Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1913-01-24
Sheep on the
Arabic Farm.
BY ?. 8. Cooley, Supsrinte;!
ent Montana Farm0r0' lns.-
tute0.
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There can be no permanent :l;z'.c::;.
ture without live stock. A prcr.i bal.
ance beween plant and animal ne on
the farm Is essential to success. Vale
this il true almost verywhere, It he
comes more and more apparent as
distance from the ultimate market
and consumer increases. Concent1a.
ton facilitates marketing. When the
low priced primary products Of the
land are converted into valuable ari.
NAL products. such as meats, butter.
cheese, eggs, wool, ETC., the transpor.
tation charges become very much
less percentage Of the selling price.
Firm believers in this principle of
husbandry are James and Roy Martin,
father and son, who were among the
early settlers in the Gallatin valley
and whose experience is peculiarly
valuable As applied to the agriculture
at Montana. On their 5OO-acre irri.
gated ranch three miles south Of Bose-
man they have worked out . system
OF mixed farming that is well worth
the study and emulation Of farmers
throughout the state.
Much Of their land is we'll adapted
to grain growing, wheat and oats
ut hHo
follow in rotation and yield heavy
crops, all OF which are fed on the
place, to the evident improvement Of
the productiveness Of the land. A
large herd Of Shorthorn cattle 10 kept,
generally half . hundred hogs. and
the number Of brood mares ID ade.
quate to the performance Of the farm
work and the production Of goodly
number Of foals each year.
But the pride Of the farm 10 mag.
nihcent fock Of Shropshire sheep.
Mr.. James Martin says, The sheep
are twice as profitable as any other
hock we keep"
The breeding flock now numbers
about 400 ewes. including 100 year.
lings. which have produced 400 lambs
this season. the aim being to maintain
a flock of about 900 breeding ewes.
The lambs are dropped in March, on
feed. when there Is commonly fine.
dry, cool weather in the Gallatin val.
ley. A model lambing pen has been
constructed. with curtain front to af-
ford perfect ventilation without drafts.
As high as a 40 per cent lamb crop
has been obtained, and probably the
average crop will reach 1875 per cent.
A dozen lambs cut out and weighed
! last fall at seven months old (rather
below the average in size) averaged
1Ol pounds in weight. They find ready
sale at SIS per head.
The wool clip has never run lower
than eight and one-quarter pounds per
head for the flock, and from that to
upwards of ten pounds, between nine
and ten being the average yield.
While the farm comprises consider
able pasture land that is not used for
tillage purposes, the sheep are run on
the meadows and in the grain stub
Bile during part OF the year and are
fed Literally of the clover hay which
is produced in abundance. They are
always maintained in healthy, yigor-
Gus condition and reach weights of
$50 pounds occasionally. a general ay-
erage being not far below 200 pounds.
and the fleece is first class A large
share Of their feed at certain seasons
Is CLEANED from the arabic fields,
where they clean up the weeds in
ditch and fence corners in thorough
manner. Few farms without sheep
can compare with this in freedom from
the weeds that infest the neighbOr-
hood.
Every farmer ought to have small
flock Of sheep TO keep down tn. weeds,
fatten his pocketbook. and teach him
thrift and industry.