Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-14
Big PROFITS in SHEEP

LIAM AAVA AAO aAV UEAAAA
Boys Can Handle Small Flock to
Good dvantage-Valuable
to the Soil.
WYE are learning, like the English
| wv f1ockmasters, to adapt the breed
to the climate and soil. The
hills and downs, the moors and level
lands in England each have breed of
sheep adapted to their place and no at
tempt is made to adapt a single breed
to all climates, conditions and soils.
Never give sheep any stale or un-
desirable feed nor expect it to clean
up any sour and musty feed tina. has
been left from former feeding. The
ration should be clean and palatable.
No animal selects a wider variety
of feed, particularly rough forage, but
two essentials are always exacted
cleanliness and palatability.
| When the lambs have been taken
away from the ewes. the latter should
be put in scanty pasture or given the
run of stubble field so as to dry up
their flow of milk as quickly as pos
sible
| The ewes, If they have done we'll
with their lambs, will be thin by this
time. but it is unsafe to feed them too
much grain until they are dry.
When the lambs have just been
weaned they require the best possible
care and need good pasture. 1t will
be found advisable TO separate the
eve and ram lambs.
If allowed the run of the same pas
ture the ram lambs will annoy the
ewes and the gains will be unsatis-
factory. The wether and eve lambs
may be allowed to run together.
In the care of the breeding ewes
during the summer it is very impor-
that to make provision of some kind
of green fodder to supplement the pas
lures. For this use the best crops are
rape, rye, corn and clover.
The condition of the ewes at breed
Ing time has marked influence upon
the succeeding crop of lambs. If the
ewes are improving in flesh and in a
vigorous condition, the chances are
bright for choice lot of strong lambs
1t is much easier to get the ewes in
condition during the early fall months
than at any time later and it is also
true that when once in that condition
they are in better shap to go through
the winter and Withstand the attacks
of diseases common to sheep than
when allowed to go into winter quar-
tiers in rundown condition.
There seems to be more or less COM
|plaint about getting the ewes with
lamb when they are allowed the run
of clover pasture, and many think II
best to cut and cure the clover for the
lambs and provide other pastures OF
soiling crops for the breeding ewes.
The lambs that are to be retained
for breeding purposes should not be
fed corn, which tends to fatten, rather
than to give them the desired growth
and development for breeding pur-
poses.
In feeding lambs, or in fact any
young animal, it will be found more
practical and productive of better
growth to feed three or four times g
day and in small amounts at a time
than to allow them all they will cal
at one time.
Bran, oats and oil meal fed in eoua
parts by weight will in most cases
make satisfactory ration to supply
the needs Of growth and development
for breeding purposes
1t has been found that thirty-si,
: pounds of sheep manure is equal as {
, fertilizer to one hundred pounds O.
ordinary farm-yard manure, beins
richer in heterogeneous substances thar
$ that of the COW or horse, ranking mex
8 in ammonia and richer in the phos
) pilates than guano or the dropping
: of fowls. In the face of such conclu
sive and undisputable evidence, VIII,
: will farmers neglect to keep a few
r sheep?
t They are powerful digerters and de
. stroy the vitality of all weed seeds, ant
are not like cattle scattering foul seed
! behind them while from the food eater
' they extract more nutriment than an,
1 of our other farm animals
} There Is less danger in caring for
3 flock of sheep than any other animals
What farmer would worry if he left hi
8 boys and girls at home to care for hi
ewes and lambs? But would he trus
them to handle his colts, cattle o
: breeding swine and feel perfectly SAT
8 when out of their hearing?
: There is no better way to make
| boy stick to the farm than to give hin
. q few sheep and teach him how t
r care for them and allow him the pro
Y ceeds from his little flock You vii
I be out very little, and you will be sur
e prised how much he will make on tn
g small investment compared with som
of his fathers larger investments.