OCR Text |
Show I Sheep Raising Can I Be Made Profitable The consumption of mutton per capita in the United States is In-I In-I .creasing every year, though the I amount used is much less tn propor- lp tlon to other -meat than in Europe. AK There are good reasons for expecting y a continuation of good prices for inut- H tarn and lamb, and the demand for H wool also may be expected to In- H crease more rapidly than the produc- H tlon. These facts are brought out I in a recent letter from a specialist I of the department to a southern far- H mer who inquired regarding the pos- sibllitlCB' of the sheep business. I The department's specialist called attention to the fact that while farm raised sheep have'often not been -profitable this has usually been be-I be-I cause of lack of proper attention and I management. Variations in price of -wool and mutton have stood in the I -way of such general Interest in sheep I as would cause them to be regarded I as highly as they should be in the I future. Ranges all over the world I are now carrying about as many I sheep as they can support under a I strict range system, and an increase . in the production of sheep products I must come mainly from farms. Here I then, is the farmer's opportunity to I take advantage of the increased con-I con-I sumption of these products. I While mutton can bo produced at low cost and there is a growing de-I de-I mand for it, diniculty in selling may I to experienced In sections where the I amount of live stock produced has I not been sufficient to make it worth I -while for regular buyers to operate. I Slaughtering plants that can handle I carloads are within reach of all sec-I sec-I tlons and if a sufficient number of I neighbors combine to have 100 lambs I of similar breeding, size, and condl-I condl-I tlon to ship Jointly the returns are I assured. It will also ha possible to H -secure ylsts and bids from buyers mL when such a number la promised, fjp The lamb clubs of Tennessee, notably the one at Goodlettsvllle, have prov- n very successful" in this work. I The same organization can also be I used In disposing of tho wool. I In countries where economy in farm I management has been studied a long time, the sheep is considered I to be necessary In utilizing vegetation I eta such waste lands as are not wet I or marshy. Dut the Bheep can hold I its place on high priced land as a I meat producer alone. Compared with I larger animals It has some important I advantages. First, the lambs mature I very rapidly, being marketable at four months of age or later, accord-I accord-I lng to breeding and feeding. This Is I an economy because a larger propor- tlon of the total feed goes into In-I In-I crease of weight than in slower grow-I grow-I lng animals. Second, the sheep con-I con-I suraes a greater variety 6f plants than do other animals. Many of I , such plants are detrimental to pas-I pas-I tures and would otherwise require I hand labor to lipid thorn In check. I Third, grain waste In harvesting can I l)e entirely recovered by sheep. These I tacts prompt sorao farmers to claim I that tho summer food of sheep costs nothing, becauso what they consumo would otherwise bring no roturns. Compared with hogs tho sheep has an advantage In tho wider variety of materials It consumes. Delng a ruminant rum-inant It makes Its gain with a minimum mini-mum of grain and expensive concentrates. concen-trates. This is especially important on some southern lands that aro bolter bol-ter adapted, to tho production of forage for-age crops than to grain growing. rLIko tho hog, tho sheep has Its po-cullar po-cullar allmonts which sometimes ie-sulfln ie-sulfln Iobs as well ns discouragement. Unlike tho aliments of tho hog, however how-ever .those of tho sheep aro ordinal-ly ordinal-ly not contagious ttnd tho means necessary nec-essary to prevention aro tho same a -should bo adopted for tho most economical ec-onomical production, oven In hPilth Tho most serious menaco to continuous con-tinuous thrift In tho flock Is tho presence pres-ence of Internal parasltos, chiefly stomach worms, Tho oggs of tho stomach worm are dropped upon the ground with tho foces from Infected sheep. Tho small worms aro swal- lowed with tho grass three or four days after hatching from tno eggs, and .reach tho stomach. Stomach worms are frequently present in such large numbers ns to draw so heavily from tho circulation as to causo emaciation ema-ciation and finally death of the lamb. Mature sheep aro much less affected by these worms, though they usually scatter tho eggs. Keeping tho flock upon crops sown upon plowed land prevents Infection. Such practice also furnishes tho greatest amount of feed from each acre and tho kind and variety of food upon which sheep thrive best. Plowing Plow-ing the land prevents danger from stomach worm eggs dropped upon It. In warm weather the flock should be moved to fresh ground every ten days or two weeks to prevent Infection Infec-tion of lambs by larvae from eggs dropped from tho ewes. If lambs are by themselves, thte time between the changes may be longer but in most forage crop rotations changes will need to be made every two or threo weeks. Fall sown rye, spring oats, and vetches or peas, rape, cowpeas, soy beans, crimson or Japan clover planted at proper Intervals will furnish fur-nish fresh pasturage at times desired. Some of the lasd can ho used twice in a year, as by having one planting of rape upon the fye ground. The cultivation cul-tivation of the land destroys, all Infection In-fection from provlous pasturing. Under Un-der such a system of cropping and grazing tho land will Improve as the raopiurlal value of the crops Is practically prac-tically all left upon the land and Is very evenly distributed. Like the boll weevil, the stomach worm was considered to be wholly an evil thing until It was found that the method4 of prevention and circumvention were also the best methods for economical production. In most parts of the South ewes will drop their lambs In November or December. Stomach worms aie much less troublesome In the cooler months. Also rape and some other forages will furnish good winter feed If planted early enough to mako a fair growth before the coldest weather. weath-er. Lambs marketed In March or April sell at r premium because of market scarcity of 'genuine spring lambs at that time of the year. To Protect 8heep From Dogs The dog question is a serious one in many sections, and better stato legislation Is needed to protect flocks from the ravages of worthless utrs. Woven wire fences will turn dogs. While It Is expensive to fenco largo pastures In this way, smaller fields devoted to forage crops will carry the flock In a more healthy condition and require much less outlay for fencing. The whole forage crop area can be fenced and lower portahlo fences fen-ces used for confining the sheep to the particular crop ready for grazing. graz-ing. It is seldom that tho highly bred and Well kept dog's attack sheep. Tho roving mondescripts do most of the damage. Communities In which tho majority of people- consider sheep to bo moro Important that dogs, will havo a sentlmont that Is not healthful health-ful or dogp that travel Independently. |