The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-03-31
FARM AND GARDEN. {
Profitable stock on the Farm,

AAo"k0OAV SNO\0 va sAC NIWUs
One of the most profitable things OIL a
stock farm, in my estimation, il sheep,
says 9. III. Shick of Illinois, writing to
the Prairie Farmer. They are the real
mortgage lifters. II anyone doubts this
let him buy from ten to twenty-five ewes
and try raising sheep. Buy the best yo,,
can get. BY this do not mean one must
buy thoroughbreds but the best you cnn
get for the price you can afford to pay.
Get u good buck Of the kind you wish TO
raise, whether for wool or mutton, but
would try to combine these qualities.
Use him the first year for ull the ewes
and the next year he can be used the
same way but not on his lumbs. Get an
other buck for the lambs. One can often
exchange with u neighbor or il you must
buy one get good one. Continue to do
this each year and you will be surprised
to see how soon you will hive nice flock
Of sheep. Each year watch the ewes
that let their lambs die or have none, put
Il spot Of red paint Oh them AMI after you
clip the wool mark them again. Sort
these out us soon as they IRE fat, also
those that do not do we'll ind the bucks
that you cannot sell for an extra price
time. II you have ewes that raise twins
give them two spots Of paint and keep
them by I'LL means. Keep your sheep on
high ground and OH good young pasture
If you can in the summer. When winter
sets in have sheep barn expressly for
them; it need not be an expensive one
II nothing better can be had put good
white oak posts iii the ground and Plates
OH top, of scantlings, mailing ties of same
and side it up, covering it we'll. Put the
sheep in the barn OH all wet, sleety and
snowy days and every night. Every
pleasant day they should be let out on the
dry ground. When the lambs begin to
drop keep them away from hogs or they
will eat the young lambs up. Have n lat
tice-work rack or Manager along one side
of the sheep barn for the sheep to eat
hay from, and along another side, just
high enough to be handy, nail planks so
as to make Il good tight trough about
three or four inches wide and three
inches deep to feed shelled corn in.
Change the feed often from corn to oats,
then to bran or shipstuff. BY feeding
thus. twice a day and letting them out
pleasant days, also feeding hay or fodder
twice day, your sheep will be in good
condition which will insure them owning
their lambs and giving them plenty Of
A1l1h. A1teI tuC luluUS uIe Il lew "cChS
old they will commence to eat bran and
for this reason have partition in my
barn and have knocked off a plank of the
partition which is large enough to let the
lambs through but not large enough to
let the old ones through. hive trough
in the other side and put fresh bran i'll it
each feed and let the lambs eat all they
will. They will soon get fat and plump
and bring the best market price. Sell all
the lambs that are not wanted early, as
a sixty-pound limb at { cents is worth
more than 1OO-pound lamb later at
cents. When you sell the lambs you
should milk the ewes for two or three
days to keep their ,dlers from spelling
Keep plenty of rock salt where they can
get at it at any time. Follow the above
directions and if you do not lift the mort
gage then 1t is too large or you have not
used economy somewhere.