Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-08-22
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Sorghum has been grown for cattle
many years, and for several years the
danger from pasturing it thus has been
fully known, says Professor Thomas
Shaw in American Sheep Breeder. But
not until 1895 was this writer able to
obtain any information with reference
TO its value as pasture for sheep, and
such information was first obtained
through growing it for that purpose at
the Minnesota university experiment
station. Since that time we have grown
it more or less every year at our station
to provide grazing for sheep and have
settled ON the conviction that in pro-
viding such grazing in midsummer it
has an important mission, more espe-
cially in areas that are more or less
prone to suffer from an insufficiency of
moisture.
Sorghum is adapted to the same soils
as are suitable for growing corn, but
with the difference probably that sor-
ghum is rather more at home on soils
more sandy in texture than those found
most highly adapted to the growing of
corn This means, therefore, that sor-
ghum may be grown in fine form over
the entire area of the corn belt. 1t may
also be grown as sheep pasture any
where that fodder corn may be advanc-
ed sufficiently to make fodder for win
ter feeding.
The sorghum plant is easily pulled up
when young. 1t should not, therefore,
be grazed too early. 1t would not be
easy to determine the best time for
grazing down the sorghum. Much de-
ponds upon the amount to be grazed
and the number of the sheep to be used
in grazing. Ordinarily it ought not to
be allowed to get so high that it will
be much broken down by the sheep
while feeding upon it. They are not so
fond of sorghum as of good fresh grass,
nor do they relish it as they do rape,
but i'll Il time when pastures are dry
and scarce sorghum pasture will be
greedily devoured. If the sheep could
be grazed on the sorghum, say in the
forenoon and on grass or other suitable
grazing in the afternoon, the results
would doubtless prove more satisfacto-
ry on the whole than if the grazing
were confined to sorghum only. The
amount of grazing from sorghum is rel
atively very large.
During all our experience in grazing
sorghum at the Minnesota experiment
station we have experienced no trouble
from bloat or in any other way. The
sheep have kept in uniformly good
health while feeding upon it. 1t has
been grazed by them in various stages
of advancement. They have fed upon
it after it has been smitten with frost,
but they do not relish it when thus in
jured. While this crop may not be
much required in the northern states,
in other states it will render great
service, and even in the northern states
one piece of sorghum for late summer
grazing will usually be found a vel
come addition to the other grazing
crops grown.
Profit In Sheep.
Under proper handling it costs little
to keep a small flock of sheep on the
general farm, and they return enough to
more than pay good interest on the in
vestment and something over in the
shape of wages for the owner. Then
the lambs and mutton, whether ship
ped to market or killed for home use,
must count as clear gain.
influence of the Ram.
The ram has more influence upon the
offspring than the mother so far as
relates to the color and marking of the
body; also as to bone, flesh, size of car
cass, wool. etc.-in fact, all the external
points are developed by the sire, but
the internal points, disposition, consti-
tuition, vitality, ETC., by the mother.
Points In Rams.
If you wish to accomplish anything
definite along the line of breeding, Sc
lect only good, symmetrical rams.
Don't try and counterbalance defect
by using a ram extra strong in any one
point or you will be forever doing and
undoing by pursuing such course
Wool Markets and Sheep.