The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-07-09
FARM MANAGElfENT.,
Why Farmers Who Have Floo,..
Of Sheep Would Do Well
to Keep them.
Arranging Trees 90 that They VIII 0ns,
ment Farms to the Bet
Advantage

Arranging Trees 30 that They viii 0ms,
ment Farms to the Best
Advantage
A Poor Time to stop
Farmers throughout the northwest
appear to think that the present il q
poor time to engage in the business Of
keeping sheep. We hear of many who
contemplate making additions to their
stock of brood-mares, with view Of
raising fine draught or carriage horses
for market. They state that there is q
more active demand for horses than for
any kind of stock raised on farms, and
that the prices offered for them are
higher than can be realized for other
animals that cost an equal sum to raise.
They believe that the demand for
horses will continue for an indefinate
period, and that prices will not decline.
They acknowledge that considerable
capital is required to breed good
horses. especially if a stallion is kept
on the place, that the risks are con-
siderable. and that it is necessary to
wait three or four years
before there are any returns on
the capital invested. Many farmers
are also turning their attention
10 dairying. The erection of cream
cries and cheese factories within easy
reach of their places offers cash mar
ket for the milk they can produce, and
they are anxious to engage in bust
ness that affords them money ut stated
periods. They think that they can
beef with dairying to good advantage,
US skim milk can be fed to growing
pigs and calves. In every part of the
northwest there is a strong desire on the
part of farmers to keep more and better
cattle. In many places, not only sum-
mer but winter feed for them can be OBJ
tanned on land that is not occupied.
The cost Of herding the cattle during
the summer is small, and only labor IS
required to secure hay to keep them
over the winter. In places where there
is no vacant land farmers are endeav-
oring to keep more cattle. They are
improving their pastures and meadows,
raising roots, building and filling silos,
80 as to insure cheap food during the
winter.
But scarcely any farmer is laying his
plans for engaging in keeping sheep.
There are no advertisements for tlocis
in the newspapers. as there were
twenty years ago. At the stockyards
near this city there are many farmers
constantly looking after young cattle
and lean pigs to take their places
TO feed. None come, however, for the
purpose of buying sheep to take to
their farms to breed from or to fatten.
Hardly any agricultural writer is a,lvo-
eating sheep husbandry as a profitable
branch of stock-ralsing for a young
farmer to engage in. They advise him
to devote his land, time. and money to
cattle. horses. or hogs in preference 10
sheep. Many state that there is more
to be made in keeping fowls than sheep.
Poultry-raisers are much more enthus-
iastic and hopeful than sheep-raisers.
They refer to the fact that foreign eggs
are required to meet the demand in all
our great eastern cities, and that fine
chickens, turkeys. and ducks always
bring good prices. Lately we have
been informed that money can be made
in raising turkeys and geese for export.
1t is certain that there is more demand
for fine fowls than for fine sheep for
breeding purposes. At present there
are many amateur cattle, horse, and
poultry raisers, but there appear to be
no amateur sheep-breeders. Many ap-
pear to think there is more pleasure in
raising carp than sheep. With
little doubt, more farmers in the
northwest have stocked carp-ponds
than sheep-pastures during the past
few years. Wool is low, and the pros
pect for better prices appears to be
very poor. The consumption of NUT
ton is probably increasing. but the in
crease is very slow. Beef is the meat
chiefly consumed in cities and pork con.
tinues to be the meat most used IN the
country. In several states mutton is
scarcely known as an article of food.
Even spring lamb is u luxury rarely
seen in most houses.
This is admitted to be poor time
for engaging in sheep-raising on farms.
But it is also very poor time to PC
out of the business Of keeping sheep
The price of sheep is low, the seller:
are many and the buyers are few. The
best thing that the owner of flock Of
sheep can do is to keep them. With
rare exceptions, he will lose by the op
Grafton if he attempts to dispose of his
sheep and to invest the money he derives
from them in horses or cattle. Ami
mails for which there is q brisk demand
bring good prices, while only very poo,
prices can be realized for those which
there is little demand. Many farmer!
who have disposed of their sheep since
the decline in wool found that the,
were better property than they consid
cred them to be. If their wool brought
no large sum of money, it came at
time Of the year when it was great,
needed. 1t helped meet obligations o.
bought goods when there was nothing
else on the farm that could be convert
ed into money, The farmers who sol.
Oft their sheep because wool was S,
low now see how valuable sheep ar,
as meat producers. They miss til,
lambs that once afforded fin,
dinners during the season Q
haying and harvesting. They find tina
lamb is only sold by butchers at yer,
high prices. They also miss the ia
wethers they once had ready to slaugh
ter during the fall and winter. The,
think how little it cost to keep the sheeII
that they disposed of for very sinai
sum. They find that the buildings the,
erected for protecting sheep are q
very little value for other purposes
They see that their sheep ate man
things in tho pasture and feeding var
that cattle anu horses reject. The
come to the conclusion. when it is to
late to profit by it, that sheep ar
profitable to their owners in variou
Ways. II they had sheep on thei
places again, they would not be ansiou
to dispose Of them at a sacrifice.
Trees in Groups.
Many farmers seem to think that the
have ornamented their places by tn
uss Of trees wbeE they have planted
| row Of some nm kind o1nnu tho s;.io r