The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-02-02
WINTER LAMBS IN MAINE.
How They Helped Young Farmer
Jones With His Start Toward Pros.
periiy.

Charley Jones had always been d
good boy. IS boys 60. but he had
never taken life very SERIOUSLY
throughout his eighteen years. When
1e opened the telegram handed him
By the college postmsn, and read that
ais father lay at deaths door, II was
the first real shock of his career. An
hour later he WAS headed for the old
I'm in South China as fast as the
iron horse would carry him.
When he came back from the GENE
terry a few days liter. he SIT down
18th his mother to do the first real
ieayy thinking of his life. but ne has
been 1T II steadily ever since. In ad-
dition to the old farm, and its
merger equipment. William Jones had
EFT a god name and little money in
NJ bsnk. enough to tide over d little
While at least. Perhaps the entire es
{ te would have inyentoried $500.
As Ch-rley SGT there talking over
~ future with his mother he sud
ienly reflected that he was one of the
very few young men who could COM
aand $500 of capital before being
I'D enough TO vote. So instead OF
chasing of after rainbows and alleged
opportunities. he decided to make
that he could of those right at home
he first thing was TO take an account
u the stock on hand
Over in the back pasture there was
1 flock of twelve grade Dorset sheep
very few minutes as Charley stroll
I'd over the farm getting really ac-
luainted with 1t. his mind kept going
tick to those sheep. When he
thought of the cows, the horse. the
9igs or the chickens, there seemed
some insuperable obstacle in the way
If developing that branch OF the bust
ness; but if the same thing applied
10 sheep. he couldn't see il. There
fere the old buildings 10 provide am
Dle shelter, crops ready to harvest
or the winters feeding, and stock
'nough TO give a really good start.
All that winter while he was feed
ing thft little flock he studied sheep
s. he hsd never studied anything be-
ore. Long before spring he had made
Up his mind exactly what he intend ID
o do, End that WAS TO develop win
er lamb business First he figured that
lie would balance his work between
winter and summer better. then he
bought he could see how il would
slimna te the dog nuisance. and lastly
lie had found that choice winter lambs
sell for prices that would buy yearl-
ing heifers.
When the grass came the next
spring. Charley Jones had twenty
ismbs to put in the pasture. and all
but five of them were ewes He sold
The five in due season. but when the
droyer tried to buy the others he
turned deaf ear. IL took lot of
hard work and careful management
to make both ends meet and carry
the increased flock through the next
winter, with no prospect of lambs in
the spring, but Charley had made up
his mind to Shift the breeding season
TO get winter lambs the year after
Early the next spring he sowed
big patch of rape. To- prepare for the
special two husky little lambs with
appetites of the first class. Not one
had been chilled during its unseason
able advent into the world. and once
on their feet they had grown amaz-
ingly.
Ground oats for grain ration began
when they were ten days old. and with
the roots and clover hay kept the Ill
tie fellows coming splendidly. Charley
them closely. ami when about
two and one-half months old, began
TO Try them out with cracked corn.
They took to 1t like ducks to water,
md towards the last just seemed TO
stuff themselves with 1t for the iun
Of esting. And they grew as lat as
balls of butter.
February /, Charley killed his first
lemb. II weighed an even sixty
pounds alive. and dressed just half
He shipped it by express to a reliable
Boston house, and received net re-
turns of sl4.i0. The last lamb went
March 10. and brought the bank ac-
count up to sf63, for the forty-t~o
lambs.
All that was quite q few years ago.
Today Charley Jones winters over
hundred breeding ewes in the best
barn in South China, keeps the man
the year round. has bought small
farm adjoining, to say nothing about
a multitude OF improvements about
the house or course there is some
body besides the dear mother TO share
the house now, and two little young
sters trudge of 10 school every day.
Lest, but not least. when the mailman
handed out an automobile catalogue
the other day. Charley Jones took il
snd acted just as II he had been eX-
pecting it.-John r. Taylor in the