The Globe-republican., 1899-01-19

0aooaoseal 2Asop 1als1ne
4 writer In Rural World says: Or
sheep have run on the same pastures
for twenty-five years. winter and sum
mer. The pastures are principally blue
grass and white clover. Our winter
feed IS mainly shock corn scattered on
the sod or on meadows. just as You
would feed cattle, only scattered thinly
on the ground and quickly as possible.
so a. to get an even feed. One hundred,
and twenty-five sheep are as many as
should be in one field winter and sum-
mer. We keep 125 ewes and their
lambs In forty-acre lot, with port
able shed, 16 feet wide, 48 feet long
and four to five feet high on the sides.
This shed is needed in winter. SO they
can 90 in and out at pleasure; in sum-
mer SO they can get out Of the not
sun and out of reach of the CAD ny.
The ny can not work in sheds. 90
not know that we have lost one sheep
from grub in the head" or from tape
worm" in ten years in a flock OF 5000
head. It is nonsense to make such ado
about such things that amount to moth
ing If sheep are properly FED and cared
for. The worst, and indeed. about all
that troubles sheep in Missouri is the
stomach worm It does some damage
in the lamb crop. especially in late
lambs. All sheep will do better to have
clean pastures in summer. where no
sheep have been running through the
winter, but this we cannot always
have. Sow field, early in the spring.
in oats, clover and timothy, and you
can have frst-class pasture for ewes
and lambs and after May 10 or Is for
all summer. We have 500 acres OF
creek bottom land, too low and wet to
be sure of a good corn crop. 1t is In
about seven different fields, blue grass.
red and white and alsike clover. Our
sheep do finely on these pastures.
just as well as on the high lands. We
have pastured some of the low lands
twenty-five years with sheep and have
nearly always done well on them.
There Is plenty Of lime in the soil
there. There is no stock less liable to
disease than sheep. and If fairly well
handled nothing pays better. Hogs are
dying at a fearful rate in this section.
l have been convinced for forty years
past that Swine plague" so-called, IL
a special and direct decree from the
Almighty, in part at least. to stop
swine worship and to stop the extern
sive use of pork as food for the hui
man family Our sheep are enclosed
the year round in barb wire fence. and
at the end of the year If you should
pic, all the fence you would not get
enough wool to make pair of socks.
They learn better than to pull their
wool out in that way. Sheds should
be on dry ground, well-bedded with
straw and well ventilated. To begin
ners I would say, do not fear diseases
in sheep. Keep the flock reasonably
young and feed well. See that they
have water and salt at all times. good
dry, comfortable sheds where no other
stock>can get at them. Hogs or cattle
in the sheds with sheep will not do.
Do not fear barb wire fence or bottom
land, but look sharp for the worthless
ours who love mutton. A few sheep
are needed on every farm to keep
weeds down in summer, but feed gen.
erously on corn in winter. II you
make speciality of the cookie burr
crop, don't have sheep. 1t is a bad
mixture. Ewes at six or seven years
old raise as good lambs as younger
ewes and are better mothers. but it is
best to fatten all ewes at not latter
- and coll To he hltchef