The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-27
Sheep on "a Small Farm.

Sheep want plenty of roughage. To de-
pend upon running a paying number of
sheep on small farm on the ordinary
pasture grasses will result in disaster.
Something else must be resorted to.
noted pioneer Hoosier farmer who was at
heavy expense in making large open
bitches to drain the swamps on his
broad acres, says a writer In Farmers
Guide, came Lurriedly to the Village
bank, where his cash was deposited. to
get funds to pay off his hands On ar
irving at the bank he found it closed. and
card on the door announced that busi
ness was suspended. A few parties who
knew of his heavy deposits there. and
who were anxious to see how he would
take the disappointment. saw the fol-
lowing performances: The granger had
left his horse standing with drooping
head at the sidewalk. After trying the
door and falling to gain admittance.
where his presence was formerly well
coined, he stood for awhile looking at tho
pavement, then mounting his horse laid
whip and galloped away muttering to
himself: The business IS, we must hew
out another road" This idea of hewing
out another road, Of being undaunted in
the face OF disappointment and failure Is
what made the man wealthy and honored
among men. In the close times with
farmers the same degree of fortitude Is
success.
must be so many sheep raised, so much
wool to sell to pay taxes and meet ex-
penses of a growing family. so MANY
lambs to sell to help make the payment
on the farm, etc. Looking at the situa
ton the small farmer sees he IS over
stocked for pasturage. At first he thinks
of selling off the sheep and paying what
he can on the mortgage. He studies the
situation carefully day by day and
6rP9FnG ( nj nj On,
he tells his wife how they can pull
through He has read how Prof. Shaw
kept efghty-siX head Of sheep and lambs
on ten acres from May to November. He
now sees the light. He prepares the
ground carefully and soWs a piece of rye
for late fall and early spring pasture.
He will plow the rye under in Nav and
raise heavy crop of corn to feed in
winter. When the corn is ready to Law bv
ne Will again sow rye very thickIy and
rape very thinly, and his sheep will not
be hungry again. Very early in tbe
spr1ngttme, while his young lambs and
their mothers are thriving on the green
rye and clover hay at night, he is busy
putting cut peas and oats with a snrinlrI,
of rape mixed in. This shou1d he 80
as early as the ground will puIveriza -,
| the month of March, or early in Anil
BY and by, after the rye is ready to ha
| plowed under the sheep have a fresh
| bite of this pasture. Later in the sea-
son corn and rape sown together will,
| form their feed. and this may be fol-
| lowed with sorghum-one Of the very
! best feedstuffs-and rape will r1n on
! into the winter again. A clover field ar
i blue grass lot must be held in reserve
| for wet times when the sheep NAV not
be folded upon the forage crops. IF the
pasture gets scarce and the farmer is NOT
| afraid Of work he will cut some of this
4 a 10 fo1 Il
! sod. This method may be carried On IN
one form or another to suit your own
wishes and facilities. It is true thar q
large number per acre of sheep NAV he
kept on a small farm. Their superioritv
over hogs is that the feed they consume