8 Sheep-Farming 



The returns come quickly. Lambs may be marketed 

 eight months after the ewes are bred, and when, as 

 is often the case, the ewe's fleece pays for her keep, 

 the lambs sold have no charge against the mother other 

 than the feed they consume and the labor involved. 

 Considering that in a flock bred with attention to 

 both wool and mutton, the increase may safely be 

 counted at one hundred per cent, the possibilities 

 of sheep husbandry are scarcely less engrossing than 

 those which amateur poultry raisers are wont to 

 compute. 



These advantages and possibilities make the keep- 

 ing of sheep very attractive. They cannot be 

 realized if the interest or attention is half-hearted 

 or irregular. To insure the rapid maturing of the 

 lambs, a variety of suitable feeds and grazing crops 

 must be provided. Intelligent and studied breeding 

 is necessary to maintain a profitable combination 

 of wool- and mutton-producing qualities. To realize 

 the attractive possibilities, each animal must have 

 the most favorable opportunity to grow and de- 

 velop and must always be healthy. Keeping a flock 

 free from the diseases and ailments that deplete 

 the numbers and impair the thrift demands care 

 and foresight. Sheep kept on ordinary-sized farms 

 and brought to maturity at a rapid rate are under 

 conditions that afford a striking contrast to the 

 freedom and scope of their mountain homes in a 

 state of nature, and the effort to maintain and utilize 



