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Clucago market. The home trade is supplied through six months of 
he year by grass-fed sheep direct from the range, and the rest of the 
time by old ewes and wethers that have been fed alfalfa with a little 
gram. Most of this is bought by the butchers at less than three cents 
per pound, live weight. 
A business much the same as this is the raising of sheep to be 
sold oft the range as feeders for someone else to fatten for the Chicago 
market. The sale takes place in the fall, and the sheep are sold as 
lambs, wethers and old ewes. Most of these are bought by Nebraska 
and Iowa feeders; but, as already stated, some sixteen thousand head 
the past winter were either fattened for market by those who raised 
them for or were sold to Colorado parties for fattening 
., Pn e usual “ ode of procedure is for the lambs to be dropped in Mav 
then in November, they are put in the feeding yards for fattening to be 
sold in the late spring. Older sheep are at the same time taken off 
the range for feeding m the yards all winter. 
Variations from these methods are found among those who try to 
prepare sheep for the Christmas market. There is a limited demand 
at. Christmas time for extra fat sheep. To supply this demand it 
is necessary to bring the sheep to the feeding pern in September and 
put them at once on heavy feed. The opposite of this course is 
carried on by a few feeders, who bring the sheep off the range in 
November, winter them on nothing but alfalfa, aid, when the brass 
starts in May, drive them slowly through the valleys of the mountains 
mm “f. cam P s ’ blowing them to feed by the way and get 
n good condition. Very good mutton is thus produced at smlil 
expense. The prices obtained in the camps are so small as to leave 
little margin of profit. 
l las t“ eth ? d of keeping sheep is for the production of early 
lambs for the spring market. In this case the ewes are served in 
ugust, so as to have the lambs dropped in January. The ewes are 
llhXTAf!? g r " ntil th " laMb - they are crowded 
with the best of feed. As soon as they are old enough to eat grain it 
is kept before them all the time in boxes that the ewes cannot reach, 
pnl is the best market for early lambs. A January lamb should 
TO K f X t 7 P°. und * at tl ! ree l months old, and bring about five dollars 
,v-ri f 1 ] f * tel ! ed ; From high-grade parents of the best mutton breeds 
it ' tbe best of care and feed, it is possible to have the lamb weigh 
as many pounds as it is days old. A registered Shropshire lamb, born 
!hree n3s 0 old ^ ^ Wei S hed pounds’when . 
As soon as the lambs are sold the ewes are fattened for 
forelhecf- tUr 'f e f d °V ° f Ma - V ' The sbee P feeder has there- 
n t e f ° f feedlI JS la “ bs > wethers, or ewes, and of feeding them 
for the Christmas, market, for the local State market, for the Chicao-o 
market, or of raising early lambs for the spring market. ° 
I he time at which it is desired to market the sheep is the principal 
