MITE CULTURAL' DKPT, A BUNCH OF SHEEP ON EVERY FARM Price 15 Cents Note — All or any portion of this booklet may be reproduced by giving proper credit to the publishers. PUBLISHED AND COPYRIGHTED 1918 BY INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY, INCORPORATED AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION DEPARTMENT P. G. HOLDEN, Director HARVESTER BUILDING, CHICAGO AE 447 6-1-18. H 3 Main Lib, Introduction NATIONS have taken up the implements of warfare and the wail goes up for food and clothing. Hunger is being keenly felt by the peoples of Europe and the poor of our own land are in need of food. All eyes are turned to America. In meeting the emergency sheep occupy a prominent place. No animal approaches the sheep in converting weeds and waste into wool and mutton. There is a wealth of food and raiment in the wasted grass and weeds of barn lots, fields, and road- sides. Let there be a band of ewes with fat lambs on every suitable farm. It is not the object of this booklet to describe alone the bright side of sheep raising. Our purpose has been to publish facts. The facts presented are taken from letters received from 5,000 farmers living in all parts of the United States, givSti^ -their ^exjjeri^nces in sheep growing. Textbooks^nd^rks on Livestock Husbandry are vafftab!e',:KutiyJe J)4lievc\thalt the actual ex- periences of men engaged in raising sheep, told in their own words, will be helpful to beginners as well as those of experience. SHEEP ARE PROFITABLE Reports From 5,000 Farmers Show Big Profits in Sheep Business Out of over 5,000 letters received from practical sheep men from nearly every state in the Union, the Agricultural Extension Department of the International Harvester Company has com- piled the following facts: Of the farmers reporting, 3,750 live in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Missouri, New York, Indiana, and West Virginia; 1,250 reports come from scattering states. Reports from those having range flocks in the west have not been consid- ered. Of the farmers reporting, 4,100 had farms of less than 200 acres. Of the 5,000 farmers reporting, 4,250 had from 10 to 50 ewes; 4,000 farmers had ewes of the mutton breeds, the others had Rambouillets and Merinos. Two thour and, seven hundred fifty farmers sold their lambs direct from the ewes without weaning them. The selling age was from three and one-half to five months. One thousand, six hundred fifty farmers fattened and sold the lambs before they were one year old, or as soon as they were shorn of their first fleece. The others reporting either sold the lambs for feeders or matured them on the farm. Two thousand, two hundred fifty farmers kept a few of the best ewe lambs each year for breeders. Corn and oats were the grain feed for the ewes on practically all corn belt farms Two thousand five hundred farmers bought wheat bran and oil meal to feed to ewes before lambing time and while suckling the lambs. Merino Ewes and Lambs. Owned by R. J. Henderson, Adena, Ohio 3 RAISING NEGLECTED Clover hay and alfalfa hay was the choice of all for roughage for ewes. Many fed straw and fodder as a part of the roughage ration. One thousand, two hundred fifty farmers fed silage to their sheep. One hundred fifty farmers reported death of sheep from feed- ing mouldy silage. An average of $4.69 a year was given as the cost for feeding a ewe, together with her lamb, until it was sold. Each ewe returned an average income of $11.15, from the sale of the ewe's fleece and the sale of the lamb. (These figures were for 1916). Three thousand farmers had lamb creeps and fed the lambs separate from the ewes. Four thousand, twenty-five farmers did not feed the ewes any grain in summer. Four thousand five hundred farmers advised having open sheds for the sheep except at lambing time. One thousand five hundred farmers reported trouble or loss from stomach worms. Where only a few sheep were kept and changed from one field to another no trouble from stomach worms was reported. The remedies given for stomach worms were: 1 — Change of Pasture. 2 — Gasoline Treatment. 