-eminently the main food for a flock. So are 

 the roots mentioned, and the secret of success in feeding 

 sheep by English, French and German shepherds, lies es- 

 pecially in the roots grown for this purpose. This is a most 

 important point to consider by every American shepherd. 

 The repetition of this remark may be excused as coming 

 from many years' experience, and the profound conviction 

 of its positive necessity for full success with a flock.. 



