The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1912-09-12

AS far as my observation goes, sheep
are always the most neglected and
least noticed Of all the stock kept on
the farm. am pretty sure the rea
son Of this is that the sheep usually
takes care Of itself 80 well, without
the assistance Of man, and can make
its living on go little, that gradually
the idea Of looking after the flock
and doing something for their benefit
! passes out OF the mind Of most men
who keep few sheep, but are not in
the business Of keeping them rs their
principal interest.
But in spite Of this negligence and
lack of interest, / am sure that sheep
| pay much more in proportion to the
| amount invested and the cost OF
maintaining them than any other
farm stock. In view Of this fact, 1t
would seem to me that the sheep
ought to be the best cared for animal
on the farm. and should have the best
treatment that the owner can give,
says writer In the Farm Progress.
Sheep on the farm, or on the plains,
receive less care and attention than
any other farm stock, yet so far as
my personal experience is concerned.
pay better profit on the investment
than any other farm stock / suppose
the chief reason for this indifference
on the part of most men lies In the
fact that sheep cannot be made to
multiply as fast as hogs, and the pub
lie demand is never SO great as that
for pork and beef
1t may be truthfully said that beef
is the mainstay In filling the demand
for fresh meat, and pork in the shape
OF hams. shoulders and sides, in the
shape of breakfast bacon, constitutes
the main supply Of cured meats /
really think If lamb and mutton were
used to a larger extent, and consti-
tuted much larger portion of the
meat eaten by the people generally. 1t
would be better for the health OF the
people generally and. probably, have
a tendency to improve the farms de-
voted to stock raising, and perhaps
would also be conducive to the better
average health of the people who con-
sumo very much meat
have been associated with farming
q great many years, and owned sew
eral farms. and have kept stock of all
kinds, and can say without prejudice
that my sheep have always given me
less trouble than the other kinds Of
stock and, for the Investment, have
paid me much more clear profit. can
therefore urge with great sincerity
upon all who have not put at least a
few sheep on their farms to do so az
soon as possible.
That they will pay well is as certain
as anything on the farm can be, and
know 1t Is impossible for any farm
stock to cost so little or give SO little
trouble.
My personal preference 10 for one
of the Down" breeds. and though
the Southdown is probably more
popular In a general way, / think the
Shropshiredown IL the most attrac-
tive. ] think. too, that they average
somewhat heavier In weight.
On 400-acre farm kept for a long
time q flock Of thirty to forty, and
from the time that the pastures were
suitable to Craze in the spring till the
freezing weather In the late fall. my
sheep never needed to be fed q
mouthful. And the winter keep has
always been 30 small that am sure
that half Of the increase Of the flock
would Offset the entire cost, II 1t were
possible to estimate that cost, for the
whole year.
We have made 1t practice to use
On our own table as lamb and mutton
most OF the surplus Of our own flock.
and aimed to keep the flock down to
about forty In number. Az they are al |
ways left In the pasture all the time,
Including even most Of the winter, the
cost Of keep IL too small to count.
Half Of the returns for wool would
more than pay for all the feed, for
age and pasture they get, and have
noticed that some Of my thinnest and
most rundown land on the place is
getting better all the time.
have heard some complaint about
sheep being affected with the bot fiy,
but all injury to the sheep may be
avoided by applying mixture OF pine
tar and grease-say axle grease
around the nostrils. To save the
trouble of catching and applying the
tar to the sheep direct some people
bore holes In a log with two-inch
anger. and put salt in them,
and then. smear around the edge of