Feeding Farn Sheep 217 
SOILING CROPS 
The practice of soiling sheep is not a profitable one. 
Sheep are very dainty about their feed and will refuse 
to eat soiling crops after they become more or less wilted, 
preferring them while they are still crisp and green. The 
extra labor necessary to feed soiling crops is, therefore, 
wasted. 
PASTURES 
During the summer months the question of pastures is 
a very vital one to the sheep farmer. If his lambs are 
dropped early, he must have pastures that he can utilize 
at an early date in the spring. If, on the other hand, his 
lambs are late, he must have pastures that will extend 
well into the summer before they dry up. Pastures may 
be permanent or annual. Both have their merits, and on 
the average sheep farm it is not a good practice to rely 
entirely on one or the other. Permanent pastures may 
be used to a good advantage during the wet weather when 
it would be harmful to pasture on a cultivated field. They 
can be used as tramping grounds for sheep during the 
months of the year when the weather is rather rainy. The 
disadvantage in the use of permanent pastures is that they 
usually dry up during the hot dry months; and also there 
is always the ever present danger of parasites. When 
stocked heavily with sheep year after year, it is almost 
impossible to prevent permanent pastures from becoming 
infested with stomach worm, liver fluke, and other 
parasites. Annual pastures yield heavily and may be 
used at the time of the year when permanent pastures 
dry up. They are used in this country more to supple- 
ment permanent pastures and to flush and fatten sheep 
than as a complete pasturing system. A number of crops 
