Imperial Valley press., 1918-01-09
FLOCK OF SHEEP
ON EVERY FARM
A FLOCK OF SHEEP ON THE
FARM
(BY r. F. Millerl

cent during the past fifteeE years.
We have been annually importing (up
to the present embargo) over one-half
the wool consumed in this country.
THE mutton trade on the principal
markets has also doubled during the
past ten years. In view OF these facts
land the present threatened shortage
of food and clothing materials, sheep
raising should be especially encour-
aged.
In the west we are prone to think
of sheep asbeingprimarily adapted to
the range and herded in large bands.
They are. however, equally well adapt
ed to valley farms. On the British
isles, an area of about four-fifths
that of California, thirty million head
of sheep are grown, and most OF these
or the arabic farms. in California
here are only about two million head
of sheep, which are iargey run on the
ranges. These figures would indicate
that sheep husbandry should be re-
ceiving far more attention from the
farmers of the state than it does at
the present time. Furthermore, the
available ranges are fully stocked and
we have to turn to the farms to in
crease our mutton and wool supply.
A campaign for the Improvement OF
| sheep husbandry has been stated IN
other states with "A Flock of Sheep
for Every Farm as its slogan. This
might be we'll adopted for our own
state as there are few states IN the
Union better adapted to sheep hus-
bandry than California. The average
farmer would not miss the feed con-
sumed by a flock of sheep and the re-
turns from wool and mutton come at
time when cash income can be
turned to good advantage in carrying
on other farming operations. Further
more, the farme who keeps flock
Of sheep contributes to increasing both
the much needed wool and the meat
supply.
Advantage of Sheep on the Farm
Sheep may be kept very economl-
cally, as they Craze over the fields
most of the year and when feeding be-
comes necessary hay is the chief diet.
They yield two crops per year, wool
and mutton, and are useful in keeping
down weeds in fence corners, along
roadsides, irrigation bitches, in or
chards, or on summer fallow. A flock
of sheep may be started with little
capital.
Financial Returns
1t is commonly estimated that the
woll clip pays in a large measure for
the cost of keeping the eve. Average
farm sheep shear about eight pounds
of wool annually, which has usually
sold for about twenty five cents a
pound. Even though the wool would
not pay entirely for the keep of the
eve, the profit on the lambs would
still leave a good margin. Under farm
conditions twins are commonly raised
and the increase in lambs should be
over 100 per cent, while the invest
ment in such a flock would hardly be
above SO per eve on a pre-war basis.
At the present time wool is bringing
over fifty cents pound, and lambs
have been contracted for at $3.50 to
$3.50 head.
How to Start
A good way to start is to buy we'll
built black-faced ewes carrying con-
siderable Merino blood, and mate
these with a good pure-bred mutton
TYPE of ram, or it may be possible to
buy ewes already bred. Grade ewes
properly mated will produce very sat-
Iisfactory market lambs. In buying
sheep examine their mouths so as to
secure young ewes, yearlings or two
year-olds being most desirable.
1t is sometimes possible to buy old,
troken-mouthed ewes very reasonably
from rangemen; such ewes might not
be able to withstand another winter
on the range, but by special care on
the farm could well raise another
lamb. After weaving the lambs in
June or July, the old ewes are usually
lfattened on alfalfa pasture and sold
to the butcher and the eve lambs are
kept on the farm for foundation stock.
From twenty-five to forty ewes
make satisfactory flock and one ram
would be sufficient to, breed these.
This would also make unit large
enough to warrant proper care and
building necessary fences. 1t is not
Iadvisahla IN heyin with only three or