The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1918-06-21
SCHEME TO FEED
! WASTE TO SHEEP
Opportunity Offered on College
Grounds, in Parks and on
j. Large Private Lawns.
make MONEY OUT OF ELOcKs
Saving Also Made In Moving and Weed
Observation-Disclosures Before
;. Launching Into Enterprise.

There are thousands OF places In the
United States where grass is now go
ing to waste that would support small
flocks of sheep. Among such places
are public parks, golf courses, private
estates with large lawns, and college
grounds. Over most of these areas
a lawn mower is run regularly to keep
down the grass. If flock of sheep
were substituted for the lawn mower
not only would the grass be utilized
for food production but the labor now
necessary TO keep the grass cut would
be released for other and more essen
tial war work.
OF course, considerable care needs
TO be exercised In the matter Of stock
ing such open areas with sheep. The
creation of big demand for animals
for this purpose so as to interfere Sc
riously with normal market conditions
would not be desirable. The United
States department of agriculture adj
vises persons charged with the care
of such properties to consider putting
IN some sheep, but to investigate condi-
tons thoroughly before they embark
IN the enterprise. The animal hus.
bandry division of the department will
be glad to answer requests for fnfor-
nation, and has q number of publica-
lions on the subject available for free
distribution.
Pleasure and Profit.
1t is believed that in many instances,
particularly on the large golf courses
and at educational institutions having
extensive grounds, sheep raising could
be practiced In such manner as TO bring
q large measure both of pleasure and
profit. This should be particularly
true on school grounds where ordinsr-
fly some member of the faculty is good
enough animal husbandman to give
them the proper care. In any event, 1t
Is a matter worthy Of careful consid-
Grafton. The gross annual returns
from ewes of breeding age may be ex-
pected to range as high as $40 head.
The fleece from one sheep averages
from Eve to eight pounds and is now
selling for from 90 to 65 cents pound.
One lamb to each eve Is eonserv-
alive estimate. The lamb at five
months win weigh approximately 60
pounds and. be worth probably 20 cents
a pound. A flock Of 20 ewes such as
could be maintained on a good-siEed col
lege campus might be expected, there
fore, to yield an annual profit of APP
proximately $3.50, which would go a
good way toward endowing lecture
ship.
Weed Eradication.
Aside from the question Of direct
profit, sheep would be useful on such
awns in eradicating weeds. For sew
sral years the Kansas state agricul-
sural college spent over $3.50 year
m the college campus In an effort to
eradicate dandellons. About three
gears ago the animal husbandry de-
partment was short Of pasture for its
sheep and suggested TO the college au-
thorities that II the money formerly
spent for dandellon eradication were
turned over to them they would under
take to get rid Of the dandelions by
grazing the sheep on the campus. To-
day there are practically no dandellons
on the Kansas agricultural college
grounds. The same thing would be
tue on any other large lawn. In prac-
sically all cases. on order to keep them
cut Of flower beds and shrubbery,
Khepn must be herded. This can be