The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-06-23
About Sheep.

The sheep (Ovis) has been domesti-
Gated from the earliest times known to
history. 1t is found ON prehistoric mon
uments, and was mingled in the person.
al representation of Jupiter and Osiris.
and other gods. The goat is near
enough in structure to be classified by
some naturalsts as in the same genus
as the sheep. 1t, however, does not
breed with the sheep, whose many
marked varieties may suitably constitute
genus OF themselves. The five prom
inent species are: Owls Musimon. 70.
Ammon, O. Tragelaphus, o. Montana
and o. Aries, or domestic sheep. OF
the o. Aries there is vast number of
varieties, but the best are thought to
have been, from England's large com
merce, concentrated in the three King
doms of Great Britain. OF these the
three favorite breeds are now the Me-
rino, the Cotswold and the South Down.
The wild sheep is provided with
horns in both sexes: but, being of no
longer use in domestication, they have
gradually disappeared, except in the
Merino and lower breeds. The sheep
seems to flourish best in temperate
chimes, but is found in almost all lati-
skins are covered with hair or wool
mixed with long hair protruding through
the wool; and the legs of all the genus
are covered with hair; so are mostly
the faces and bellies. These parts being
mostly exposed to abrasion in move
ment, would not be so well able to
maintain wool, which. from its struct-
ure, is easily torn off. We may lay it
down as fact that culture diminishes
the horns and the hair, as there seems
to be a law of Nature that the things
not needed to animal security are grad
ually lost. And in my own experience
of nearly Il third of century the wool
has increased on the foreheads, the legs
and bellies of my sheep.
The sheep is rumlnant with double
stomach and enlargement of the upper
intestine so as to appear to have more
stomachs. The intestines are the long
est of any known domestic animal;
they are about twenty-eight times as
long as the whole body, hence sheep
produce more flesh for the food CON
sumed than any other animal THEY
have eight large teeth at maturity on
the front of the lower jaw; none on the
upper; and twelve nolars on each law.
THIS structure of the sheep enables
them to eat very short grass, pressing
1t between the lower teeth even in the
ground and the grist.ed bone of the up-
per jaw; while the COW thrusts out the
tongue on alternate sides and gathers
In the grass; and the horse nipping it
with both upper and lower jaw fronts
cuts not so closely as the sheep.
AS general rule, animals live five
times as long as the period of maturity,
that is to say, if sheep mature in two
years, they should live ten wears: but
they go much above that. So man
ought to live by the rule to an hundred
years; and he will when the laws of Ma
ture shall be better observed from GEN
Grafton to generation. The first year
the sheep has eight small teeth, which
at the end of that time show two LARGE
teeth in the center, replacing two small
ones; and so on, losing two small and
gaining two large teeth until the mouth
is full, with eight teeth at four years
and upwards, for l find that these re-
suits are only approximate. After a
few years the teeth begin to wear
away, and are finally lost, when the
sheep, unless fed upon pulverized feed,
must die. When sheep are bred simply
for mutton at so much per pound, the
old sheep should be culled and fattened
for the butcher. But with sheep hay
ing fancy prices if they have a lamb
and die, they thus bring more than
when fattened that year and sold to the
butcher.-CdSSius H. Clay iD Rural
NeaD Y0rke~