Feeding Sheep for Market. 175 



In general such lambs will sell for a higher price 

 in the Eastern markets than in the markets of the 

 Middle-West. Quite a number of lambs raised at 

 this Station have been sold on the Chicago market 

 for from $10.00 to $13.00 per head at the age of 

 sixty days or under. As Dorset ewes generally 

 have twins, or even triplets, it can be seen that 

 there is a great profit in this line of sheep hus- 

 bandry. In the cases Avhere ewes breed twice a 

 year the profit is correspondingly larger. The 

 writer wishes to emphasize the fact that where 

 ewes raise two crops of lambs each year they must 

 be well fed at all times, in order to uphold their 

 vitality under the severe strain. Such ewes have 

 been known to take the ram again when their suck- 

 ling lambs were only three weeks old. 



It has been found to be more profitable to dress 

 the lambs before sending them to market than to 

 ship them alive, for such young chaps shrink heav- 

 ily in transit. Of course, when dressed at home, 

 some such market as a hotel, a restaurant, or a 

 meat market must be secured in advance and 

 the dressed lambs shipped direct to that place. 

 The lambs may either be fully dressed or rough 

 dressed, that is, with the skin on the carcass, ac- 

 cording to the requirements of the consumer. 



