The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-09-01
Sheep i'm Winter.

If we had a more complete knowledge
of the laws which operate in the animal
economy, or more properly speaking, per-
haps, if we would apply our knowledge
more perfectly, the aggregate of our
profits in sheep husbandry, and, indeed,
in all branches of breeding, would be
materially increased. 1t has been so
often stated that anything but regular
growth and condition in sheep, will
cause defects in the wool, that can never
be cured afterwards, that there is proba-
bly, no one engaged in sheep-breeding
and wool-growing, who is not familiar
with the fact. But the lasting defect of
neglect upon the animal system does not
seem to be so well understood. By eS-
posure or insufficiency of food the ami
NAL falls away in condition, and what
does that mean to u.s. That the sheep
has lost so much flesh, which must be
replaced and which can be replaced. 1t
does not seem to occur to us, that in the
first place it is more difficult to replace
the lost flesh then it was to originally
create it, or, what is still worse, and the
reason of this difficulty, that the animal
has suffered what for better term may
be called shock, which it may take
months to recover from. 1t is exceed
ingly doubtful, for instance, that sheep
which have suffered neglect in extreme
winter weather, recover from It'll whole
year. A year ago last winter the winter
in England was very severe and sheep
suffered extensively. Last winter was
particularly mild and open one, and yet
some of the English sheep breeders say
that their sheep have not recovered what
they lost now well nigh two years ago.
And in this country we can learn an i'm
portant lesson from this if we will. As
rule sheep are much better cared for in
England than they are here. Whatever
the English agriculturist does he must
necessarily do with the greatest care, for
even with that he finds it difficult to
compete with his American cousins.
Here We are profigate. The ease with
which We raise crops and grow stock
makes us so. Thousands of our sheep
are lily housed and imperfectly fed
through the winter months. We readily
adopt the theory that too close housing is
injurious, not always, it may be reason
ably feared, because it is fact, but
rather because it is so harmonious with
our careless way of doing business We
sometimes put the thing in practice to
the EXTREMIST degree. and as result, the
sheep have no place of safety from the
storms, which is the principal thing they
need protection from. Cold will not hurt
them, but wet will. On our plains it is
well known that no adequate care is
given to the fiocks in winter. In some
degree it is not practical to do so, but
while the profits of sheep husbandry in
the Territories, even under such circum-
stances, are great, the loss caused by
such methods is enormous. In short,
sheep cannot be abused without loss.
In view, therefore, of what we have
said, the plain duty of every flockmaster
is to save what he has-that is. keep his
sheep in condition and keep them i'm
proving through the winter. If there
are no adequate means of shelter pro-
yided see to it that there are some, be-
fore the winter begins. If it is post
poned until the necessity arises it is more
than likely that what served as a shelter
last winter will have to answer the COM
ing winter Procrastination is the thief
of time. We are very apt to be like the
man who was always going to oil the
hinges of the creaking door, if we pro-
crastinate, or get into the habit of pro-
crastination. He always threatened "to
oil that door tomorrow" but it was not
done for sixty years. And in a country
where root crops are so easily grown as
they are in this country, the sheepshould
never want for :hat kind OF food. Good
shelter, good hay, and plenty of turnips
viii carry the sheep through all right
WesteYH Rural.