The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-05

Start new flock and clothe a soldier boy for Uncle Sam Twenty sheep, at least, are needed to provide wool for his hat, his shirt, and socks, his under wear and blankets. How many boys are you going to keep warm?
 War has given the sheep and wool in- dustry a stupendous task making sheep raising patriotic well as a profitable undertaking. Sheep require little bread grain, and as both wool and mutton are in strong demand, the development ef the industry will contribute materially to the nations food and clothing supply
 Wool has about trebled in price, and the price of lambs has about doubled. The gross annual returns from ewes of breeding age may be expected to range from $ to $15 a head depending upon the percentage of lambs raised the weight of the fleeces and the value of these products
 Several million acres of land in the United States produce good summer feed for sheep, but are not grazed at pres ent Efforts should be made to secure the most economic Ese of every acre. Much may be accomplished in this direc- tion by the raising of a few sheep in public parks, on golf courses and pri- vate lawns.
 Sheep husbandry on farms can do much to relieve the threatened inadequacy of the wool production in the United States The farmer who will start and care fo.' new flock this fall will have patriotic part in meeting the country's need for more wool to equip our soldiers and sailors
 Late summer or early fall is the most favorable time to make start in sheep raising. Ewes can be procured more readily at this time, and when pur- chased can be kept on meadows, grain stuhblc fields, or late sown forage crops, U get them in good condition for breed-
 ing. Experience with the ewes through fall and winter will also render a be- glnner more capable of attending to them at lam ping time. It is seldom possible to buy any considerable number of bred ewes at reasonable prices.
 SELECTION OF STOCK
 The inexperienced sheep raiser should beg in with grade ewes of the best class available and pure-bred ram. The rais- ing of pure-bred stock and the selling of breeding rams can best be undertaken by persons experienced in sheep raising The selection of the type and breed of sheep should be made by considering the class of pasture and feeds available and the general system of farming to be followed, along with the peculiarities of the breeds and the conditions and kind Of feeding and management for which each has been especially developed.
 It is highly advantageous for all, or a majority, of the farms in a neighbor- hood, to keep the same breed of sheep. or at least to continue the use of rams of the same breed After a decision has been made as to a suitable breed, the aim should be to obtain ewes that are individually good and that have as many crosses as possible of the breed selected. With such foundation and the contin- uous use of good pure-bred rams of the same breed, the flock will make continu- ous improvement In looking for ewes of desired types and breeding 1t will often be found impossible to get them near al home at a reasonable price. Ewes from the western ranges can be obtained di- rectly from stockyard market For the most part the range ewes are pr Merino breeding. First cross eve lambs, and less often older stock bred on the range and sired by rams of the down or long wool breeds, are sometimes ob- tainabe These, or even the Merino ewes, furnish a foundation for the flock that