The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1886-06-12
Car. u sAeep.

II there is any one thing definite
" settled in the care of sheep. it is
that they do better in small iocks
than in large ones. Under favora-
bic conditions they may flourish in
large fiocks, but as a rule they
should not exceed $50 in flock. and
80 is better number than more. As
rule, in small focks of 80 to 100.
OH the farm, where they have wide
range, and there is nothing specially
deIeterious in their surroundings,
they are seldom sick. If any dis
ease does get among them, fewer are
exposed to it than in larger iocks.
and they can be more easily cared
for and doctored. if need be A man
owning ZOO or more sheep running
in one flock. if any of them become
diseased, the whole 900 are exposed
and liable to become affected; but If
they are divided off into focks of 80
or so, only the small number in that
particular flock are exposed when
any disease breaks out. This is an
important consideration.
Sheep. no matter what their mum
Der or the conditions, are so gregar-
ious that they will always crowd to
gether in mass, and the large num-
Der cover so much space, and do so
much trampling that more damage
To feed comes from this source than
when in small hocks. Again, in
very large flock, the weaker ones get
crowded and hustled about more.
and do not stand so good a chance
for feed as they do in small one
They are also more liable to get
knocked over and trampled on.
Further, it is much easier to fur
nish suitable shelter for small flock
than for large one, and shelter
should always be provided, summer
and winter, so that they can go in
and cut at will. Too many winter
shelters are badly ventilated or not
ventilated at all, and become verita-
BILE black holes of Calcutta. SO
many, even in small fiocks, crowded
together in close, unventilated quar-
tiers, must suffer want of pure air
Even so pairs of lungs consume a
great deal of oxygen during night,
and the wonder is, considering the
quarters that sheep are often kept
in, that more do not sicken and die,
and even suffocate in their foul aired
shelters. Packed together, like sar-
dimes in box, if any desired to es.
cape to the fresh air, it would be i'm
possible for them to do so while the
rest maintained their ground. No
such desire is likely to seize the
flock, nor even portion of them, as
they would not reason on the cause
of their uncomfortable sensations,
and would mutually consent to re-
main and perish for want of fresh
air.
In summer, when roaming free in
the pasture, it is safer to trust large
numbers together in flock than it
is in the winter. They are not as
liable to suffer from crowding to-
gethcr in their place of shelter dur
ing the summer, provided one is fur
nished them, and it is not likely to
be close enough to cause suffering
for want of pure air. In most cases,
they get no summer shelter, and
must stand the drenchings from
rains and the cold moisture from the
dews of night This, in some cases,
is all the water they get, the idea
for some reason being entertained
that sheep do not need to drink.
But this is a mistaken idea. The
flesh of the sheep. like other flesh. is
composed of Il large percentage of
water, and the water that enters into
its composition is not furnished in
sufficient quantity nor with proper
regularity by the dews and rains.
Hence, in dry times, sheep cut off
from water suffer badly. 1t does not
follow that, because the sheep re-
quires dry pasture, it therefore
does not need water to drink