The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-02-03
Sheds for Winter.

The winter, where it has not been wet,
has thus far been favorable to those
lockmen who for any cause have not
provided sufficient shelter for their sheep.
But the winter is not over yet 1t has
not begun. We shall hive winter
enough, even if it should be what we call
q mild one, and the most sensible thing
that the owner of unsheltered sheep can
do even at this late day is to build sheds
at once. The elaborate plans which
often appear in books and agricultural
Journals with reference to the cOnstruc-
ton of sheep sheds and barns. are a
great deal better on paper than they are
anywhere else. A good shelter can be
inexpensively made, and any man OF
fair Judgment can plan and erect cheap
shed if he has anything at all out OF
which to construct it. 1t is well under
stood that while sheep can bear q great
deal of cold, they cannot stand the wei.
any more than q man who should De
compelled to wear a wet overcoat untii
it dried upon his back could stand IL.
The wool becomes wet, and it is resona-
bile that the animal should suffer. But
independent of such consideration alto
gether. economy and effectiveness IN
feeding would suggest shelter. When
sheep have no shelter they huddle 10.
cether in case of storms, and by constant
frampine manage to keep the snow
down. and to maintain the warmth OF
the body, but they do very little eatlng.
If the hay is thrown into the open field be-
fore them. much of it is liable to be
blown away; and even when 1t Is placed
in racks they do not eat as much OF II as
thew require, for if they separate Tor th.1
purpose, their wool being wet,
they soon become chilled, ana
hurry back again to their budding.
Necessarily this cannot 60 on long;
There must be food eaten, or the amman
heat cannot be kept up even by budding
and two or three days of such expert
ence is sufficient to practically finish the
weaker ones of the flock, while the year.
Iings and oldish ones will have suffered
injury which will require very careful
treatment to repair, and the strongest OF
the flock cannot entirely escape serious
loss in condition.
IT is better to have sheds that can bt
closed when occasion requires, as open
sheds must necessarily have much snow
drifted into them at times. But oper
sheds will answer, and can be construct
ed at very little expense. They neee
not be framed or silled. Simply Sc
posts in the ground, board three sides
if boards are at hand, and make Tn
roofs of boards, battened with slabs,
Won have them; if these things are not
= hand. cover with straw or hay, and eve
the sides can be made of these. But
the Rural recently stated, nothing is
injurious as to shut up flock OF shee
in q close unventilated barn. The al
becomes vitiated, not only from the e.
halations, but from the gases lssuln
from the manure, and impaired healt
must result.
The very simplest and cheapest kin
of a shed is made by setting IN u
ground crotched posts, in the crotch'
Of which a pole is laid, and then rails e!
tending from the ground to the pole
the crotches, laid, making roof. =,
straw or pine bows are placed on Il
rails, it will become dearly water tigh
If lumber is plenty boards or slabs mi
he used for the roof. Sometimes hi
stacks standing close together serve
make such a shelter still better. II
horizontal pole is made to rest IN t
stacks. which form sides to the shed.
we will keep in mind that a little
.genuity will enable us to construct she
without much cost, we will have thel
Western Rural.