3 — Worm Powders. All but 18 of the 5,000 reported that "Dogs" were the main cause of the scarcity of sheep. SHEEP RAISING A NEGLECTED PART OF AGRICULTURE IN UNITED STATES Sheep in all countries of the world are decreasing in numbers. There is a world-wide shortage of wool and mutton. There is a growing demand for meat and wool. Sheep have decreased in the United States 12,000,000 head in the past 17 years. The range flocks of the west are rapidly being reduced. Corn Belt farmers must help provide the future supply of wool and mutton. It is patriotic — it is profitable. SCARCITY OF SHEEP ALARMING Ohio Sheep Buyer Unable To Make Purchases Of Breeding Stock From Western Ranges — Price Doubles But Will Go Still Higher By George M. Wilber, Marysville, Ohio. It is alarming to note how fast the flocks are decreasing in this country. Dairying in the agricultural sections, miners' dogs in the strictly grazing (hilly) sections east of the Mississippi River and the "nester" or homesteader in the west, have combined to drive out sheep raisers both on eastern farms and the western ranges until alarming . conditions exist. No Range Ewes For Sale Last year I was not able to purchase a single car of breeding ewes west of the Mississippi River. All of the thousands of breeding ewes I handled were purchased east of Indiana. There are practically none for sale this year and the price has doubled in this section. Formerly I shipped in train loads from Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, etc., but it looks like there could be no ewes bought anywhere at a price which would attract the average farmer to invest; and yet even at the high price for ewes they would make more clear money than anything else. They are bound to increase in price even above the present values. Small Flocks Fat and Free from Disease There is positively not a farm east of the Mississippi River which could not profitably keep a small flock of ewes, 25 to 50 or more, which would not only trim up the weeds at no cost, but the owner would never know he had them so far as cost for feed is concerned. These small flocks are always fat and free from disease. Neighborhoods Buy Car Lots I would suggest that you urge farmers in their several neighbor- hoods to combine and buy a deck or car load and distribute among themselves. It is not practical to ship less than full cars, because car load rates are charged for less than car lots unless crated. Sheep have decreased 50 million head in the world since the war began NUMBER OF SHEEP IN UNITED STATES U. S. DEP'T. AGR. YEAR BOOK SHEEP IN UNITED STATES State Alabama Arizona Arkansas California .... Colorado Connecticut. . Delaware Florida Georgia. . Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky .... Louisiana .... Maine Maryland .... Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota. . Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico. . New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma. . Sheep Jan., 1917 121,000 1,632,000 124,000 2,524,000 1,950,000 18,000 8,000 119,000 150,000 3,195,000 898,000 1,005,000 1,240,000 348,000 1,155,000 240,000 157,000 223,000 25,000 1,834,000 541,000 193,000 1,370,000 3,744,000 381,000 1,455,000 35,000 29,000 3,300,000 840,000 140,000 250,000 2,944,000 104,000 Increase Decrease Since 1910 Since 1910 22,000 405,000 20,000 117,000 524,000 4,000 5,000 184,666 94,000 76,000 62,666 87,000 300,000 38,000 162,666 332,000 208,000 49,666 14,000 8,000 472,000 97,000 2,000 441,000 1,637,000 62,000 9,000 2,000 47,000 90,000 74,000 43,000 965,000 SHEEP ARE PROFITABLE Oregon 2,484,000 215,000 Pennsylvania . 835,000 48,000 Rhode Island 5,000 2,000 South Carolina 30,000 8,000 South Dakota 658,000 47,000 Tennessee 650,000 145,000 Texas 2,328,000 519,000 Utah 2 089 000 262 000 Vermont 100,000 19,000 Virginia 686,000 119,000 Washington 585,000 109,000 West Virginia 715,000 195,000 Wisconsin 645,000 .... 285,000 Wyoming ....... 4,381,000 1,016,000 Figures from "Agricultural Statistics." SHEEP THE MOST PAYING ANIMAL By George W. Grim, Fremont, Indiana I think that sheep are the most paying animals that the farmer can have on the farm as they eat weeds and sprouts and keep down most foul weeds. A good bunch of ewes make money. The sale of wool comes in the spring when most farmers are short of change, with a good bunch of lambs to sell later on and the old sheep are left. I would not be without a good bunch of ewes on my farm. A BUNCH OF SHEEP ON EVERY FARM 1. They are Profitable. 2. They eat Weeds, 3. They Convert Waste Into Profit. 4. They Improve the Farm's Appearance. 