The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-26
Hesinning win sheen.

1t is very true that to be successful with
sheep one has to like them and know how
to handle them. says the Homestead It
is very true that a fairly good knowledge
may be obtained from books and papers,
but this is one of the industries in which
some experience in handling them is also
nece ssary. The young physician may
graduate and know all that is necessary
from books, but he viii never become a
good physician until he has had some
practice. Just so with the sheep business.
The sheepman should be willing to learn,
for no man gets too wise to learn, aud it
nay not be out of place TO take few
lessons from the sheep.
In starting with sheep we have always
advocated beginning with few sheep and
building up the flock as the experience
suggests and the farm will keep them. In
starting with a few sheep we would like
70 have them as good as possible for the
better they are al the beginning the less
time it will require to build the flock up
to that point every good shepherd would
require. A few ewes being obtained. and
the selection as to what breed is to be
kept determined. then procure the best ram
of that breed that can be obtained, and
You are ready to go into the business as 1t
ought to be gone into. BY the best ram
we do not mean a prize winner. but we
mean a good, wei bred typical ram of his
breed. If he should be of one breed. we
would not want him a type of some other
breed, but good specimen of his own
breed.
We would not have the beginner believe
that sheep can live on air and thrive when
sheltered behind a wire fence We cannot
understand it, but the impression has gone
out TO the effect that because a sheep has
a good covering Of wool it needs no shell
ter, and that because sheen have lived and
survived on but little food. that they can
be made profitable without food 1t is
queer that some of the old time ideas have
gotten such a strong hold on people that
even in this day of enlightenment they
are often believed. To Illustrate The
scab is contagious disease, like the itch
in the human family. 1t is caused by a
live, minute mite which burrows under
the skin and causes a scab to form. With
out this mite there is no scab. This mite
cannot be produced spontaneously anv
more than lamb can be produced in the
same way Recently the writer was talk
ing to sheep man of over sixty years of
age, who said the scab was caused by ex-
posure. He believed this as firmly as he
believed in his existence. Exposure will
not produce scab any more than it will
produce yellow fever. Exposure to its con-
tagion will produce it. but exposure to in
clement weather will not produce it; it
will, however, facilitate its work largely
to expose sheep which are inoculated with
scab. and make it more virulent
After taking the preliminary step We
would feed our sheep just as we feed anv
other farm stock They will not need the
same feed as the hog. 1t need not be so
concentrated, and may consist largely of
good hay, but the better they are fed the
more profitable they will be- The lambs
should be taught to eat early in life. and
they should never be without feed until
they are placed in the market DO we be-
iieve this? Certainly We do. or we would
not advocate it. If a flock is fed wen.
sheltered well, and good care is taken to
see that in-breeding is not practiced
nothing short Of a calamity will prevent
a profit.