The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-01-14
Advantages Of sheep Raising.

| oheep are to certain extent the
most profitable farm stock at the
present time, Notwithstanding the
high price of dairy products. A
few sheep should be kept upon
every farm, since they consume
such grasses as other animals will
not eat; they keep down the bushes
and weeds and improve the quality
and quantity of feed in most pas
lures for other animals, SO that a
small flock in a pasture, say as
many sheep in number as cows, can
be kept without diminishing the
amount of feed for other stock.
Most of our hill pastures, especially
in the western part of Massachu-
sets, are being fed early in the
spring and late in the fall. Sheep
can be put out to pasture at least
two weeks earlier in the spring and
can be kept out two or three weeks
longer in the fall than cows. Thus
for one half of the year their keep
ing costs merely nothing. Then in
the winter if a young calf or colt is
kept with the sheep it will con-
sumo what the sheep leave, and do
equally as well or better than if
kept alone, and waste good share
of its feed.
There is still another advantage
which sheep possess over cows, and
which is very obvious to any one
who has been acquainted, for the
last thirty five or forty years, with
that part of this State west of Con
necticut river. Forty years ago
sheep composed two-thirds of the
whole stock kept. Flocks varied,
of course, according to the size of
the farm, but it was not uncommon
to find from 200 to 900 sheep kept
by single farmer, and in some
cases the f1ocks were up to a 1000
in number. Then the pastures were
noted for productiveness, and were
free from bushes and noxious weeds
and the feed was sweet and plenti-
full. But the low price of wool,
through foreign competition and
various other causes combined,
brought about change; and in
towns where, in years gone by,
sheep have been reckoned by the
thousands, now these useful animals
can only be counted by scores.
The result IS, that pastures which
were once noted for fertility have
been grazed by cows, thus robbing
the lands until they have become
mere barren wastes, producing
nothing for years but June grass,
and now entirely overgrown with
weeds and bushes, and in some in
stances stunted growth of timber.
This is the process of deterioration
which has occurred in the case of
thousands of acres in Berkshire
county, and thous ands more are fast
approaching the same result.
Upon lands fed by sheep the
droppings would be more evenly
spread over the ground than they
can by any other domestic animal,
and in particles so small as to be all
or nearly all covered by the grasses
and taken up by the soil, and not
dried up by the sun and absorbed
by the atmosphere, as in the case
of the excrements of other cattle.
The closeness with which sheep
Craze keeps down all weeds and
bushes and forms a close and firm
turf. 1t is not uncommon now to
find some old sheep pastures which
have been turned into meadows
and are among our most productive
moving lands. The amount of
labor for working successfully a
farm of any given size is decidedly
in favor of sheep. These animals
require very little attention, except
in the spring and at shearing. They
do not need stabling. Through the
winter good comfortable sheds, with
yards attached, where they can get
plenty of fresh air, is all they require.
In fact, most persons who keep
sheep are apt to keep them too
warm in winter. In the case of a
large flock, shelter from the storm
and wind is sufficient. Sheep will
eat their feed cleaner and be health
Ter in the open air than in a barn
cellar. The two most important
requisites in the profitable winter
ing of sheep is to keep them dry
and to give them plenty of fresh air.
Every year we are becoming
more and more mutton consuming
people, and the demand for good
mutton is increasing. In any of the
Eastern markets good lambs com
mand prices which will almost pay
for raising for that purpose alone.
Perhaps it would be better in some
localities to select such breeds as to
make the most mutton, rather than
to confine the industry exclusively
to wool growing animals. Except
in some parts of Vermont where
the Merino is the prevailing breed,
mutton raising is receiving more
attention than wool production
alone in New England, and it is to
be hoped that once more sheep will
be the common stock of our hills
and mountains.-C. in Am. CML.