Show shem sheep IF husbandry JM gives gl i two annual cash crops crom kv tow klc awes by russell keetch uintah county agent sheep husbandry lias has the well advertised advantage of two crops each year wool and meat in the united states as well as in most sheep producing countries f flocks were raised on oil cheap feed by cheap labor and with little capital investment their products were hauled to market at low freight rates with no great depreciation aaion in the value of the commodity ty and proved to be a profitable crop for a large part of the western states the changes of the past quarter century make the production of wool of less total value than the meat production meat production by slaughtering lambs at three to nine months of age lias has changed the business from wool producing ewes and to ewes and lambs the ewe basis means an allewe all ewe herd for winter and in many cases spring fall and winter unfortunately this great improvement pro has caused many oper acors to conclude that the less valuable product wool requires i little or no att attention antion some pub dished statements and many verbal announcements are made to the effect that sheep are no longer produced for wool it is well understood del der stood that the proportion of the income from wool and lamb sales varies with localities and somewhat with years but the wool crop is an important part of the income from every herd of sheep large and small and the attention to wool yield and quality wil make profit where loss will result from neglect of wool J the change of some growers grower from open range lambing to she lambing lambin has further intensified in the pr production of both wool and moat meat and has distributed the marketing of lambs the october market is less glutted than before the shod shed lambing developed in farming areas the alie shed lambing uses winter labor and adds fert fertilizers to the soil the lamb crop is more sensitive to quality production in spring lambs and more care is necessary to get the crop to market before the hot weather interferes with growth and fatting batting fat ting the lambs must be crop fed until abundant green feed is available and fre it pays to finish the lamb on grain when this practice i followed the gains should be 15 of a pound or more a day thi gain with the birth weight make the lambs ready for market I 1 ii to days and produces high grade lamb if the lamb is changed to ad verse conditions of feed anc veather vc ather before properly developed the grower looses the gains in vei eight glit and quality already pro iucci this by fail ire r e to provide sufficient feed of the right quality or by placing to 00 oo much dependence upon green feeds eeds I 1 the shed lambing method is in an intensification of the sheep business which should be used to in crease soil fertility where adapt able while increasing wool a lamb production yet it is arc practiced where the fertility problem is neglected and where wool becomes badly damaged and lambs reduced in thrift by unsanitary conditions large amounts of straw should be provided aided vided to keep th corrals dry the fleeces clean and the lambs healthy this use of straw will 1 idd add tonnage to the fertilizer sup ply an contribute to larger yields of alfalfa and barley i |