; A 
p hcio'eSI^o : 
Vol. LXVII, No. 3073. 
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 19, 1908. 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PER YEAR. 
SHEEP ON THE FARM. 
A Good Time to Increase the Flock. 
Sheep form an important part of the farm live 
stock of the country, and no other animal can supply 
mankind with both food 
and clothing at the same 
time, and of such ex¬ 
cellence ; so it would 
seem that sheep deserve 
their place in American 
agriculture. In nearly 
every State there is a 
large proportion of land 
too rough to cultivate, or 
for various reasons, not 
desirable for general 
farming, and on such 
land sheep give an ex¬ 
cellent account of them¬ 
selves. The high, well- 
drained fields keep them 
free of disease; they 
distribute their drop¬ 
pings over all parts of 
the field, and only in 
few cases do they cut 
paths that develop into 
bad ditches, while on the 
other hand the scanty 
grass, and weeds and 
grubs, perhaps, are more 
capable of affording sus¬ 
tenance for sheep than 
for any other kind of 
profitable live stock. 
However, we must not 
lose sight of the fact 
that sheep are dainty 
feeders and that their 
feed and pastures must 
be perfectly clean or 
they will not eat enough for profitable gains. Sheep, 
of all animals, repay any kindness shown them, and 
their caretakers should not be changed oftener than 
necessary, and remember tbe quiet, steady, cool- 
A FINE CHEVIOT EWE. Fig. 457. 
headed man gets along best with sheep, as well as 
with most other stock. 
Any farmer who has ever kept sheep will invariably 
tell you they are much more profitable than any other 
live stock, claiming the wool pays the keep of the 
ewe and lamb, while the lamb is clean gain. A good 
ewe can be bought for, say, $5, any time after shear¬ 
ing. She should drop a lamb that ought to bring 
when sold $4 or $5, and should yield at next shear¬ 
ing time, seven pounds of wool, worth usually 30 
cents per pound. Of course the profit depends upon 
the kind and cost of feed consumed, but if clover 
or Alfalfa hay can be grown for the sheep, there is 
no question about the profit. Practically no hothouse 
lambs are produced here, and but few sheep are 
fattened on grain, as most of our grain goes to the 
cattle-hog combination, or to the hogs alone. Bright, 
clean fodder, well cured clover hay and Alfalfa hay, 
where produced, make excellent roughage for sheep, 
and following the example of the purebred live stock 
men, some of our farmers are growing stock beets 
for their sheep. The plan is very commendable, as 
the beets during the Winter take the place of the 
succulent grass of the Summer pasture. 
Owing to the high, rolling nature of our fields, and 
to rapid rotation of our pastures here, none of our 
sheep men has had any losses from stomach worms 
or otfier parasites, and our flocks are usually quite 
healthy. 'I he worthless dog has been the worst 
menace, but the checking of hunting and trespassing, 
the activity of our assessors in getting most of the 
dogs, and the fact that the dog tax is assessable 
against the real estate upon which any dog is harbored, 
thus making the landlord responsible for the tax on 
his tenant’s dog, have decreased the number of dogs 
kept in this county, and damage to sheep from dogs 
has materially decreased. Our farmers have a few 
dogs, but they are usually well-bred collie or shep¬ 
herd dogs, and are at home with sheep. 
Lincoln, Shropshire, Cheviot and Delaine Merino 
sheep are raised here, but the Shropshires and Me¬ 
rinos are in the majority. The Shropshires are an 
excellent breed, and they look well both as lambs 
and when aged, and personally I admire these sheep 
very much. Fig. 458 shows a typical Shropshire 
ram. Note how well this sheep is covered with 
wool, and the excellent shape and general appearance. 
Fig. 457 shows a fine Cheviot ewe having a full 
quota of the excellent 
Cheviot points. Fig. 456 
shows a flock of Delaine 
Merinos. All are good 
individuals of this excel¬ 
lent breed of fine wool 
sheep. I do not care to 
enter into lengthy dis¬ 
cussion of the merits 
of the different breeds, 
but prefer to advise the 
prospective shepherd to 
study the different 
breeds of sheep and 
then adopt the one he 
likes best, and that breed 
will be the best for him. 
The price of sheep and 
wool is now low, but 
will most certainly soon 
recover, and just now is 
a good time to buy 
sheep. However, do not 
try to get in on the 
slumps and out on the 
high prices, but rather 
stick with sheep year 
after year, and your 
profits will average up 
in a satisfactory manner 
during several years. 
Hillsboro, O. w. e. d. 
R. N.-Y.—Sheep en¬ 
joy run. ng in an open 
shed or sheltered yard 
for a part of every fair 
day in Winter, but their 
sleeping place should be free from drafts. A good 
way is to double-board to four feet from the floor 
and stuff the space with chaff or straw. Where 
possible there should be a tub of running water 
A GOOD SHROPSHIRE RAM. Fig. 458. 
accessible, so that the sheep can get a swallow or 
two whenever wanted. This adds to their comfort 
and hence to the profit of their owner. Be sure that 
there are no burs or thistles in the material used for 
bedding, as thele injure the market value of the wool. 
A GROUP OF OHIO DELAINE MERINOS. Fig. 456. 
