The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-05-01
KEEP SHEEP.

Farmers should all keep sheep, so
should all horticulturists and m arket
gardeners, for the following reasons
There are no droppings from any.
animal, size considered, that will
enrich as much as sheep and do it as
well. There is no animal that will
eat as great a variety of food, let it
come as grain, heritage, roots or fruit.
Most kinds Of weeds are palatable !;
nearly all kinds of briers, cookie.
burrs, and most other burrs cannot
flourish, or grow even, in a sheep
pasture. On the farms they may be
turned into weedy corn field at the
proper stage of the corn, and they
will destroy great amount of weeds,
very little to the injury of the corn.
In small grain field they are better
cleaners than hogs. Meadows will
grow good grass longer by being
pastured with sheep after moving.
Pastures for horses and cattle will
grow up to different kinds of weeds
and become almost worthless where
sheep are not kept. In orchards
theylare useful and dangerous useful
in eating all fruit as it drops, and de.
stroying great amounts,of troublesome
insects; dangerous, for harmless as
they are said to be, they will bite
the bark Of fruit trees if they remain
too long at time.
Il
/ once heard farmer remark, to
convention of farmers, that he
"thought all agricultural men ought
to keep sheep as cleaners and scav.
eDgers, and one sheep to four
acres of land was about right" He
was handling long. woods. / have
always handled Merinoes. His pro.
portion astonished me, and if it
require as much farm to to carry one
long. wool as two horses or COWS ]
should be doubtful of recommending
long wool.
But, joking aside, sheep Of some
kind should be handled on all farms.
On poor, worn. out farms, if one had
as many as they could pasture, and
buy some winter feed, the farm would
be largely the gamer, and the owner
no loeer. There is very little induce.
ment in blowing aud working poor
billy farm and on that kind of. farms
sheep of any kind will do better than
on level, rich lands. On rich lands
there will be much that is wasted
every year that sheep will do we'll
on, and, if for nothing more. than
serve to keep the pastures and fence
corners clean. Market gardeners
can keep sheep to first rate advan
tage on the refuse and vast of their
vegetables. The manure of sheep.
put in casks, watered, and sprinkled
on plants, will give them an aston
Thing growth. Sheep, we'll cared
for, will always pay. though one may
not handle SO much money, for there
is not much outlay in feeding sheep
and harvesting wool, so that what
you sell is nearly clear profit. Sheep,
after six months old, cannot die in
debt to their owners, for the wool
or pelt will pay all expenses, no mat
ter how soon they die. The kind of
sheep one should keep will not say;
for the reason that one locality is
better for one breed, of sheep than
another. One man is better fitted
for handling one kind than lie would
be for others. The best plan, where
one wants to begin with sheep, is to
ask some experienced sheep man,
who is acquainted with his farm,
what he shall keep If he know no
such, write to some sheep farmer,
describing his farm and location.
Wool-growers are very willing
generally, to answer all inquiries, In
conclusion I may state that it was
demonstrated in England forty years
ago that IA area of land capable of
maintaining 1000 sheep one year,
would, by being thus appropriated,
MAINTAIN 1866 sheep the next year.
The same ID true of other stock,
though in q small degree. Cor.
Western Rural.
The Pacific Rural Press says !:
0Naka q lorv~ ha~I Sc n.ll