Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-03-04

Frd. xxvIII.-aoOD SHROPSHIRE saxEH.
ford. will probably be more satisfac-
tory. On the ranges Of the west the
hardy Merinos are best adapted to the
conditions.
In getting start In the sheep busi-
ness. especially If you have never
raised sheep. 1t is best to buy three or
four ewes Of the desired breed. In Sc
Letting ewes where mutton is to be the
chief consideration considerable atten-
ton should be paid to the mutton
type.
This is much the same as the meat
type in other animals. They should
be broad, deep and fairly long, with
good spring OF rib and broad. well COW
cred back and loin. The rump should
be long and the hind legs well meated
both inside and out. as this. together
with the back and loin. is the most
valuable part Of the sheep. The quail
ity should be good, as shown In fine
head and bone. The constitution
should be good. as shown by depth Of
chest. large nostrils and width between
the fore legs.
Good quality of wool is shown by a
close. even crimp. The wool should be
dense on all parts Of the body. 1t should
not be harsh. and the fiber should be
strong and not easily broken. There
should be no dead hairs in the wool.
Sheep are often trimmed so as to APP
pear much wider and blocker than
they really are The only way to tell
the real form Of a trimmed sheep Is
BY touch. In going over q sheep with
the hands do not dig into the wool
with the fingers. thus tearing 1t apart
and lessening the value Of the fleece.
but feel with the palms Of the out
stretched hand. In buying ewes be
sure to examine their mouths carefully.
Ewes that are down in the mouth"
that is. that are so old that their teeth
are worn down to the gums-are los.
Ing proposition.
Handling Breeding Sheep.
When ewes are bought Of a breeder
they will usually be bred. In raising
lambs for market on any considerable
scale ewes bought on the general mar
ket are good deal cheaper, and very
good results can be obtained IL mated
10 good. pure bred ram. The same
points Of form spoken of in connection
with the eve should be looked after
in selecting the ram. In addition, he
should show masculinity in strong
head. thick neck and large chest. His
legs should be strong. especially in the
pasterns, and he should not be over
fat. The ram should be from strain
Of profitable producers.
Where q ram lamb Is used for serv-
ice fifteen or twenty ewes are as
many as he can well handle. 1t is
better and more profitable to use a
more mature sire. A yearling can
serve thirty to forty ewes and an old
ram sixty when they are left to run
with the flock all the time. A better
plan Is to turn the ram in with the
ewes for short time. only at morning
and night, keeping him In 2 pen by
himself the rest Of the time. In this
way the ram can serve double the
IluuUGE VI ewes. ~ ID q &OOu Ps0u "
smear the rams breast with paint be-
fore turning him out with the ewes.
Then after he is taken out brief
glance will show Just which ewes have
been bred. These can be marked with
ear tags or paint and the date Of serv-
ice recorded. These ewes should b
kept in pen by themselves for few
days until the period Of heat is over.
Twenty weeks is the usual time OF
CESSATION in ewes. On the general
farm the preferable time to have the
lambs come is just about the time the
grass Is starting well. II you are in
the pure bred business it will pay to
have the lambs come little earlier
than this. as the larger lambs bring
better prices as breeders In the fall.
In order to have the ewes come in heat
as nearly the same time as possible a
plan known as flushing" Is often used.
This consists in taking them from q