The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1878-10-23
Does IL Pay 10 Raise sheep.

As l travel through this section OF
the country / find but very few sheep,
and the most of those / find are very
small and Improbable. The people
are in fault in keeping poor sheep
There is not much profit in keeping
poor sheep any more than there is
in keeping poor COWS Or horses
Many have abandoned sheep raising
because they have found it TO be un.
profitable. Why does it not pay?-
This question is as easily answered
as asked. Simply because people
that deal in sheep sell off the latest,
largest and best lambs. and keep the
smallest and most inferior ones to
raise. To be sure, they get more for
their best lambs. If the reverse was
practiced SO many would not aban-
don sheep raising, and they would
find good sheep would pay.
Let us see if they do not. For in
stance, l am possessed of large eve
lamb. Now, if practice what most
farmers do that raise lambs, | should
sell it and others like it, and keep
the little, late, small ones for breeders.
This large lamb sells for about s4.OO
when ready for market. Had kept
it until one year old she would prob
ably have given birth to one good
lamb if not two. But without exag-
gerating the matter will call it one.
That lamb when four months old is
worth s4Oo; its mother if a good
large sheep, will produce nine pounds
of wool a forty-three cents, amount
ing to 1887, which altogether with
her lamb, amounts to S7.S7, and l
have the original left. 1 will now
take the little, poor lamb and see
what its production will be. Myex
perience in raising lambs is that a
late lamb in nine cases out often will
not give birth to lamb when year
old, and if like most of the sheep in
this vicinity will not yield 4 fleece
that will weigh over 81 lbs.-at 49
cents per pound willamount to s1.5O9
which is the annual production from
an ill.breeded late lamb. Then the
difference between the production of
good and poor lambs is only $780,
annually. 1t costs as much to keep
poor sheep as it does good ones. In
order to raise good sheep they must
be properly taken care Of. Some poo
pie have an idea that sheep and
lambs can live and do well on pine
boards and butts of stalks. / tell
you that much of The success of the
wool growerdepo upon the winter
management of his flock. Sheep are
animals which pay their owners bet
ter for good care and keeping than
any other stock usually kept on a
farm. But if fed with a stingy hand,
or neglected, suitable conveniences
are wanting they pay perhaps, as
poorly as any. The loss of sheep in
the United States annually is i'm
mense. The promptings of self'in-
terest would seem sufficient to induce
our farmers to adopt IL better system
of winter management. No in
telligent farmer at this day, will at
tempt to deny the principle that
warm enclosures are all equivalent
to food to certain extent. Avarie-
ty of wcll,conducted experiments
have conclusively demonstrated the
fact, not only in raising sheep but
other stock equally as we'll If you
let your sheep remain in cold place,
you will find your flock in the Spring
look poorly. Then if you raise the
very best lambs from good blooded
sheep, keep them in a warm place in
Winter and not too many in a pen.
Fed as people feed most ofthcir stock,
I think that you will find that sheep
will pay better than raising colts, or
any other stock raised by our farm
ers.-A. +. Tinkham in The Lcriyton
Journal.