Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-10-10
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
BY DR.. ANDREW M. SOOLE =

! sheep, even though scrubs, are ac-
climated, and, in most cases, can be
purchased more cheaply than those
| shipped into the state. However,
some very good grades can be pur-
chased at reasonable prices from
| Tennessee and other adjoining
states. 1t would be well to limit
the size of the flock to fifteen or
| twenty ewes at first with the man
inexperienced in handling sheep.
The ultimate size Of the flock will
depend on the farm and the owner.
A flock of forty to fifty will prove
most profitable to the average
| farmer.
Particular attention should be paid
to the age and to the udder in select
ing the breeding ewes. Quite fire.
quently the main reason for selling
is because the ewes have outliVed
their usefulness. Two-year-old ewes
are the best to purchase. They
will have had their first lamb and
will have a number of profitable
years in the future. They will also
be in their prime for wool produc-
ton.
The center pair Of large perma-
nent incisors, or front teeth, appear
when the sheep is about a year old.
/ An additional pair comes in each
year until the corner and last pair
appear when the sheep is four years
old The illustration above shows a
two-year-old mouth. A broken
mouthed eve is one whchi has some
of her front teeth missing. They
cannot Craze we'll. 1t will pay the
purchaser to examine the udders
closely. Neglect at lambing, shear
ing. or weaving time often causes
bad udders in ewes. A portion of
the udder becomes functionless when
the shears accidentally clip off the
end of the teat. The udder should
be soft and pliable and free from all
hard Jumps.
Good roomy, thrifty ewes should
be selected. Unthrifty ones may be
null Of parasites. When sheep are
first brought on the farm they
should by all means be drenched for
stomach worms before they are
turned into the pasture.
1t is best to select ewes with
as much scale as is consistent with
quality. because a large eve will
drop more robust and larger lambs.
This is an important point since the
sheep industry in Georgia will turn
primarily to the production of early
spring lambs. A thin eve should
weigh upwards of 100 pounds, while
a eve in good breeding condition
should weigh 100 pounds. The
weight will vary with the breeds.
In general conformation the eye
should be broad and deep, particu-
larly through the heart girth. This
indicates strong constitution. She
should be as close to the ground as
possible, and should have straight
body lines. She should also be
we'll f1eshed on the back, loin and in
the leg of mutton.
Wool is an important consideration
even in the Down breeds" 1t
should be long and dense. A sheep
with dense wool will suffer less from
chamgeable weather than one with
light wool. A high-grade Shropshire
eve should shear eight pounds of
wool. but it is essential that the
belly be covered as well as the legs
down to the knee hooks.
A good ,purebred ram Of the select
ed breed will pay for himself in one
year in the additional wool and NUT
ton produced when used on a flock
oY 35 ewes. A scrub ram is expen-
sive even as a gift. A large part of
the bad luck with sheep Of which
many men complain can be attribut-
ed to the use of q scrub ram.
The breed Of ram to select depends
considerably on the personal prefer
ence of the sheep grower himself.
The breed that person likes best
will give the best results. However,
if most of the sheepmen Of county
or community have selected one par