General Care of Sheep and Lamhs. 493 



falfa hay or other roughages. Most fortunately for a conservative 

 agriculture, the large operator, who receives no benefit from the 

 great accumulation of rich manure in the feed-lot, cannot compete 

 with the farmer who fattens one or more carloads of lambs and uses 

 the manure for enriching his land. Prudent farmers rightly hold 

 that enough fertility is returned to their land thru the feed-lot to pay 

 the entire labor cost of feeding. As sheep and lamb fattening on 

 range and farm increases, the gradual decline of the old feed-lot is 

 assured. 



805. Pasturing upon field peas. — The fattening of lambs thru 

 grazing on field peas has grown to great proportions in certain sec- 

 tions of the West, especially in the San Luis valley in Colorado, 

 where, it is estimated,^ over 380,000 lambs were fattened on peas 

 alone in 1906. Mexican peas, similar to the common Canadian field 

 peas, are sown at the rate of 30 to 50 lbs. per acre, together with a 

 small quantity of oats or barley to act as a support for the vines 

 and furnish additional feed. About November 1, as soon as most 

 of the peas have matured, lambs or sheep are turned into the field, 

 and without other feed are fattened in from 70 to 120 days. An acre 

 of such peas will fatten from 8 to 15 lambs, each making a gain of 

 from 6 to 8 lbs. per month. One acre of peas produces about $15 

 worth of lamb mutton at no expense for harvesting the crop. Con- 

 fining the lambs to small areas by hurdles gives better results than 

 allowing them to roam over the entire field. (762) 



IV. Hothouse Lambs. 



During recent years an increasing demand has developed for win- 

 ter or "hothouse" lambs. The greatest obstacles to success in this 

 specialty are getting the ewes to breed sufficiently early, and pro- 

 ducing carcasses which meet the exactions of the epicure. The de- 

 mand for winter lambs prevails between the last of December and 

 the middle of March. The condition of the carcasses of such lambs 

 is more important than their size. They must be fat and present 

 a well-developed leg of mutton with plenty of tender, juicy lean meat 

 and a thick caul to spread over the exposed flesh of the carcass when 

 on exhibition. Winter lambs should weigh alive from 30 to 45 lbs. 

 Large but lean and bony ones present a staggy appearance and 

 bring unsatisfactory prices. Early in the season small lambs top 

 the market, but later the heavier ones are in demand. 



^ Breeder's Gazette, 49, p. 244. 



