The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-09-29

1t is said thats Dorset ewes will face
any dog and fight for their lambs They
are prolific breed. often giving three
lambs, are large and hardy, and-are pop
ular because of their qualities for both
mutton and wool, as we'll as for this pug
nacious courage with dogs.
One OF the first essentials in raising
sheep is to have good sheep. This fact
can not be too thoroughly impressed
upon the farmer who keeps focks for
wool and mutton. if he would obtain a
fair return for his labor and care.
The number of sheep received at the
markets in the last decade was more
than fourfold that received during the
ten years previous; cattle doubled,
while swine we're about the same. There
are not only more mouths to feed, but,
especially for mutton, has there grown
greater fondness.
Lambs, dropped in November, we'll fed
until they reach 30 or 40 pounds, find
ready spring market near the larger
cities, especially in the East. Two or
three months later the mothers are fat
tened, clipped and sold at good figure.
The lambs will bring from IS to $40
apiece. This should be profitable in.
dustry.
Fine wool sheep, as rule, pay best,
but they are especially sensitive to
storms, cold and wet. They need more
nutritious food than the harder kinds.
or they will not stand the winter at all
well. Such breeds, therefore, are most
profitable only under proper conditions.
All sheep do better upon variety of
food. When off pasture they need corn
stalks, straw and hay in turns. If grain
is fed, give it at night. The starving
process Injuries the quality as we'll as d.
minishes the quantity of flesh, and af-
fects the wool in the same way.
Where cattle are kept under proper
sanitary conditions and largely in the
open air, tuberculosis is but little to be
feared, and but small portion of our
general meat stock affected In 1892
but per cent. of the two and quarter
million animals slaughtered were found
to be tainted with the disease.
Box stalls for cattle are advantageous
on the score of comfort and cleanliness,
as we'll as from the fact that more and
better manure can be made by thus hav-
ing plenty of room to litter the cattle
copiously. and have the liquids as well
as the solids taken up and saved in the
bedding. A 6 by 8 stall is usually salts
factory.
A steer of 1000 pounds is worth, say,
$50, before he is killed. After he is
slaughtered his meat, hide, horns, hoofs,
tallow, ETC., will bring two and half
times that amount. This shows that it
would pay the producer to turn manu-
facturer when possible. and put his pro-
duce directly before the consumer. In
no other way can he get the ultimate
profit.
When buttermilk is fed to swire in
large quantities. one pound of oil meal,
we'll cooked, added to every hundred
pounds of the buttermilk, will highly in
crease its feeding value. Buttermilk is
slightly constituting, but the oil meal
will remedy this.
Few lines of farm industry make bet
ter returns for the time, labor and money
than horse raising. 1t costs no more to
raise good colt than it does a good
steer or heifer, and no more to keep
good brood mare than COW. The colt,
at two or three years old will bring
from two to three times the price of
the steer or the heifer.