l66 MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF SHEEP 



will consume (see page 13). Pastures composed of 

 mixed grasses should, therefore, prove very suitable for 

 sheep. But this does not mean that they cannot be 

 maintained in good form on pasture with but one or two 

 grasses, as shown in the thrift that usually comes to sheep 

 maintained on blue grass only or on buffalo grass. Fine 

 grasses are much preferred to those that are coarse, hence 

 one reason of the greater fondness of sheep for blue grass 

 {Poa pratensis) and buffalo grass {Buchloe dactyloides) 

 than for orchard grass {Dactylus glomerata) or tall oat 

 grass {Arrhcnatherum avenaceum). Palatability is, of 

 course, a prime essential in pastures. Usually succulence 

 and palatability are closely associated, and succulence is 

 greatest in pastures in the early stages of growth. Those 

 grasses, therefore, which continue to grow during much of 

 the season are preferable to those that grow quickly to 

 maturity and then practically cease to grow for the sea- 

 son. This explains why sheep will eat blue grass with a 

 relish all the season, though they will consume weeds 

 only when they .axe in the succulent stage. The nutri- 

 tion in grasses is^ of course, greatly important, and it is 

 greater in seasons relatively dry than in those that are 

 moist. 



The necessity for shade increases with increase in 

 the summer heat. It is usually best provided by trees, 

 but in their absence may be furnished by sheds made of 

 a roof consisting of poles and covered with straw or other 

 material. In permanent pastures a grove could usually 

 be grown in a few years, when properly protected. On 

 farms located on the prairie the grass around the out- 

 buildings may furnish the necessary shade, but shade in 

 the pastures is preferable, if for no other reason than con- 

 tiguity to the grazing. On the dry ranges of the west 

 sheep not provided with shade suffer considerably from 

 exposure to the summer heat. 



The advantage of living water in pastures for sheep 

 cannot easily be overestimated. They should not be al- 



