hall] SOME FARM ANIMALS 215 



Now, in Illinois, most of the sheep are mutton sheep, or ought 

 to be, for here we can feed them on corn, and corn is better for 

 mutton sheep than for wool sheep. The wool sheep grow better 

 in countries where they have only grass and that sort of feed. 



When a man goes into the business of making boots and 

 shoes, he has to study the hides that the boots and shoes are made 

 from — study all there is to know about hides — and then how to 

 make them and how to sell them; how to make the kinds that 

 people will pay the most money for. When a man goes into the 

 mutton making business by raising sheep, he ought to know the 

 different kinds of sheep and the different feeds necessary to make 

 the sheep into mutton, and then how much it is worth and 

 whether it is good. And so you see, you and I can study our busi- 

 ness as much as anyone else. A boy on the farm has just as 

 much to learn and can be just as much educated as a boy study- 

 ing the law business, or railroading, or many other things boys 

 leaving the farm have to study. 



I spoke about pets. Many of you have dogs and cats. Did 

 you know there are more dogs in Illinois than sheep ? Well, you 

 will know it if you start down the street and see all the dogs. 

 One reason why farmers don't keep sheep is because there are so 

 many dogs. Did you know that dogs kill sheep? Well, most 

 farmers say they can't raise sheep on account of dogs. If we 

 would keep just the good dogs, like shepherds and watch-dogs, 

 there would be more sheep in Illinois. There are more than six 

 million people, nearly seven million, and less than one million 

 sheep. Only one sheep for every seven of us. Now, that isn't 

 right. If you boys learn to study sheep and love them the same 

 as dogs and cats, pretty soon we would have more sheep in Ill- 

 inois than we would know what to do with. And there is just 

 as much to learn about horses and cattle as about sheep. 



Now we will talk about beef cattle and beefsteak. How 

 many like beefsteak? Everybody likes beefsteak. 



The cow on this picture is something like the South- 

 down sheep, that is, square on the corners. If we take off 

 the head and legs the body would fit nicely into a box. This 

 is not a milch cow. Her feed is not turned into milk and put 

 into the milk pail, but turned into beef. And a great share of 

 the beef is laid along the back from the shoulder to the hips, 

 where it is worth more money than on the other parts. 



Do you know what we call this one? 



The Aberdeen Angus. 



Do you know what we call this one? 



