The Virginia enterprise., 1899-02-24
FARM AND GARDEN.
: 4 nuuch 3of sheep On the Farm. :,

A Bunch" Of sheep ON the Farm.
Very many farms, and farmers, too,
would be benefited by a flock OF sheep,
says George McKerrOw Of Sussex, Wis.,,
In writing to Farm, Field and Fireside.
! believe l may be permitted to claim
that say this from experience, having
kept a flock without. intermission for
savings, while boy in my teens, in
sheep, and have never regretted it.
Why will the farm be benefited? Sheep
will clean 1t up; but you will say, can
good sheep be reared OH weeds and brush
alone? 10 which / must answer, no;
but good sheep can be grown Oh clovers,
grasses, corn, oats, corn stOyer, alfalfa,
tion of crops will make clean land and
produce good mutton and wool and yon
will find that sheep being well fed on
such ratiOns as the aforementioned will
also surprise you by the amount of weeds
and tender browse they will take us des-
sert.
A small or moderate-sized flock will
CLEAN good living most Of the year
from foods that would, Oh many farms,
80 to waste without them. recently
met Il German farmer in northern Wis
consin who told Of his little flock Of ten
ewes that had brought in $50 income
in 1895, when sheep products were low.
When l asked him what it cost to keep
them thst na he rspe9 d. Dat sx cost
nation, he shrugged his shoulders and
said: 'Dey run in der brush in der sum-
mcr, und dey run in der brush in der
winter. Come to der haystack, eat a lit
tie hay, dats ALL" This was practically
true; they only cost him what hay they
ate in the winter.
"The hoof Of the sheep is golden," is
al olo <hN1n n tr,,O
one. Every sheep pasture becomes rich
er. No class of stock improves the soil
as does the sheep. If you will 60 with
me to the districts where sheep husband
ry has been intelligently followed, i'll con-
junction with other lines of farming, we
will find better farms than i'll localities
| where natural advantages are the same
beg to refer the reader to many dis
tricts in Ontario, Vermont, Pennsylva-
mia, New York, Ohio. Indiana, Illinois
and Wisconsin,, and to scores of farmers
in these districts who have often told ME
they would not farm without sheep.
How can sheep benefit the farmers
First, by increasing their revenue. Dur
ing the past thirty years | have kept
pretty close account of our focks and in
the worst seasons have found the bal
ance on the right side and i'll the good
seasons it has been we'll up OH the right
side. With sheep and clover, grasses,
| corn and roots to feed them / have been
enabled to buy worn-Out grain lands,
pay for them and bring them up in con-
dition and value, and l am not alone in
this. know of others who have done
the same and we are no luckier or
brighter than other farmers.
Sheep are easier cared for than any
other class of stock. The farmer with
out experience can begin with small
flock and as his flock grows his expert
| ence will also grow until he will soon
have some knowledge of animal life that
| will aid him in handling other lines of
stock. You must remember the large
| flock requires proportionate skill to han
die it well.
The mutton for the farmers own ta-
ble is one of the most important and
profitable items. 1t saves butchers
bills, gives health and strength as no
other meat diet can. l know of several
| farmers who use from five to twenty
| FIVE sheep or lambs annually on their
tables, according to the size of their
families, and all are loud i'll Its praise
as healthful and economical meat food
constantly brought up. In these days of
| cheap woven fences this is pretty well
settled. Many of these make quite good
movable sheep fences, as we find from
| their use.
l will not say every farmer should
| keep sheep, but am safe in saying there
should be at least four f1ocks where one
is now kept. The increase in most cases
should come by more tiocks rather than
| larger flocks.
Low, wet farms are not suited to
| sheep. Small farms that are paying
| we'll as dairy farms will, in most cases,
| be as we'll without them. The farmer
who does not like sheep should not keep
them, but most others should.
Ii your decide to start into the sheep
| business Tor any other line} you must
| make up your mind that it will have
both ups and downs, and if you are to
get profit from it you must stick to it.
| up hill and down hill, and you will thus
be on top of the wave part of the time
Too many Of our farmers are of the
class who sell out when thing is low
and buy what is high to have it to sell
when it gets low, thus always starting
some new line high to sell when it gets
| low.
Study your conditions and environ.
ments and decide for yourself, but you
may take it for granted that nine times
out of ten Il small flock of sheep pays
on every farm.