The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1917-12-26
THE REVIEWS SPECIAL
FARM NEWS DEPARTMENT
job" II! D. Gray
Live News About Crawford County
Farms and Farmers
WAY KEEP SHEEP ON THE FARM.

WHY KEEP SHEEP ON THE FARM
II, J. Schnaidt, Of Ames, was award
ed the first prize in a contest con-
Quoted by the American Sheep Breed
er for submitting the most accurate
and greatest number OF reasons fos
the keeping of sheep on the farm. Mr.;
Schnaidt's paper was as follows:
Why the average American farmer
should keep at least some sheep upon
I his premises. .:.
1. The initial investment in founda'
tiQn stock Is small. ...s
3. Expensive buildings are not nee
essary. t
8. Expensive machinery is not re-
quired.
/. Less productive land can be util'
lied. ....
s. Sheep will eat and relish almost
every class OF weeds. -...
6. BY eating "RagwOrt" the source
n Of "Pictou' cattle disease is eliminat'
! ed. ...<
z. BY cleaning out the fence rows
sheep destroy the winter protection OF
many injurious insects.
8. Due to the fineness of the masti.
cation of their food. very few weed
seeds are found in sheep droppings.
9. Sheep are of great value In clear
Ing brush land.
10. Sheep are dual purpose animals.
Ill. Crop yields are increased by the
constant and uniform distribution OF
rich manure. r.,
IL. The excreta of sheep is rich IN
nitrogen and potassium.
10. Less plant food Is removed from
soil by sheep, than by grain crops. :.
IA. The cost of maintenance Is small
Is. Sheep make profitable use OF
fodder left in corn fields after corn Is
harvested.
is. Sheep can be made marketable
without grain.
II, Wool and lambs are more easily
transported than grain crops.
is. Rapid and frequent monetary re-
turns. ............-..
10. Reasonably large percentages OF
profits under normal conditions.
20. Wool and mutton advanced IN
price before the war and sudden
drop in value is not to be expected.
FL. Less labor is required on
sheep farm than on grain farm.
~. Labor on the farm Is more even
" distributed throughout the year.
s %. Sheep require little care except
during the usual slack periods. -;
4 "a Children as a rule like sheep ana
this "a q good time to develop future
shSar nerds.
ss( As flock of sheep on the farm fur
AheA "a fresh supply Of meat 1t any
go - ,.,.,,,,, q. tivelv
1oW cost per animal, sheep are more
a1aily improved than most other types
OF livestock.
Al. Sheep are more prolific than
horses and cattle.
go. The western sheep ranches are
rapidly disappearing and it is up TO
the small farmers to make up the de-
fciency. .a
20. The population Of the United
States Is Increasing while the number
Of sheep is steadily decreasing. ~.
80. As a patriotic duty in the pres
ent world crisis. we must produce more
wool and mutton.
PRODUCTION OF PORK WITHOUT
CORN A PROBLEM.
Burlie Dodson, member Of the Wis
,consin Live Stock Breeders Associa.
ton in a recent letter to the press
says:
The problem OF pork production
without corn seems to present itself
more strongly to us in Wisconsin at
this time than ever before. Our
supply of old corn held in reserve
from last years crop is about ex'
{ hausted, and our new crop Is prac'
Stically failure for storage in the
crib. We are obliged to depend upon
other grains and feeds for finishing
our hogs for the market.
Too many OF us labor under the
impression that it is Improbable, IN
fact almost impossible, to produce
pDfk without the use of corn. How
ever some of US who have tried out
our various other small grains, to.
gether with good pastures of rape,
clover and alfalfa. have proven that
we can, and do, produce fine quality
Of pork at profit with no corn being
used IN
In all parts of our state oats, bar.
ley, wheat, rye and peas are grown
successfully and these together with
those great bypr0ducts Of our Wis.
cOnsin dairy farms, skim milk and but
ter milk, provide rations from which
pork can be grown as rapidly as
when corn is used. For the past ten
years the writer has grown pigs to
very heavy weight for their age with
out the use of much or any corn. We
OF course begin with pigs that show
disposition to give us results for
what they eat. 1t doesn't pay to be.
gin with any other kind.
We sow oats, wheat and barley to.
gether, equal parts by weight. Some
times we add a peck of peas to each
hundred pounds of the foregoing mix
ture. This we harvest and thresh and
then grind for the pigs, adding to it
six to ten pounds of oil meal per one
hundred pounds Of the ground grains.
s We feed it to the pigs in the form Of
good, thick slop. In cold weather we
feed it warm.
II we find that we will have to buy
some feed we get good middlings and
add about one-third part of this to
the home grown mixture. If we have
rye, it is also added to the mixed
grains before grinding. The rye
should not constitute more than one
fourth to one-third of the ration.