The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-21
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS


 goes for something to eat and some
 thing to wear
 During the war many a conservation
 campaign was waged. but in spite of
 the economies learned and the substi-
 tutes invented, there is now in peace times great shortage in eatables and wearables. and the ingenuity of the
 best economists are busy to remedy a
 situation which is acute
 Hunger is being keenly felt by the
 peoples of Europe and the poor of our
 own land are in need of a better and cheaper diet. The same thing is true
 in regard to wearing apparel. The
 cry goes up night and day for these
 two bare necessities of living
 A new slogan is being used, "A Bunch of Sheep for every farm" for by care full inquiry it has been ascertained that no animal approaches the sheep in con-
 verting weeds and waste into wool and
 mutton. It can be truly said that sheep
 can go a long way towards answering
 the demand for food and clothing.
 Here in Alabama there is a wealth
 of food and raiment in the wasted
 grass anG weeds of barn lots, fields, and roadsides It would, be easy to get many farmers to have band of ewes with fat lambs on their places but for the fact of the worthless stray dog which is the nemy of sheep cul- ture
 There is a world wide shortage of wool and mutton, while there is grow ing demand for meat and wool. Sheep in all parts of the world are decreas- ing in numbers, while the fact stares ussin the face in America that the range flocks of the west are rapidly being reduced The statistics show that in
 Alabama there are 22,000 less sheep than in 1910.
 If the demand for wool and mutton is met corn belt farmers must help as dairying in the agricultural sections, and the hester or homesteader in the west. have combined to drive out sheep raisers both in eastern farms and the western ranges. This means that the future supply must come from farms ] where small flocks of ewes are kept to grow wool and raise lambs It is not an easy thing to get start in sheep raising on account of the diffl- culty of procuring breeding ewes, but the best way to enter the business IS to buy few good young ewes. Do not attempt to rush into sheep culture by 1 purchasing a large flock of high priced ewes. It is however sometimes possible for beginner to get hold of few old
 ewes cheaply and by giving them good care get a start of lambs before the
 ewes get past their usefulness, There may arise an opportunity whereby one beginning the rearing ot sheep may acquire from the owner or ! large flock the undersized lambs at weaning time, and with good care grow them into a buch of good ewes. 1 Care should be exercised to have the l of one breed so that the quality and the length of the wool will be similar 1 Itis claimed by those who have given | the matter most serious study that sheep are profitable. I saw some fig
 ures published by the Agricultural EEK i tension department of the International Harvester company showing the aver age cost of feeding a eve for year
 and her lamb until it was sold was $4.ee. The income from lamb and wool
 was s1115 These figures being the
 average of 1000 reports from corn belt l farmers in 1916.
 1 Sheep improve the appearance of a
 farm and add to the picturequesness and
 homelikeness or any place as can be 1 easily seen by riding past the Roebuck 1 Springs Golf club. The breed depends
 upon the locality and the preference l of the owner, but put in pure bred stock
 for at the Missouri experiment station lambs sired by a registered ram sold
 for s2s5 per hundred more than lambs i sired by scrub ram. The mothers
 of the lamb being alike and undergoing | the same care.
 l We have had much ado about corn, 1 chickens and pig culture in Alabama, and they have been a great success:
 but haven't heard of any sheep clubs. There may be a reason, but it seems 1 to me as a mere layman that it would be an ideal thing for girls to learn to l raise lambs, and I hope to see the day 1 in this state when every one of the daughters of the farm like Mary will have little lamb
 1 Once start boys and girls clubs for sheen raising and it will be good bye to the prowling dog, for when every neighbors farm has bunch of lambs | there will be an agreement about keep 1 ing up dogs. It won't take long to | create a sentiment requiring the dog
 owner to be responsible for the where abouts of his dog. A medium size COW 1 bell on every tenth sheep will help to l frighten dogs away and alarm the owner and neighbors when the sheep
 are being attacked
 l In a review of 5000 farmers in all parts of the United States, all but IS 1 gave dogs" as the main reason for the scarcity of sheep. state dog law unenforced is absolutely worthless.
 The way to do is to put the dog on the |