Show ll 11 f successful SHEEP RAISING ON FARMS by it II M RINEHART knoxville ill tho the successful raising of sheep on a farm depends a great deal upon the lambs produced by the flock in tact fact the meat side of the industry bears beam a direct relation to the profits ot of tile the flock the three essentials in the production of desirable lambs are lood good breeding proper feeding and ing and docking the latter concerns us most and is also tho the most important since desirable and profitable lambs cannot be produced without ca and docking them tile the I 1 influences n fluen ces at work to educate uio the american people to eat wore more lamb and mutton cannot succeed it if lambs are not property bred fed and castrated cast rated lind and as these products product a must sell in competition with beef and pork it to Is essential that the quality la Is at least as good Us as that ot of the others no one thinks of marketing bull calves and boar pigs and yet this Is just what Is being done in tho the case of lambs tho the ca and docking of lambs Is essential if the farm flock Is to produce a real profit and the veterinarian Is in a position to help bring about the needed change it Is estimated that 80 per cent of native lambs arrive nt at tile the markets entire and undocked and the shipments are often branded as a trashing bunch of natives by the buyers L lambs amba which are undocked uneven in size weight quality lind and condition coming from the farming states sell bell front from 2 to 1 4 less per hundred weight than lambs properly docked castrated cast rated and graded in short it tile tho westerner did not find it profitable cas brating and docking would not be so BO universally practiced in the western wester n states chero sheep raising Is a vast Indu industry the benefits derived from the early castration of lambs are arc more weight per ago age no pregnancies from cohabitation of the sexes greater docility improved body development and quality of meat the castration of lambs Is not a dangerous operation it properly done lambs should be castrated cast rated nt at about the age of fifteen days provided the weather conditions are good damp chilly days are very unfavorable for such operations it Is ement essential ial to sort out the males before the work begins in order that they may be caught with the minimum of excitement A clean dust tree free place should be provided and there should be clean quarters provided for them thein to run in after the operation clean hands and knife are essential and scalpel which Is the best beat knife for tile the purpose must be sharp to avoid catching them the second time docking should be done at the same time docking improves the appearance of lambs prevents filth from accumulating on the tails and removes it a useless appendage and besides feeders are more likely to buy docked lambs than undocked ones the veterinarian can make himself useful by advising farmers who raise lambs along these lines and can reap the benefits in the confidence good advice always brings a practitioner when it serves such a useful purpose |