36 SHEEP FEEDING 



dressers — hence market toppers. The feeder that is a good 

 judge of quahty seldom need concern himself with form. 



Condition not high in best feeders. " Condition " in sheep 

 refers to the amount of flesh they carry. Those who buy 

 on the market seldom get sheep carrying too much flesh, for 

 the packers select the tops, or those in the best condition, 

 and the thinner ones are left for the feeders. On the other 

 hand, a bunch of sheep that are very low in condition may 

 be offered the buyer, and he may wonder if he can handle 

 them. Such sheep demand a long feed, good grain, legumi- 

 nous roughness, and very tender care at first, but in the end 

 they may prove profitable, provided their lack of flesh is 

 due to lack of feed and not to disease. A good feeder in a 

 desirable condition shows thrift and some flesh, but very 

 little fat; vigor and health, but not undue emaciation. 

 Condition is of greatest importance to the feeder when the 

 sheep are ready for market, and the subject is fully discussed 

 in a later chapter. 



How TO PURCHASE FEEDING ShEEP 



Advisability of buying from a reliable commission firm. 



If it were possible to sum up a few of the foregomg state- 

 ments for the benefit of one who wishes to begin the feed- 

 ing of sheep, the following might be said. After deciding 

 on the kind of sheep that it is desirable to feed, write to 

 a thoroughly reliable commission firm, preferably at Omaha, 

 St. Joseph, or Kansas City, — unless you live very near 

 Chicago or St. Louis, or east of these markets, — and tell 

 them as accurately as possible the kind of sheep desired, 

 stating what price you wish to pay and when you wish to 

 receive them. Give as much latitude as possible regarding 

 this latter point. If you are ignorant of what constitutes a 



