Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-02-27
Keenlng Sheen Requires Care.


Care is the first requisite in all that
relates to sheep. Instead, they usual
IL receive the least attention of all
stock. a sheep neglected is Il non
having animal to the extent that care
Is withheld. 1t is profitable according
10 the attention ercised with iudg-
ment--that it receives, from which, ii
experience be added, the best results
alone can be expected. Sheep are diff
ierent from any other stock, and re-
mire treatment accordingly. They
require attention, not only in the
spring, but in the fall as well, to give
them start for winter Failing i'm the
fall, there will be loss,ns with all stock.
II is easier, as well as cheaper, to brace
cold They must be fortified against
winter, which they will pass then
successfully with little or no extra care,
Increasing in growth, and will be
larger and better in the end for the
growth This reminds me of what an
old and successful sheep raiser said:
"You speak of care in the spring. The
time to take care of sheep is from New
Year to New Year. Then the sheep
will not care for the seasons"
They want attention in summer as
well as in winter, and more; the heat
is worse than cold for a sheep. Most
of all they want good feed and plenty
of it, with regularity. Fresh and sweet
grass is what sheep. wants in sum-
mer. 1t cannot live and thrive upon
bleached grass that has the strength
washed and dried out of it. 1t wants
green food in summer; it wants water
also; and it wants shade. Nothing is
better than an apple orchard and shed
to run in when it wants to-and that
it does if you salt it there as you
should. Besides, it is good place to
"baitn sheep when the grass gets short.
This you can do i'll dry time, for de-
pend upon il when they gnaw the
field us bare as a common, and the
drouth will kill what the sheep leave.
Keep up the feed. A man must work
ifhe keeps sheep as well as when he
keeps cows. This is what makes the
growth and makes the money. You
want the food worked up, and the
more the better; that is what sheep are
kept for. Fat sheep make fat fieeces,
fat lambs and bring fat prices. There
will be an income in the worst time,
and when the good time comes, as il is
sure to do, you will be prepared for it
and sweep the board.
Sheep are much like people. Treat
them as you would yourself. Give all
the salt they want, all the water, all
the shade, and all the grass and brows-
ing and baiting-they like variety
and see that they are not worried by
dogs. In winter continue the treat
ment as near as you can, for the sheep
is the same, requiring the same. The
nearest is to provide young hay never
bleached, IL little grain, n roomy shed,
a roomy yard, water always at hand,
ard if you add mess of roots once u
day all the better. Keep Il dry yard
for them. If you have large sheep
the large kind mean-you want more
room, or divide your sheep into small
hocks. The small Merinos keep to-
gether; they are used to ii and want
it, but do not crowd. a sheep seen to
as it should be will bring in more net
money than in any other stock. There
will be no risks to speak of with your
lambs. If they come in the snow or in
very cold weather, aud the mothers
are weak, the lambs will perish, MS
they might This fussing with weak
lambs shows that the business is bad
ly managed. Keep the sheep strong
and hearty and there will be no dam
ger of losing either sheep or lambs,
and the chances will be for twins, and
that they viii be brought up, and will
be prime ones, bringing the top OF the
market, ahd often more, If you have
early, large lambs and all alike.
know what ! say. Strong sheep
work up fodder TO advantage; only see
that the food is in the right condition.
Feed early and late in the winter, ana
take care that you do not waste,
Give enough and no more. Ihls
keeps the appetite good.
There is one bad practice 10 avoid; 1t
is the common one oil letting youe
sheep rum out late in the fall. Soinr
Keep them till winter. | have seen
them paw in the snow to get thelr
Feed, and short feed mt that; THIS Is
murder. Take IN your sheep with the
hist cold rains, or sooner. This WIZ
lavor the sheep and favor the grass.
The dung of the sheep will help the
growth, and in the spring YOU VIII gel
the early benefit. DO not keep sheep
because you think 70 AN easy way 10
make money, the money viii mol
come. ia requires work; 1t re-
4uires youu time To SEQ 10 the sheep,
and this every day Not every man IS
~ to keep sheep. Many Try u ana
! give Il up, because they 40 mol SUI
reed. Sheep are poor dumb anlhlals
ana must be taken care o. ~ YOU
cannot do this ,et sheep alone
'0'a'yy Geaflcmaa.
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