Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-06-30
THE VALUE OF SHEEP.
Some of the Difficulties and Profits
in RAISING Them.

in Raising Them.
Every farmer who owns a quarter
section or more of land should keep
a few sheep. twenty-five ewes we'll
mated will be a sufficient number for
a beginner, as the flock will increase
quite as fast as his ability to handle
them. For it must be borne in mind
that TIE business Of sheep raising,
lik9 N my other lines OF farming, Is
one hi can be learned only by ex-
per1ence,. supplemented by all that
can be learned from books and ag-
'ricultural papers. Not more than 100
sheep should be kept in quarter
section, no matter how much expert
ence one may have had in raising
them.
There are two or three difficulties
in raising sheep, the greatest of
which IS the difficulty In keeping the
pastures free from infection with
the various internal parasites Of
sheep, the stomach worm, the varf
Gus kinds of tape worms, and the
as nodular disease, says a writer in
the Indiana 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 unsatisfactory. | like the
woven-wire fence better than any
other kind for sheep, and other stock
as we'll Where the farm is thus
properly fenced it is entirely prao-
ticable to grow sheep, and I believe
with greater profit one year with
another than any other class of live
stock, not even excepting dairy cat
tile p
This involves not merely fencing
the farms, but the adoption of a ro-
tation which will enable the flock
master to prevent his lambs from
ranging on pasture that has been oc-
cupied by the older sheep for two
years. 1t must be understood that
the stomach worm is present in prac-
tically every herd of mutton sheep,
and it is safe to say that almost ev-
cry herd of mutton sheep, and it is
safe to say that almost every eve
over a year old is infested These
worms are exposed 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
no.her, however, the number of
parasites is reduced to the minimum
and the losses are very slight.
By the method l have outlined
above and by having the lambs
dropped in February or March the
problem of growing sheep can be
successfully solved and the large
profits secured 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
problem which is vexing us so ser<
ously this year. There Is no din
Guilty In keeping farm free from
weeds, providing sheep are allowed
to run in every field. Sheep prove
most excellent cleaners of the stub ,,
BILE field, and in passing Through the |
it is very easy matter TO /
see whether sheep have been kept |
on a farm whether any sheep are
seen or not.
It has been maxim from time
that change of pasture
is good for sheep" and I will say
from my own experience That they
cannot be raised with success unless
allowed this change. AS to breeds:
Anv of them are good enough The
sheen that have more or less of the
Verino stock in them are not nearly
20 liable to the stomach worm as
he mutton breds. At the present
high price of wool and mutton =
VIII pay any farmer to invest in at
east a few sheep. While they re-
Iuire plenty of roughage and good
rain ration during the winter sea-
,on good sheds are also of import
.nce. These should be so arranged
&c TO protect the animals from high
Winds cold rains, sleet and snow.