The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-29
Mutton Lamb Notes.

Mutton Lamb Notes.
The most profit is made from the
quickest sale of any product, and espc-
cially of such as must be fed expensive
~. And there is no quicker product and
none other that is SO profitable as the
early lamb. One sells for as much in
May as two i'll November, and the farmer
not only gets the better price, but he
saves twice or even four times the feed
ing. Any large town or city furnishes
the market for them. and the early sale
makes it possible to fatten the ewes after
the lambs are sold and market them out
of the way for another flock in the fall.
The kind of lamb, however, is to be
thought of. The best of all is cross of
Shropshire ram on the native ewes
that Is, considering the profit. for the
pure lamb is to be preferred before the
cross were it not that the pure ewes are
too costly to be made into mutton, rs
with the common ones. And the dis
posal of the ewes and the less first cost
make the larger profit. The ewes should
he purchased early in September, so that
the lambs may not come later than
February, and if the flock is gathered in
August so much the better, for the
earlier they are in the market the more
they bring. In this business one has
three dividends and the first cost re-
turned within n year-the lambs, the
fleece, the profit Oh the ewes and the first
cost returned. This is profitable bust
ness.-American Agriculturist.
The latest lambs gre a cross of Me
rino and Southdown. They are not the
largest, but the plumpest and heaviest
for their size of all early lambs, and the
black faces and legs of the sire render
them dear TO the heart of butcher, who
will readily give more for such lambs
than for larger white faced ones. He
points 20 these black marks with pride
and calls the special attention of his Gus
TONER to them as proofs of their South
down lineage, 1.-THE finest mutton sheep in
the world as lie tells his exacting pur-
chaser. The Merino, however, has some
thing to do with the fairness and tender
ness of these lambs, and its early fleece
gives the appearance of fullness and
roundness to the plump little carcass
The Dorset must have the most skill
full attention, and the shepherd who
thinks sheep are able to take care of
themselves through winter as well as
summer will be very much disappointed
If he tries the Dorset to experiment with
in this direction. The Christmas lamb
is like the Christmas strawberry, hot
house creation, and those breeders who
do not understand this method of fore
ing lambs will do well to get lambs later
and at less cost and yet make quite as
much profit ont of them. 1t is quite pos
sible to average So to $40 for lamb in
March and April, OF even i'll May, and
this with the Merino -Southdown cross
When lamb is weeks old, it may
be taught to eat little dry food by
means of the hand. A mixture of clean,
heavy oats, corn and linseed in equal
parts, finely ground together and slightly
sailed and sweetened with sugar, will be
taken eagerly and will help the growth
very much. At the same time it is adj
visable to nourish the lambs through the
ewes, by liberal feeding of grain, of
which mixture of rye and buckwheat
coarsely chopped together will be found
better than corn. and if anything else is
added it should be bran. This will in
crease the milk in quantity and quality
and so help the lambs. BY and by the
lambs will take their meal themselves if
the proper facilities are afforded by means
of a small pen with creeps attached to
it and set in the fence.
The creeps consist of openings in the
fence just large enough for the lambs to
creep through, and to prevent tearing of
the wool the sides of the openings are
guarded by rollers fitted into sliding
bar placed in the fence. by which the
rollers may be drawn nearer to each 9TH
er or widened, as may be necessary to fit
the lambs. The food is placed in these
pens, and the lambs soon learn to creep
through to get the meal. These hints
are especially useful for the feeding of
market lambs, which need to be forced
as much as possible to make rapid
growth and lay on fat.-Henry Stewart.