Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-03-01
Sheep Breeding for Profit.

of the problem so directly that every
man interested should give it careful
reading. But few men in New England
have made the success in the sheep in
dustry which has been realized by this
student and worker and the lessons
cleaned out of his experience should BE-
treasured. His words are applicable to
workers in other as well as in this line.
LESSONS IN SHEEP BREE DING.
deem it of considerable Importance
to the sheep men, and to the common
wealth, that your citizens engaged in the
sheep breeding industry have got to
gether and formed state society to for
ward their interests.
Whether this society is of lasting good
depends entirely on its management
societies rise and fall as they are man.
aged. Your field, your opportunity is
vast; no similar body of men ever had a
better chance to succeed. Let me urge
you to push ahead with all your might.
But let me warn you to go slow. Fer
haps the greatest danger that is likely
to come to you will be that under some
excitement or excess of zeal you will in
duce some one TO go into the sheep busi-
ness who knows nothing of it and who
has no natural ability to take care of
sheep. You will do we'll to keep con-
stantly in mind the fact that it takes
more skill and less labor to take care OF
sheep than of any other live stock. You
may lay down rules for their care, and
you should-rigid rules-but if you do
not possess the skill of the born shep-
herd, if you cannot see their wants by
instinct, almost, if you do not under
stand the sheep language, as it were,
keep out of sheep and do not get any
one into the business who is not a nat
ural shepherd.
One other rock upon which you are
likely to split is in joining the associa-
ton and then not attending its meetings,
or performing the duties Of member.
So say join the society, stick to it, and
do your part.
Let me suggest some of the ways that
you may be of service to yourselves and
TO the state. | should place first the
discussion of the question of raising
rape. You may say to almost any man
that there are two sides to the question
of whether he goes into the business OF
raising sheep, but once he has flock
there are no two sides TO the rape ques-
tiou. You must raise il, you cannot
afford to be without it. Rape in this
climate, on such a year as this, is good
in the field up to the present time. The
snow, the freezing, if you let it alone, do
no harm; and the sheep, if allowed, will
90 daily to it, and dig it out of the snow.
There is no feed that can take its place.
The results of feeding rape upon your
mutton lambs for instance are better
than those of any grain ration that the
most accomplished feeder can mix, both
in growth aud quality of the dressed
lamb. Rape-fed lambs from the On
tario Experiment Station stood the jour
ney to the slaughter house in Liverpool
better than grain fed. At the present
prices you should buy no grain for your
flock Rape aud home grown turnips
should keep your animals in the pink ~
condition and at very slight cost com
pared to that of buying grain. So say
you can be of great service to the sheep
men by pushing the question OF raising
rape.
Every fiockmaster should have a field
of turnips, unless his circumstances are
against it. You may as society, do
well to encourage turnip raising. Glover
hay, the more the better. Moved oats,
dead ripe, make milk, when fed the aged
in Lamb eve, TO a wonderful degree.
Feed anything but timothy; never feed
timothy to sheep. You can well push
the doctrine of fresh air and light, but
no drafts. A dry place to lie down is
imperative, and the feeding places
should always be clean. Clean snow is
an ideal place on which to feed sheep.
You may well preach the doctrine OF
| regularity in feed. Make time of day
to feed and do not vary from it. 1t mat
ters little whether you feed once, twice,
three or four times day. | have seen
as good results from feeding once day
as any, but having time, do not vary
Your society may preach the doctrine
of careful breeding. Perhaps the great
est waste in your tlocks to-day is caused
by poor judgment and lack OF purpose
| in breeding. Every day we meet the
strangest freaks in mating farm animals,
| but nowhere does it assume the gro
tesque as it does in sheep breeding.
once knew a young man who Inherited a
good bunch of sheep his father had for
many years tried to build up good type
of what | call canadian Leicester
sheep, and had succeeded pretty we'll
when the young man took charge. The
first thing he did was to turn in Horn
ed Dorset. He kept him two years, then
he tried a Ramtouillette for two years,
and so on until he had nothing, con-
stantly breeding without apurpose In a
haphazard way. So you will do well TO
push the doctrine of common sense IN
breeding.
You could publish the facts concern
ing a young man that l knew. de
bought back farm for $1,000 and ran In
debt for the most of it. 1t was suited
to sheep, our hill farms are. he bought
| 100 ewes, looking out for those which
had plenty of room for their dinner as
| well as room for the heart. He did not
mind if a eve was we'll along in years
Il she was all right in other ways, he
knew she would be better mother FOL
her age and more likely to bring W
twins ii she had them, than some young
ewes. He tried to get ewes with fleece
that would be clsssed as ''middle woor
SO as not to have TO get them IN, In tne
| storms. He avoided skittish or wild
animal, but he bought no high-prIced
stock. His rams he selected out OF ma
tive fiocks and tried to get strong al
we'll as stylish ones, but he did not pay
extra prices.
He bought brood mare and COW
and a pig. He built his open sheep
sheds with such lumber and boughs as
he could pick up. He put in five acre.
of oats, and on the back side of his fielt
in some rough land be put five acres o
rape. He planted an acre of corn ant
his potatoes and garden. He had III
moved oats to feed when the rape wa
gone. His corn made his pig and
little more, and he raised colt. b.
Christmas he had 9S lambs that aver
aged within pound of 100 pounds eacl
and he got 8 1-2 cents per pound TO
them. He sold $3.50 of wool and h
saved three of his best eve lambs. d
turned off the first year almost $1,000
He had worked out enough to pay fo
all the hired help, he sheared his owl
sheep, and il occasion required dressed
one for market. In few years he ha'
we'll equipped farm well stocked, goo
buildings and tools, and was out o
debt. But he was natural shepherd
he could almost talk with bis sheel
Sbepherds. like poets and nshermer