Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-05-15
Summer Sheep Husbandry.

Summer Sheep Husbandry.
Before turning the flock to pasture,
each sheep should be well trimmed and
tagged about the tail and rumr, and
the closer this is done the better. As .
| slight guide to the amount Of pasturage
| required, it may be stated that about
six sheep will eat as much as one cow,
The proportion depending, of course, on
che size of the sheep and COW. They
will also eat much that cattle would re-
ject in the shape of weeds, etc. Finer
grasses grow where sheep have pas
tured: their close cropping induces lat
eral growth, and the gentle pressure of
poaching it, and fine sward is formed.
When just turned to grass, sheep will
eat greedily, and as this has relaxing
effect, it is well to continue giving them
a little dry grain for few days, which
will counteract this tendency. This is
one of the strong points in favor of feed
ing roots to sheep during winter, or even
the latter part of that season, for they
will then pass from hay to grass without
such ravenous desire for the latter.
If only a limited supply of roots is on
hand they should be reserved for feed
ing till toward the opening of spring.
When sheep are on pasture they
should have sufficient of it. Access
to water they must have, and salt
should be given them at least OCCASION
ally. This should not be thrown on the
ground. to be licked up with quantities
of earth; it should be given in trough.
The care-taker, when he visits them,
should take little grain with him to
keep them familiar. For the dog nui-
sance it is difficult to provide remedy.
The proper one would be such dog-tax
as would secure the humiliation of all
ours and mongrels. Bells hung around
the necks of q few of the sheep are q
partial protection, but the hardened
sheep killer "cares for meme of these
things" and is impervious to any argu-
ment short of shotgun. If the flock
is trained to come to the barn at night
they will be safe
Lambs may be weaned when from
four to five months old. They and their
mothers should be separated, and placed
in lots out of sight of each other, and
along with the young things should be
put three or four wethers or dy ewes to
keep them tame. They should have
good pastures and little grain daily,
whereas the ewes should be temporarily
stinted for the purpose of drying up
their milk. Shearing time will, how
ever. have arrived ere this, when the
flock should first be passed in review
and dirty locks of wool be cut off; then
the sheep should be washed, and in four
or five days, or as soon as the wool is
dry, they may be sheared.
Just as long as wool-buyers dis
criminate against unwashed wool to the
extent of one-third of the weight of a
fleece, it will pay to wash the sheep, as
the weight is not lessened to that ex-
tent in washing the wool. Sheep wash
ing is not such dreadful undertaking
as many imagine; four men-two in the
water and two to hand the sheep from
the pen-will easily wash fifty sheep in
forenoon. The pool should be deep
enough to take the sheep off its feet,
and have sheltering gravelly bank,
where the dripping animals can regain
the land. Washed sheep should be
sheared on grass to keep the wool
clean, the accessories being a pen to
inclose the sheep. and a rough table on
which to roll up the wool. Notice
should be taken of the quantity and
quality of the wool of individual sheep
for future guidance. If ''ticks" are
numerous on sheep or lambs they are
very harmful, and both should be
dipped Immediately or soon after
shearing in preparation which will
destroy the pests-a decOction of tobac-
co with little sulphur added is as good
as anything. The lambs should be
sheared in August. This is an innova-
ton on the custom of this country, but
it will be found to have good effect on
their growth, and before the arrival of
winter they will have acquired fresh
fleece quite sufficient to protect them.
In renovating WORKOUT lands sheep
may play very important part, pro-
vided green crops are grown on the
lands, to be consumed thereon by
sheep inclosed on plot after plot by
movable hurdles; for as they feed they
enrich the soil with their well-scattered
droppings Roots can never form as
important factor in sheep-raising and
crop rotation here as in England, where
q large proportion of the acreage of
each farm is devoted to turnips, to be
fed off on the land by sheep, together
with some grain. Thus sheep are fat
tened, and the land is MANFRED and pre-
pared for wheat or barley. This can
not be done here, for even if roots could
be grown as successfully as in England,
they would be frozen fast in the ground
just at the time they would be most
wanted. But though roots can not,
green fodder crops can be grown, and
it is to these, in connection with sheep,
that the farmer should trust for the
restoration of the fertility of much of
his land. 1t must be understood, how
ever, that this plan is simply means
to an end, that end being the capacity
of the land to grow clover. Land that
will grow good crops of clover will
grow, or can be made to grow, anything.
Prize Essay, IN Rural New Yorker.