The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-04-01

pense, and they will prove of inest
mable value in freeing the farm frol
weeds and adding something to I'll
! farm income. In addition to providin
considerable supply Of wholesom
. food for the farm table, there will
! a surplus for sale, and an additions
! item Of revenue in the form of wool.
Many farmers make a practice o
J buying ewes in the fall, breeding ther
} and selling the lambs the followin,
: summer Such ewes can be carrie,
through the winter on wheat and ry
fields II not pastured too closely, or ol
clover hay with some roots and littl,
linseed meal. If the clover hay is no
available, corn fodder may be used a,
roughage, in which case it should al
ways be supplemented with bran OF
linseed meal. Lambs should come
early and should be taught to eat a.
soon as they are old enough. Give
lambs access to corn by providing q
creep through which they can go with.
out allowing the ewes to follow.
/ For farm purposes the black-faced
ewes are more popular than he others
although good results can frequently
be obtained from the white faced ones.
In buying ewes, be sure that they
stand well on their feet, have good
straight backs and good mouths. Ewes
that have broken teeth or teeth that
are badly worn down should not be
bought. AS a rule, sheep has one
pair of permanent incisor teeth when
it is one year old, two pairs when it is
two years old and three pairs, or full
mouth, when it is three years old. A
full-mouthed eve, if the teeth are in
good condition, can be used for breed
ing with good results although she
may be as much as five years old.
Never buy eve that has broken
mouth--that is, with teeth that have
been broken off or lost.
None but a pure-rbed ram should be
used. 1t is not necessary to have a
show animal, but strong, vigorous
body is essential. Shropshire, Oxford,
and Hampshire rams sire
excellent mutton lambs, and these
breeds are recommended for the farm
States. A suitable ram can be
bought for SS to 800
The two principal drawbacks to the
steep industry in the farm States are
dogs and stomach worms. The dog
nuisance can be obviated to great
sF1aent by placing dog-proof fences
around the pastures. The United
States Forest Service has had excel
ent results in protecting sheep from
coyotes and wolves by building fences
constructed in the following manner:
A barbed wire is first stapled to the
POSTS right on the surface Of the
ground. Three inches above this is
placed a panel of close-woven wire, SO
nches high, and above this two
trands of ordinary barbed wire. Care
hOuld be taken to see that there are {
10 openings between the ground and ;
he lowest barbed wire. An inclosure
made in this manner, into which sheep {
nay be turned at night, is inexpensive,
nd dogs will not get through it. Most !
f the damage by dogs is done at
light. t
The presnce of stomach worms is a :
cry serious drawback. The young s
imbs become infested with them by
ating grass to which the worms have C
ttached themselves, the eggs being t
cposited by the mature sheep. 1t is
desirable to keep the lambs
n land on which the mature sheep r
ave not run, and if possible, in cases 4
bad infestations, to keep the lambs G
way from the mature sheep as much "
) possible. o
In the farm States the farmers will /,
nd it to their best advantage to re- i;
ard wool from the sheep as a by q
roduct, and direct their principal at h
ltion to the production of lambs and II
utton for the table. II