The Hows of Growing Hothouse Lambs 
An article written to point out a method, of meeting, Western competition in the 
raising, of sheep, and giving some of the more important details in the g,rowing, 
of this product 
Tart I. 
C HANGED CONDITIONS.—In 1840 there were 
5,000,000 sheep in New York State, while today 
there are but 500,000. To what 'is this enormous 
decrease due? Two things: Western competition 
and lack of system in the sale of products. How 
can the New York farmer best meet this problem? 
By raising hothouse lambs. The bulk of the sheep 
on the markets today are produced in the States of 
Wyoming, Idaho, New Mexico and Montana, under 
range conditions, where extensive methods of rear¬ 
ing are employed. These range-grown sheep and 
lambs are shipped to the Middle Western and 
Eastern stock markets, where they are bought up, 
either by tbe packers or by the farmers of the corn 
question of growing hothouse lambs is discussed 
with farmers the general attitude is 'unfavorable. 
I'ue either to lack of information or to misinforma¬ 
tion, the idea has become well fixed in their minds 
that it is a high-flown undertaking, requiring a 
steam-heated barn with glass on four sides. This 
idea is far from true, and one that can l»e profitably 
removed. The truth of the matter is this: Hot¬ 
house lamb production is a term applied to lambs 
which are produced at an unusual season of the 
year, and are therefore comparable to the out-of¬ 
season products of hothouses. Practically the only 
difference between this method and the one of pro¬ 
ducing Spring lambs is in getting the ewes to breed 
provided he takes into consideration these details. 
CHOICE OF BREED.—The first question to he 
decided in going iuto the hothouse lamb business is 
the breed of sheep to he used. It is a question of 
prime importance in measuring the amount of suc¬ 
cess to l»e attained; at the same time one in which 
the latitude of choice is limited. A breed of sheep 
must he used in which the ewes will mate in the 
months of April or May. There are only three breeds 
which will do this with any degree of assurance, 
namely, purebred or grades of the Dorset, Tunis, and 
Merino or •Rambouillet breeds. Of these three the 
Dorset is perhaps the best, having been bred for so 
many years for the production of early lambs that 
The Sheep Enjoy Eating Out of Doom on the Sunny Side of the Earn 
belt, who make it a business to feed them up and 
(it them for mutton. The New York farmer cannot 
meet the competition of these Western producers, 
being limited in the area available for grazing pur¬ 
poses, and by the price of land, llis only salvation 
is in the production, under intensive methods, of a 
special product, and such a product is found in hot¬ 
house lambs. 
ADVANTAGES OF NEW YORK STATE.—Prob¬ 
ably in no other State are conditions so favorable 
for growing hothouse lambs as in New York State. 
The climate is very favorable. The growing of 
legumes in the rotation, especially clover and Alfalfa, 
is a well-established practice. Finally, New York 
farmers have within easy shipping radius the best 
market for hothouse lambs. New York quotations 
are always higher than those of other markets on 
this high quality product. 
A LITTLE-KNOWN INDUSTRY. — When the 
sufficiently early, and in producing carcasses which 
will meet the exactions of the New York epicure. 
The market for hothouse lambs exists from the last 
of December to Easter, with the peak of high prices 
about midway between these dates. The require¬ 
ments of the trade are that the carcasses shall he 
fat, with a thick caul to spread over the exposed 
portions of (lie carcasses, and that Ihe leg of mutton 
shall he well developed, with plenty of tender, juicy, 
lean meat. The weight of the carcass is not of so 
much importance as the quality, hut they should 
weight from 40 to 50 lbs. at 10 to 12 weeks of age. 
Many people have tried to raise hothouse lambs, and 
have failed to make a success, not because of the 
greai difficulties involved in their production, but 
because they overlooked the details. There is noth¬ 
ing about hothouse lamb raising to make it a 
hard or hazardous proposition to the farmer 
who has had a few years’ experience with sheep. 
the natural tendency of sheep to lamb in the Spring 
has been nearly lost in this breed. They are, in 
addition, hardy, good feeders, quick growers and 
producers of the large quantity of milk necessary to 
force the young lambs to early maturity. 
DORSET CROSSES.—R. j s a happy coincidence 
that the ability to breed in the early Spring mouths 
may be obtained in other breeds by crossing two or 
three times with a purebred Dorset ram. This allows 
the mau who already has a flock of sheep of another 
breed to work into the hothouse lamb business, with¬ 
out. the necessity of selling out liis own flock and 
buying all new stock. At the same time, if his flock 
is a good grade of Shropshire or Hampshire, the 
quality of lambs resulting after two or three crosses 
will he superior to that of lambs from purebred or 
high-grade Dorsets. It is also possible to get the 
s^^^^^ts by erossiug a purebred ram of these 
1 • Ai'rer 
