Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-11-11

dropped u fourteen pairs or Twins.
Three ewes were barren, leaving me
only sixty-one lambs dropped, five of
which died. But this is not the worst.
When the hot weather came the lambs
did no good. Paperskin got among
them, and in spite Of all the remedies |
tried more than one-half of them died.
and the others were not fit for market.
The ewes averaged ~ pounds of wool
at thirty cents. making $1.35 for wool. l
have the surviving twenty-four lambs,
worth about $3.50 per head. So ST. 5 is
the amount realized per head from the
ewes, while fifty Merino wethers paid
me $3.50 in wool, and there was ne
money laid out for ram and extra care
in lambing season, such as is necessary
with ewes.
Although I am sick of mutton sheep l
shall give them another trial. I bred my
grade ewes and twenty half bloods of
my own raising to lamb in February. l
had a few lambs to come in February
last year. They paid me much better
than the April lambs, but forty-fve
pounds when sixty-two days old wa the
best l could do. I expect to be more Sue
cessful this year, but l have learned not
to expect such crops of lambs and enor-
nous weights as boosted Of by so many
breeders. When 9. Hills tells Of three
quarter blood Shropshires being mis-.
taken for imported ewes, and of a friend
of his who bred common ewes to Shrop-
shire rams and sold the lambs at four
months old for fourteen dollars a head,
I become skeptical. Nearly all the
Shropshire men claim an average of
from eight to ten pounds of wool from
their entire flock. | do not wish to dis
pute their word, but everything in my
experience tends to make me doubt their
statements. My rams shear 5, 81 and
Z pounds respectively. My half bloods
were from heavy shearing Merino ewes,
and averaged 81 pounds only, and poor
quality at that.
l have seen several stud hocks, exam
ined many sheep at fairs, and think, so
far as wool is concerned, my sheep are
fully up with the average. This one
sided representation by thoroughbred
stockmen, the telling of everything good,
and the secret guarding of every loss, is
often the cause of men investing in such
stock with expectations far beyond that
which they a aver realize. Is it any
wonder they find a ready sale for their
stock at prices far beyond its real value
when their articles never tell Of the
sheep they lose, the lambs that die, or
the old ewes which do not produce
enough wool to keep the sun from bis
tering their skin, or the scalawag lambs
they send to the shambles so that they
may keep their f1ocks from degenerating?
The political liar is condemned in no
uncertain terms, yet the thoroughbred
stock raisers are allowed to go on from
year to year quilting" the unwary by
their system of misrepresentation, and
if any one is so bold as to raise their
voice against them he brings down upon
himself a pandemonium of bowls and
jeers, and is reminded that he is still in
the old ruts and "does not read the pa
pers."
No one can welcome improved methods
more than l, both in breeding and care
of stock, but l think too much impor-
lance is placed upon the thoroughbred.
1t is all right to begin we'll if you can
afford it, but if farmers would do their
own thinking perhaps they would learn
that the trumped up thoroughbred, when
placed on their farms and receiving the
Indifferent care and miscellaneous
breeding which their present focks get,
would in a few years be less desirable
stock than that of which they took the
place, and probably they would learn
that the present system of caring for
thoroughbreds il applied to their COM
mon breeds would be less expensive and
more satisfactory than the establish
ment Of new tiocks at exorbitant prices.
Cor. Ohio Farmer.