30 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA. 



in fall or winter. Many Rambouillet breeders 

 make a practice of lambing as many of their 

 ewes as possible in the fall and early winter 

 months, thus getting the young things foi'- 

 ward to a good state. of growth and develop- 

 ment before sf)ring and summer come to bring 

 their problems of management. The early 

 lamb is often -s\orth double the late one, be- 

 cause of the superior healthfulness and vigor 

 of those that escape the troubles of parasitism, 

 so distressing to those of late birth. 



This habit of early weaning also comes iii 

 good hand when the Merino ewes are used 

 as mothers for cross-bred "hot house" lambs, 

 and many growers of these winter lambs use 

 Merino mothers, though the half-blood Merino 

 •ewe is better. In truth she is near to per- 

 fection for this purpose. 



It is a curious fact that many old men suc- 

 ceed fairly well with Merinos who can not 

 make mutton sheep thrive at all. The Merino 

 will withstand more neglect than the Englis.h 

 breeds. It will endure fairly well a winter 

 ration of bright straw and a little added grain 

 with the run of a hill pasture. Formerly thou- 

 sands were wintered on pasture with no feed- 

 ing at all throughout the hill region of Ohio 

 and Pennsylvania. It was thought that if 

 they had access to hazel bnish, where they 

 might shelter and browse a little and the grass 

 was not too closely cropped in fall, they would 

 do well enough. Treated in this manner they 

 must lamb late in the spring, and they do sur- 

 vive and shear quite good fleeces, whereas any 



