The Cairo bulletin., 1909-10-09
THE VALUE OF SHEEP.
SEINE Of the Difficulties and Profits
In Ralsina Them

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
I a beginner, as the flock will increase
quite as FAST as his ability 10 handle
them. For II must be borne In mind
that the business OF sheep raising,
Ike 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
tion. no matter how much experience
one mas have had In raising them
There are two or three fiffacultfes
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 az nodu-
lar disease, says a writer tn the In
diana Farmer This difficulty would
Dc very much lessened II we had
. reached the point when all the fences
ON every farm were sheep~tight, They
can be made sheeptight by the use
Of the ordinary barbwire, but in my
experience this has been unsatisfac-
tory like the woven-wire fence bet
ter than any other kind for sheep,
aud other stock as Well. Where the
farm ID thus properly fenced 1t IL sii-
sirely practicable to grow sheep, and
believe with greater profit one year
with another than any other class ,ot
live stock, not even excepting dairy
cattle
This involves not merely fencing
the farms, but the adoption Of a rota-
tton which will enable the hockmas-
ter to prevent his lambs from ranging
on pasture that has been occupied By
the older sheep for two years Ii
must be understood that the stomach
worm is present in practically every
herd Of mutton sheep. and 1t is safe
to say that almost every eve over
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 ono
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 go3d
or bad. Incidentally, keeping sheep
on the farm will also be Of great help
In solving the weed prohlemg which
is. vexing us SO seriously this year
There is no difficulty in keeping
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 farm whether any
sheep are seen or not
Ii has been maxim from time Inn
memorial 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: Amy uf
them are good enough The sheep that
have more or less of the Merino stock
In them are not nearly SO liable to
the stomach werm as the mutton.
breeds. AT the present high price OF
wool and mutton 1t will pay any farm
er to invest In at least a 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. sleet and
| SNOW,