The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-12-10
SHEEP IN THE SOUTH.



"spring Lamb" It's Importance and Prepa-
ration for it-BlOOded Rams to be Used
and Have Lambs Commence Coming Nov.
lst-Feeding and Management Of the
Lambs-sheep Habit Of ; arIy Lambing-
Sheep Husband y Pr htable in the South.
correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
What is termed "spring lamb"
where it is best known is admitted
tO be the most healthful and dainty
dish of meat that is prepa1 ed from
any of our domestic animals, and for
this reason I think the subject
worthy of e,ill further discussion.
am persuade d in this also from the
fact that there is certainly no part
of the nation 80 we'll adapted to the
production of this meat as the South,
and particularly the Piedmont re-
gion and Gulf States.
If the mode of operating the bust
ness should once become familiar to
the people, it would soon assume
such Importance as to materially
change the agricultural 81 stem or the
South.
To prepare farm for this work,
one should commence the first Of
Aug ust to plow ground and SOW rye
to the amount of one acre for every
f1ve ewes bred for early lambs. By
first part of September SOW as much
more land to rye and winter oats
both sowings pretty thick. Then
the first part of these months-sow
an acre of vetoh or rape for every 26
ewes and grow a bushel of beets,
turnips or still better, of sweet pota-
toes for every eve bred.
An acre of Bermuda grass pasture
saved and grown strongly by October
first for every ten ewes will Consti-
tute a most useful and very reliable
food.
One hundred and fifty pounds OF
cotton sef d meal for each eve, (or
better $50 pounds of wheat bran,
oorn and cotton seed meal, equal
parts mixed) will be sufficient grain
f. ed. II it is good growing fall
and open winter, perhaps not more
than one halt of this provision will
be consumed but on the average, or
in drouthy time, that much may
be needed ; and in the best of seasons
it Can we'll be consumed by other
sheep or stock.
In growing these lambs or in fat
tening any sheep for market one
must ke - in mind that it is unprof1t-
able and really will not do 60 t'run
short of feed" for a week or even q
day because the lambs or sheepmust
have all they will eat up clean all
the time, every day.
So far &s the ewes are concerned,
they'shOuld be in hand and prepara-
tions commenced In May by housing
them every night and feeding some
dry food that they will eat, and
about one gill of corn or it's equiva-
lent in cotton seed meal each even
ing and increasing to half pint by
June 1st until they are all served by
the ram, which service should COM
mence first week in June so as to
have lambs commence coming No
vember 1st. In this service extra
blooded rams should be used and
they should be "stOod" as recon.
mended in previous chapter: one
ram being sufficient for an hundred
to an hundred and fifty ewes. Care
must be had to keep the ewes in good
thriving Condition from this breed
ing period up to their lamb time
and then give plenty of milk pro-
duoing food till the lambs are mar
keted.
About a week before lambing they
should get gradually onto the rye or
other green pasture, if they have
not been on it, sc as to provide an
abundant flow of milk. It can be
and the condition kept up
by housing at night and feeding as
follows: Shred the corn fodder and
1uS 6Ao Pob N4AoS oE ObuoE nay very
short and feed as the rate of one to
three pounds of this ''roughness" to
oach eve of 100 pounds weight per
lay or one-quarter to one half pound
IF cotton seed, corn meal and wheat
bran mixed equally, owing to amount
If green pasture had and as to how
they eat. They should have
IL the dry feed they will eat up
'lean, besides all the green pasture
hev will take regularly everV dav