The Benson signal., 1918-06-22
SCHEME TO FEED
Waste To SHEEP
Opportunity Offered on College
Grounds, in Parks and on
Large Private Lawns.
MAKE MONEY OUT OF FLoCkS
Saving Also Made In Moving and Weed
Eradication-Investi 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
focks 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. II 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
tia1 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 ad-
vises persons charged with the care
Of such properties to consider putting
in some sheep, but to investigate condi-
tions thoroughly before they embark
in the enterprise. The animal hus-
bandry division Of the department will
be glad to answer requests for infor-
nation, and has a number of publica-
tions on the subject available for free
distribution.
Pleasure and Profit.
It 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
a large measure both Of pleasure and
profit. This should be particularly
true on school grounds where Ordinar-
lily some member of the faculty is good
enough animal husbandman to give
them the proper care. In any event, it
is matter worthy Of careful consid-
Grafton. The gross annual returns
from ewes of breeding age may be ex-
pected to range as high as 500 head.
The fleece from one sheep averages
from five to eight pounds and is now
selling for from so to IS cents pound.
One lamb to each eve is a conserv-
ative estimate. The lamb at five
months will weigh approximately 60
pounds and be worth probably 20 cents
a pound. A flock of 20 ewes such as
could be maintained on goOd-siZed col
lege campus might be expected, there
fore, to yield an annual profit of ap-
proximately $3.50, which would go
good way toward endowing lecture
ship.
Weed Eradication.
Aside from the question of direct
profit, sheep would be useful on such
lawns in eradicating weeds. For sew
eral years the Kansas state agricul-
tural college spent over $3.50 a year
on the college campus in an effort to
eradicate dandelions. About three
years ago the animal husbandry de-
partment was short of pasture for it's
sheep and suggested to the college au-
thorities that if the money formerly
spent for dandeliOn 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 dandelions
on the Kansas agricultural college
grounds. The same thing would be
true on any other large lawn. In prac-
tically all cases, on order to keep them
out of flower beds and shrubbery,
sheep must be herded. This can be