12 
BULLETIN 397, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
There is practically no loss from stomach worms before the lambs 
are 5 months of age. The greatest losses occur in the fall and winter 
before they are 1 year old. This loss is so great that in many places 
it is not practicable to raise any breeding ewes, and it also prevents 
keeping the pastures stocked to their full capacity. Frequent 
changes of the grazing lands or a larger grazing area for the same 
number of sheep are the best preventive measures for the trouble. 
Table II gives the returns from pasturing sheep on a few fields. 
It is difficult to obtain definite data in regard to sheep, as few farmers 
keep them for an entire year without other stock on the same grazing 
field. The cost of wintering sheep is very low. They graze the 
pastures all winter and during the cold months are also allowed to 
graze any small grain, such as wheat or rye, that may be on the farm. 
Extra feeding must be done when the ground is coveied with snow, 
and also at lambing time, to keep the ewes in good condition. The 
total outlay for wintering, besides what is obtained from the pas- 
tures, seldom exceeds $1 a head, and usually averages about 75 
cents. 
Table II. — Pasturing sheep on six pastures in the bluegrass region. 
Pasture. 
Number 
of ewes. 
Wool 
produced. 
Number 
of lambs 
raised. 
Weight 
of lambs. 
Returns. 
No. 
Area. 
Total (wool 
at 25 cents 
and lambs 
at 7 cents 
a pound). 1 
Per acre 
of 
pasture. 
1 
9 
Acres. 
30 
450 
220 
19 
50 
210 
22 
200 
200 
20 
112 
180 
Pounds. 
92 
825 
800 
88 
560 
810 
34 
210 
300 
31 
132 
250 
Pounds. 
2,720 
15,700 
24, 000 
2, 325 
9,900 
20,000 
?213. 40 
1,305.25 
S7. 11 
2.90 
3 
4 
5 
6 
1,880.00 
184.75 
S33. 00 
1.602.50 
8. 55 
9.72 
12.66 
7.63 
1 The prevailing price for lambs at the time these data were collected was considerably higher than 
that used in the table. 
MAINTAINING THE FERTILITY OF THE SOIL. 
There is no system of agriculture that maintains the fertility of the 
soil better than grazing, especially where the animals are kept con- 
tinually on the pastures. Some of the best pastures in southwestern 
Virginia have been grazed for at least 100 years. Many of them 
have never been plowed. The difficulty in getting a good sod on 
land that has been cropped with grain for a few years has proved the 
wisdom of keeping the land permanently in grass. It must be borne 
in mind that there are striking differences in methods of grazing. 
Where beef cattle or sheep are grazed, all of the resulting manure is 
left on the pastures, and the land is further enriched if the animals 
are given additional feed during the winter. This is usually nob the 
case on dairy farms, where the cattle spend much of the time in yards 
