The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-10-09
THE VALUE OF SHEEP.
Some Of the Difficulties and Proftss
In Raising Them

" 'G ''~''N
Every farmer who owns quarter
section or more OF land should keep
few sheep. Twenty-Five ewes we'll
mated will be sufficient number for
( a beginner, as the flock will increase
quite as fast as his ability TO handle
them. For 1t must be borne in mind
that the business of sheep raising,
like many other lines of farming, 10
one that can be learned only by ex-
perience, supplemented by all that
can be learned from books and agri-
cultural papers Not more than 100
sheep should be kept in quarter sec
ton, no matter how much experience
one ma. have had In raising them
There are two or three difficulties
In raising sheep, the greatest OF which
is the difficulty in keeping the pas
lures free from infection with the
] various internal parasites of sheep,
the stomach WORN, the various kinds
|. OF tape worms, and the parasite
which causes what is known IA nodu-
lar disease, says writer In the In
diana Farmer. This difficulty would
be very much lessened If we had
reached the point when all the fences
on every farm were sheep-tight They
can be made sheep-tight by the use
OF the ordinary barbwire, but in my
experience this has been ,lnsatisfac-
tory | ike the wovenwire fence bet
ter than any other kind fer sheep,
and other stock as we'll Where the
farm is thus properly fenced 1t is an
tirely practicable 70 grow sheep, and
believe with greater profit one year
with another than any other class OF
live stock. not even excepting dairy
cattle
This involves not merely fencing
the farms, but the adoption of a rota-
ton which will enable the fiockmas-
ter to prevent his lambs from ranging
on pasture that has been occupied by
the older sheep for two years 1t
must be understood that the stomach
worm Is present in practically every
herd Of mutton sheep, and it is safe
to say that almost every eve over a
year old Is infested These worms are
yoided in the droppings of the sheep
and thus contaminate the pastures,
proving almost sure death to the late
lambs or even lambs dropped in May.
Where sheep can be changed from one
pasture to another, however, the num-
Der Of parasites is reduced to the
minimum and the loses are very
slight.
BY the method | have outlined
above and by having the lambs drop
ped in February or March the prob
lem OF growing sheep can be success
fully solved and the large profits Sc
cured which are in sight for many
years to come, whether times are good
or bad. Incidentally, keeping sheep
on the farm will also be of great help
In solving the weed problemp which
Is. vexing US SO seriously this year.
AhCAC ID hO hlAlNulbg Az htEpAuk n
farm free from weeds, providing sheep
are allowed to run In every field.
Sheep prove most excellent cleaners
Of the stubble field, and in passing
through the country 1t is very easy
matter to see whether sheep have
been Kept on a farm whether any
sheep are seen or not
1t has been a maxim from time Inn
memorial that change OF pasture Is
good for Sheep and will say from
my own experience that they cannot
be raised with success unless allowed
this change As to breeds: Any OF
them are good enough Tho sheep that
have more or less Of the Merino stock
in them are not nearly SO liable to
the stomach worm as the mutton
breeds. AT the present high price Oh
wool and mutton 1t win pay any farm
er to invest In at least few sheep
While they require plenty OF rough
age and good grain ration during
| the winter season good sheds are al
so of Importance. These should be 50
| arranged as TO protect the animals
| from high winds. cold rains. seet and
SHOW,