The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-07-16
Live Stock.
SHEEP IN THE SOUTH.

| dea1Cny M0Cner means q healthy LamD-
Lambing Time-Coupling Time-stook
Ram-His Management and Food-Kind
Treatment-Cost of Wintering One-Half in
Lower South as Compared With the North
Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
The flock of ewes should have
plenty to eat and good attention in
the months of September, October
and November, so as to go into win
ter quarters even in the warmest
South, in good condition and healthy.
They should have good pasture, or
in want Of it during these three
months, should have ensilage, or
green cut corn Or pea vines green
and fresh as possible. A we'll grown
pasture of Bermuda grass, is a great
help at this season, in fact it is of
inestimable value if it be a dry
season.
Just here I pause to say that it
has long been claim of the writer
that this same ch-despised Ber-
muda grass is so valuable that it will
ere long rival the far-famed Ken
tucky blue grass as a pasture for
sheep and perhaps cattle, in far the
larger portion of the Southern States.
It's value will be referred to again.
Well swarded pasture or meadow
lands may yield an abundance of
such food, or may afford nearly moth
ing. EARLY sown rye, peas, turnip
tops, clover or other of the 1egumi-
nous plants, sown for the purpose,
will very likely produce enough for
the sheep, without dry fodder, ex-
cept in case of drouth. In November
the ewes should have one gill Of corn
or it's equivalent value in cotton
seed, cotton seed meal, oats or chop
feed every day.
This attention and feed should be
such as to assure that the flock of
ewes shall be in a thriving, good,
strong, healthy condition by breed
ing season or coupling time. In this
condition they will come in season
rapidly and surely when the ram is
turned with them. Not only this,
but the coming lamb will begin it's
existence surrounded by the favor
able conditions of a strong healthy
mother. It is unreasonable to ex-
pect a good healthy fetus growing
into well-developed strong, healthy
lamb, as the product of poor eve
at the coupling season, followed by
half or poor rations, or a struggle
for living at the time she first gives
life to the fBtus. We should not ex-
pect an improved lamb in any way to
originate with mother that is on
the downward grade or that is not
in good spirits and building up dur
ing the whole CESSATION period; I
do not mean that she should be
loaded with fat. Another reason
for good condition at this season is
that sheep brought up to Christmas
in fine condition may be considered
half wintered.
For the warmest part of the South
ewes may commence lam blng in Feb
ruary, but for the most northern
portions the first of April is soon
enough. Commonly it should not
be until the ewes can get fair sup
ply of pasture or other green food.
But if the ewes are well fed on "bran
mash" with roots, or with ensilage,
the best results will follow and the
hig lest per cent. of lambs saved
while the ewes are yet kept in their
winter quarters.
The ewes period Of CESSATION is
five months, $50 to 153 days, and the
ram should be admitted to the ewes
accordingly, as the lambing period
is desired Carefully guard the
ewes from all rams until the coupling
period arrives. A good, strong,
healthy ram-nO other should at all
be properly fed and managed,
is sufficient for fifty ewes. By "stand-
ing the ram, " that is using a "teaser"
and drawing out the ewes that are
in season each day and allowing only
one service to each eve, the stock
ram will serve an hundred within
thirty days, just as we'll.
This stock ram standing service
may not pay pay for lot of fifty
cheap ewes, bus where the fifty are
nigh grade and valuable, or where
there are an hundred or more cheap
ewes, or where two neighbors, hav-
ing fifty each may join together in