The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-09-18
What to o With the Lambs.
Written for the Michigan Farmer by
Leo G.. REYNOLDS.

Leo @. Reynolds.
flockmaster as fall approaches is,
What shall l do with my lamb
CROP" There are two solutions to
the problems, One is to dispose of
the lambs as soon as pasturing sea-
son is over, and the other to keep
the lambs into the winter, and by
judicious feeding, fatten them for
winter. The practice of disposing of
the lamb crop in the fall, is common
among farmers, and especially, with
the smaller fiock-owners. AS a gen.
eral thing most farmers have been so
situated that they could not properly
feed off their lambs and were compel
led TO sell early in the season. How
ever, We are inclined to believe many
farmers have fallen victims to the
practice more from the custom than
force of circumstances. Selling the
crop in THE fall without wintering
is economy of time and labor, which
to many has been weighty factor
in the solution of this problem.
When the lamb crop is sold in the
fall there is a serious drawback to
obtaining maximum profits from
keeping sheep.
Lambs MARKED in the fall, off of
pasture, are in scant flesh condition to
demand the highest market price.
The growth lambs make during the
summer season is simply the founda-
ton upon which to build to make the
most of the lamb crop. A lamb
crop we'll raised is half fattened, but
unless the operation is completed be-
fore marketing the maximum Of pro-
fit will not be realized.
OF course, under liberal feeding
flesh development can be encour-
aged, but the average farm-grown
lamb develops large, robust frame
with only fair flesh covering during
the pasturing season. The farmer
who sells his crop in this condition
is simply selling the foundation to
what might be the means of much
larger profit. The lambs during the
summer have developed large frames,
and when sold by the pound do not
yield proportionately large returns.
The farmer who sells his lamb crop
under such conditions is generally
doing the work, paying the interest
on his investment, and selling his
goods at losing prices. 1t is. not
profitable business.
There is another phase of keeping
the lambs grown upon the farm till
late into the winter ito fatten which
is worthy of consideration and that is
the amount of manure they make to
go back upon the land. Every farm
er should endeavor to increase his
manure output annually, and one
means of accomplishing this is to
keep the lamb crop into the winter
and fatten for market. A large num-
Der of farmers do not consider the
question of how to make more man.
ure upon their farms seriously
enough. 1t is one of the important
factors in permanently successful
agriculture. With the limited
of stock kept upon the aver
age farm, it is highly important that
every animal should be forced to re-
turn as much fertility to the soil as
possible during its stage of growth
and development
Keep the lamb crop upon the farm
until ready for market. Don't sell
half fattened stuff, simply Ito get it
off your hands. After you have rear
ed a good crop of lambs, stand by
Them, feed them we'll, put them into
the best marketable condition and
you will be pleased with the results.
This is the practice we are trying to
follow out at Frost Grove farm,
and every season we become more
favorably impressed with the profit
in sheep raising on the farm.