The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1894-12-20
SOME MICTAKES IN SHEEP hUS-
EANDRY.

Some MiSTAxES IN SHEE7 tuS-
EANDRY.
A Brief Summary of An Address Delivered
Before the students of the Scho OF Ag-
ricu ture of the Ohio State University. by
s. II. Tcdi. Wnkeman. q.
We can no longer think of raising
sheep to produce wool alone. Once 1t
was wool first and mutton second; to-day
and the future puts mutton first and
wool second. We have to cater to the
consumptive demand, for around 1t
verge all the proba bilities of any indus
try. ! will sketch a sheep that Will
best supply the consumptive want. HIS
face should be wide and rather short.
muzzle broad and heavy. From the
center of face between eyes to top
of pole he should be long, while he
should be broad between ears.s These
points mark the brain capacity An
animal without good head, as rule.
will be fed at loss.
One of the great mistakes that we
have made in brceling sheep is that
we have not given brain development
its proper consideration. would have
neck short archei and united to body ,
SO as to make an attractive appearance.
I would have heart girth full all the i
way around. A common fault is to
have the girth full till the line reaches
the point opposite the shoulder arm,
then drops right in just where it
should be full. ! would consider everJ
pound a sheep lacks here worth $500.
and it will cost more than that as L
rule to fill it by breeding.
The back should be broad and level.
and the loin broad and thick. Under
the loin lie the kidneys, and they
should be we'll protected.
The ham should be long on
top and deep. insuring good
leg OF mutton. Lower line parallel
with upper line: leg short, straight, and
set under body so as best to carry
the weight; crop we'll out and full;
brisket wide and level: no breast bone
projecting down without being covered
with flesh; body long but length well
taken up in width of ham and shous-
der. Now you have the machine, but,
oh, what ignorance in running it! It
is run without thought of its compile
cation and how easy it is to get out
of FIX.
We are very careful about selecting
the very best machinery to do our farm
work and to know all about running it,
but how different with the one, two or
three hundred little wool and mutton
producing machines One is as good as
the other and any man is competent to
feed it who can carry bushel OF grain
on his shoulder and run it out into
feed trough. We make great mistake
in neglecting our sheep in the severe
months of July and August when feed
is short and dry. air sultry, and para
sites without number, like the devil,
watching to see an opening SO they
NAV move in and take possession.
Again when we put them up into WIN
ter quarters the shelter, it we have
any at all. is cold. dark and gloomy,
and we discover the condition and com
mence feeding to raise up sheep SO that
they will winter. We have already
nearly destroyed sheep by starvation
and now we attempt to get back what
we have lost by overlooking. Thus
we kill at both ends The old-fashion
v feed trough is worse than Sheep
killing dog. and still we keep the do.
right on our farm when We know there
is no law to get back what that de-
stroys
Sheep want pure water and plenty OF
it, and still we often force our sheep to
get all the water they have from the
night dew in summer and snow in win
ter We know, or ought to at least,
the value of early maturity in our
sheep The lamb carcass can be pro-
duced for one-thirl less than the aged
sheep carcass, and will fetch one
fourth more. But few give this thought
and travel on in the same old ruts that
their daddies did.
To secure early maturity, select and
use young animals as breeders. It's the
shortest and most effective way to pre-
cure early maturing animals. The
lamb that makes nice ripe carcass
when young is full of imperfections
when it gets old. On the other hand
the sheep that makes the best aged
carcass natures slow when young.
We make a mistake in being careless
about the blood we use, although the
form of the sheep may be pleasing to
the eye, the blood may he very COR
! rupt, which corruption may be break
ing out in SO many case that in the end
it will leave the shepherd with very
sore head. A man to be safe ought to
know his blood for f"c generations
back.
i Mr.. Todd spoke of sheep rearing rs a
good moral school. The kind of bust
ness a man is engaged in has much to
do in shaping character. He who would
succeed in the sheep business must dc
the work himself or be SO near the fell
low who does it that his shadow will
fall on him.
Do not buy sheep on account OF
length of pedigree lie may have
a very long pedigree, but unless he has
merit harnessed to it, the sheep may te
no better than scrub. To succeed ycr
must have a good shepherdess, ard
, there is more danger here than viii
the sheep So go slow, use your bes
, Judgment, then put up prayer for D.
vine guidance.
have marked out few of the mis-
takes we are making in raising sheep
2 You will see the force of the text: "'rlt
: good shepherd layeth down his life fol
I the sheep"
Yes, the sheep business is draf
made on our whole being; if we hav.
faith and answer to the call we s5al
succeed; if not we shall fail.
: Men would not be SO hasty to aban