f L6CK husbandry in WESTERisr STATES. 225 



take them home and at once mate them with the 

 best rams of Shropshires, Southdown, Hamp- 

 shire, Dorset or whatever we fancy that we can 

 get and then carry them along well, not forcing 

 too much till after the lambs are bom, and after 

 that with judgment and discretion pouring into 

 them all the good nourishing stuff that we can 

 get them to consume. It will astonish us how 

 those lambs will grow, and the beauty of them 

 coming from these skinny old hags, but they 

 may be soon sent off fat to market and the 

 mothers will have gained all the time in flesh 

 and in about two months' more feeding will be 

 ready to go after their lambs. This is good 

 practice and only requires the right combination 

 of careful shepherd, with skill in feeding, warm, 

 well ventilated bams and an assortment of feeds 

 with wise generosity in carrying it out to make 

 the thing pay. In fact, this thing has been done. 

 100 ewes have been bought in Chicago for $175. 

 They have dropped and raised 90 lambs that 

 sold at about 10 to 14 weeks' age for over $5.00 

 each. The ewes sheared, under this good care, 

 above 7 poimds each and the wool sold for 25c. 

 Then the ewes finally fattened and, weighed 112 

 lbs., selling for 5c per pound. Thus the ewe that 

 cost $1.75 in Chicago sold, with her wool and 

 lamb, for $11.85 in late May. This was an ex- 

 ceptionally favorable result, however, achieved 

 by an assemblage of favoring conditions of low 

 first cost, fairly good quality, good sires, wise 

 and generous treatment and a booming spring 

 market. Let the indifferent shepherd, or the one 

 having ear com and timothy hay, beware of 



