Show MORE SHEEP SHOULD BE RAISED panel and braces for making a portable sheep fence wire fencing to Is also alio frequently used deed in the 1 construction of panels prepared by tho tha united states department of 0 agriculture ag t culture sheep husbandry should receive more attention froni from the farmer of this country than it does atthe at the present time unquestionably sheep cheep raising could profitably be fitted fistea into the general management of thousands of farms farina where there Is nonean none at the present time on many other farms the tha size she of the flock could be increased and more attention given to th this 15 branch of farming with resulting profit to the owner according to the department of agriculture Ift it has been es estimated mated that sheep will eat cat 90 per cent of all troublesome weeds they are in fact commonly conly used in cleaning up weeds from fields fence rows roadsides stubble fields and corn fields the common belief among farmers Is that weeds eaten by sheep are so broken up in the digestive processes that the seeds will not germinate after passing through the body as in the tha case of other live stock however weed sare rarely permitted to go to seed it if enough sheep are turned la in the field while the weeds weeda are young and tender in some investigations carried on by the canadian government among a considerable number of sheep to determine the kinds of weeds eaten by them it wa was generally agreed that sheep would consume all but a very tow few extremely unpalatable ones such na As mullein scotch thistle etc upon inquiry as to the specific kinds eaten one tanner farmer replied that he could not give any definite information on the subject as the sheep cheep kept hla his farm so BO free from weeds that ho he could not noi see what kinds they actually ate where sheep jiahe bave been kept but where for some reason they have been disposed of a striking difference has usually occurred in the appearance of 0 the farm weeds have sprung up and grown where they had formerly ly been kept in check there la is no better solution to the weed problem than a flock of sheep the faz farmers mers sheep should be a wool and mutton sheep cheep with emeha SIB als upon mutton this dual purpose sheep it if the name be permissible la Is a proved success and it Is already represented in some of the breeds A 1 0 5 3 combination rack for feeding hay and grain sheep can feed from either side the test beat type Is ia the most profitable combination om of wool and mutton the investigations of the tariff board indicate that sheep farming for or wool alone Is fe unprofitable in investigating socks locks of the fine wool section of ohio they found that when there was a net credit to wool the percentage of receipts from wool was 38 and from ather sources 62 it if thi the raising of sheep heep for wool aloner alone does not pay in this region it probably would not in in my other part of the farming section in establishing a hock flock it Is better for the farmer to start on a small aicale unless he bo has previously had when one is dealing with emall numbers a mistake in management or an error in fix judgment to is not io 30 great importance as where larger numbers are involved starting with i small email flock requires less capital also if it la is desired to augment the size elzo of the sock flock this can be done by the natural increase increate In creane the best owe laman iambs being selected each year for the purpose this should prove more economical than buying all the breeding stock outright where tho stock block to la produced on the farm only the cost fostof of production can rightly be ba charged against it but where it is purchased the cost of production plus A profit and very often the price of the reputation of the breeder must be paid by producing the breeding stock himself the farmer should secure a more uniform lot loi and one better adapted to his own particular conditions anoff or er advantage of small numbers especially where capital is limited is that better animals can be purchased asod the irbe ram has as much influence apon the flock as akabe the entire ewe flock I 1 bred to him which fact gives riso rise to the old saying baying the ram Is halt half the flock the selection ot of the ram to la thus seen to bo be a matter of 0 prime im improvement in breeding can be brought about in a flock at loss expense by the use of a good ram than in any other way A good ram la Is a valuable investment and the few extra dollars in cost over the tha price of a mediocre one multiply themselves in returns on the lamb crop the wise selection of a single ram has in many cases made a flock famous probably sheep are subject to more ills ilia than any other class of domestic animals at any rate they seem to be more helpless in repelling the at tacks made upon them this need not discourage the prospective shepherd since good care and management will obviate most moat of these trou brou bles upon this care and manage merit ment depends the luck of the shepherd flocks are known to exist upon weeds and waste hages with lit ue tie or no attention but the returns are proportionately meager A well trained sheep dog ta its one of the greatest friends of the industry while the cur dog Is one of its worst enemies the h collie Is the sheep dog of america and a well trained one can not bo be appreciated unless seen at work their tireless watching even at night makes them invaluable to the sheep herder berder by their barking they warn him of an any 7 prowler that may be lurking about the flock much of the sheepy flavor of mutton comes from the generation of gases in the stomach after the sheep is in killed for this reason sheep cheep should be dressed as aa rapidly as possible A platform six or eight inches high la is a convenient thing to work on and aids in keeping the blood away from the body insuring a clea cleaner n er carcass after dressing the carcass should be cooled to 40 degrees or as near that as aa possible in the summer it t will be necessary to have ice fee for this purpose where there Is a farm refrigerator friger ator the carcass car can be placed in it provided there is a circulation ot of dry air and no objectionable odors are present mutton can be kept for a week or ten days under these con dit di in the majority of cases however ice fee Is not available nn the farm under these condit conditions iono the sheep or lamb as the case may be should be slaughtered in the evening the carcass allowed to hang out overnight where nothing will disturb it and taken fallen to a cool dry room dooin or collar cellar if in the morning before the flies aro are about if the he carcass is split it will cool out more rapidly under these conditions it is a good plan for two or moro more farmers to club to sether zether each taking a part of the carcass so that hat there will be no danger of the meat spoiling spelling before it can be used in the winter there la Is little dim culty about keeping the meat A good way to keep mutton at this time Is to allow it to freeze up and to cut off enough tor for uso UBO from time to time with a saw A single freezing does not injure the quality but alternate freezing and thawing is harmful and should be avoided daviu slid and buttol mutton should never tin bo used for food until it la Is thoroughly cooled out lamb Is as good oa as it ev erwill be as soon as it la Is thoroughly cooled but mutton improves with ripening for a week at 40 10 to 45 degrees F P mutton can be corned but it is not as palatable nor Is it as nutritious as the fresh meat the hams ham 3 are sometimes spiced and are consi considered d by many to bo be a delicacy when prepared in this way |