Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1879-06-26
Lamb raising BY John Taylor Of n, l.

4
put one hundred ewes (erads Cotswolds)
they at an average cost of 81 each, and re-
placed the fifteen killed with more OF the
same. The average weight of them when
put on the farm was 100 pounds. put them
on two fields that had been moved.
and changed them weekly from one to the
other. kept them there until about Decom-
Der Let. when l commenced TO heuse them at
night and fed them clover hay and roots,
occasionally allowing them TO run out In
| the field. IN January kept them day and
night In warm basement barn, which OPEN
cd out into yard having southern exc
posture. Dnring JannRty, February aud
| March they dropped 100 lambs, lI8 OF which
we have brought through nearly ready for
market. l clipped the ewes early In April
on account OF their losing their wool. l clip
ped 500 pounds, which sold at 30H. Up TO
this time. | have only taken off 33 lambs.
which sold at S5 each. On Friday Of this
week shall select about 20 more which will
weigh about 60 pounds each and which will
have market value here to-day of l 4 to
g l &c per pound. | expect to market the
last lamb about July lst, and Judge tho
whole lot will average about 81 80 zach.
have fed ewes and lambs clover hay,
r0ots and q small feed of chopped corn, from
January until May 18th, when turned out
10 grass. Now give them light mess Of
chopped corn, once day. l shall market
about IS ewes on Friday they being fat),
and will get l-2c per pound, farm weight,
or say about $3.50 10 S. each. / manage to
keep the ewes in good flesh so that they are
ready to butcher almost as soon as the lambs
go OF. presume sheep will fall of in value,
vet l think IL safe to estimate nv ewes to
avera-e mo $k50 per head. On account OF
the dogs, my profit will be much curtailed.
T 80 H. Ill e
100 sheep. 800; sold wool for Sl6S; sold ll6
lambs at 81 30 per head. 1922; sold 100 fat
ewes at 81 90 each--l I40 Apparent mar
gin for feed and labor, $40. II my lambs
had all come 10 December as they should
have, and which was the case with plenty of
nv neiRhhors, ] could have sold them all
easily at So, 80 to Z, and the ewes would have
also netted ne about SOC each more.
My plan this year will be to purchase 90
nice, open wool Indisne ewes-say to average
In stock condition 100 pounds-which will
cost me delivered here 1925 each. want
them by July Let. To make sure OF quick
and even work, shall divide them into two
liocls and put SoDthdown buck in each lot.
To insure them taking the buck quickly and
all within week. shall feed them chopped
corn for one week saturated slightly with
whiskey, and, if no dogs trouble them they
will drop lambs early in December. As grass
gets short in late iallI shall feed corn and oats
lightly. When wint0r sets Ia and lambs be-
gin to come, l shall put them in my base
ment barn and allow them the yard on warm
or days; feed Russia turnips, carrots, man
gols, clover hay and chopped corn and oatss
have a seperate room where the lambs can go
at all times and feed, SO arranged that the
ewes cannot squeeze through. If skillfully
handled, the whole lot will do TO market in
February and March, at which time the
lambs command fancy prices and the ewes
are worth moro for mutton then than at any
other time OF the year. can almost certain
ly predict my next years work to result az
follows, barring dogs: 80 ewes. at $3.50
each, Sl75: sell 60 lambs, at SO 90 each,
$500; se 80 ewes (wool on), AZ SO. 90 each,
S325-SS90. Appareut margin per head for
feed and care, $l0,52.