The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-02-02

the most finished products so the state
should sell its products as near finished as
possible.
In the smelters there is enough gas wasted
not only to melt bat to work the iron. If
we could only manufacture all the iron into
finished products II wouldn't be necessary
to cart all our iron to the Pittsburg furnaces.
The possibilities of this state are wonder
peninsula alone to support the population
of the whole state. Its resources need
development and the united work of all.
Then from Montcalm county north we have
a country of pine stumpage which needs
more attention than 1t is getting.
We often hear of the lumber barons who
came here and made themselves rich by i'm
poverishing the state, cutting off her timber
but do we hear of that greater number who
robbed the soil of Its fertility by continually
raising one scrop until the fertility is run
out.
II you could see the buyers from all out
lying shipping points coming into the Office
of the chief of the division of agriculture in
the secretary of states Office, inquiring
in what counties they could buy apples,
you would see one advantage of the posi-
ton; you would see how 1t helps the sale of
your own products. There Is no need of
bowling down Michigan. No state in the
union can raise better fruit. No state in
The union has better land, and in north
Michigan too. And yet too often our
people get in the habit of running it down.
It's just as good as any. Talk 1t up.
That's what this Office Is trying to do and
teach the rest to do.
Before closing he paid compliment to
the Farmers Club of the late Legislature,
saying that if 1t had not been for the Farm.
ers' Club of the state legislature there
would have been great many laws passed
which were killed and some which were
passed would have been killed.
TUESDAY MoRNING-LAMB RAISING.
The institute began work Tuesday morn.
ing by considering the matter of lamb rails
} ing, but as the conductor, Mr.. l.. w. Oviatt,
! of North Williams, had not had time the day
before to properly dispose of the subject of
"ClOver and Sheep" or in other words his
plan of feeding sheep, he began by taking
up the thread of the discussion of that topic
with few general hints as to the care of
sheep, aside from their feeding, thrown out
besides. To sum up very briefly his idea
of the value of clover as a sheep food, he
believes that clover should be the basis OF
the winter food for the sheep. 1t Is good
food in every way except perhaps in the fat
producing elements, while in view of the
great value in keeping up the fertility of the
soil, too much cannot be said in its favor.
AS a food however it needs to be supple
mented by roots or enslage.
Turning more directly to his forenoon's
subject Mr.. Oviatt told of scheme
he had stumbled onto whereby he has lot
of fine lambs for the Easter trade for which
he gets Is to 20 cents pound or So to 81
per head and then told how he brought it
about that this early sale of his lamb did
not leave his flock in crippled condition.
The first plan was to breed limited mum.
Der of ewes so that the lambs would be
dropped early in the winter. The second
was to breed the rest so that the lambs
would be dropped at about the same time
that the early crop was to be sold, while of
almost equal importance with the last was
the care of the lambs and especially the
means by which ewes which were deprivedof
their lambs, were hook winked into playing
the part of the best of foster mothers. AS
Mr. Oviott asserted with the utmost coEc-
dence that he could make any sheep which
was giving milk own any lamb he choose
and by that means had avoided for years
being obliged to bring up lamb by hand,
a sketch of his method should prove to be a
dollar saver to raisers OF sheep this winter
aud spring. With a little ingenuity on the
part of the breeder TIE TIMES believes
that any one can carry out the plan him
self even from the following imperfect dis
crption, the plan itself is so simple.
A light slat pen about 5x3X feet ia built
so that 1t can be set down over eve. A
floor is built across one end to serve as
mangeI and a light stanchion is built at the
edge of this to hold the sheep just as COW
is held in stall. The Stats in the pen are
close enough together so that lamb cannot
get out Then II the eve has one lamb
which she will own 1t is shown to her and
allow ed to Iun under her nose for little
while but is then fastened near the back
pr. of the stall on one side while on the
,,Lo, .;Ja tho littio footar lamb ia placad