5. They do not Require Expensive Shelter, SHEEP PROFITABLE ON HIGH PRICED LAND Practical Experiences of Nearly Three Thousand Farmers Prove Sheep Growing A Practical and Profitable Business in Corn Belt States— Converts Waste Products Into Profit— Cleans Up the Weeds— Expensive Shelter Not Required — Enriches the Soil SHEEP RAISING PAYS IN IOWA By E. L. Bitterman, Mason City, Iowa Nearly every farmer in the corn belt can keep a flock of 25 to 50 head of sheep on a 160-acre farm with very small cost. Sheep can be pastured on oat fields and also many other fields in the spring when cattle are too heavy. We graze our oat fields every spring for ten days to two weeks, about the last of May before the oats are large enough to shoot. After harvest they are run on the stubble where rape has been sown in the spring. Thus our sheep are not on the real pastures only a few months in the year. I find many farmers like sheep. Sheep have their ups and downs like all classes of stock but on a high- priced Iowa farm our sheep have always paid as well as any other stock. 7.1 ...,.'• — _ (Photo from American Shropshire Registry Assn., La Fayette, Ind.) Sheep in Rye Pasture PROFITABLE FLOCK FROM A SMALL START By A. G. Marshall, Lancaster, Ohio Purchase ten head of good open-wooled ewe lambs or yearlings, all as nearly of a size and type as possible. Have them all docked, put a bell on one of them. See that they are kept clean and well tagged, as no sheep will do well carrying a lot of filth. Turn these ten ewe lambs in the field with cows provided the field is free from cockleburs or burdock. Keep sheep out of foul barnyards or filthy stables to avoid foot rot. With special care these ten ewes will bring $10 per head each year for lambs and wool. I started one man with three lambs — I sold them to him for $2. Dogs had half-killed them. In only a few years he had a bunch of 30 head and sold $100 worth of wool. Some of his sheep weighed 175 pounds. Every farmer should have a flock of sheep. PROFIT OF $600 IN THREE YEARS By J. B. Muchmore, Oblong, Illinois I started three years ago with a small bunch and bought al- together 57 head in three years. I sell off my wool and male lambs and cull every year and I now have a bunch of 42 head of sheep and 30 lambs. I consider I have for my feed and trouble a profit of nearly $600 for three years and my land has been improved by their use. EVERY FARM SHOULD HAVE SHEEP By Harlan Timmons, Morning Sun, Iowa It would be profitable for every farmer to have a bunch of sheep. The manure is very rich and like hen manure, entirely free from weed seeds, and when the land is pastured, it is evenly distributed over the ground. Sheep are the most profitable stock I raise considering the money invested and the quick re- turns. SHEEP NO EXPENSE ONE-HALF OF YEAR By Frank McQuenn, Esmond, Illinois I figure that my sheep cost me nothing six months of the year. As soon as we are through threshing they are turned into the oat field and get no other feed until the. snow comes. I think my sheep are the best paying stock considering the good they do to the land. By all means give the boy good ewes to start with. 9 MADE 125 PER CENT ON CUT-OVER LAND I Make More Money on Sheep Than on Anything I Have, Considering the Money Invested By O. G. Puckett, Sauble, Michigan I will tell you what I am doing here in the cut-over and burnt- over lands of Lake County, Michigan. I bought common ewes and have been using a Shropshire buck. I find that the coarse or medium-wooled sheep give me a greater percentage of lambs than the Merinos, but less wool. Last winter I fed five pounds of silage per day with bean hulls and a little hay. I fed no grain. I am using the sheep to help clear up the underbrush which has grown up here, which is a benefit to the land. For this reason I do not charge the sheep up with pasture. There is more and easier money in sheep than in any other live stock, considering the amount invested. I made 125 per cent on a lamb crop this year. The lambs are not carried through the winter except the ewe lambs needed for building up the flock. When I have to quit raising sheep I will quit the farm. A good many of my neighbors want sheep but they cannot find any here for sale. SHEEP GREATEST PROFIT PRODUCERS By Wright & Wright, Bridgewater, Virginia We keep a rather decent set of books and can show you that the sheep have given the highest per cent of profit of any stock kept on the farm. This has been true for seven or eight years. Shropshire Lambs on Rape Pasture at Purdue Farm, LaFayette, Indiana 10 STARTED IN SHEEP BUSINESS ON $10 By Howard K. Keim, Ridgefield, Washington A beginner bought five cull ewes for a ten dollar bill. The owner turned them in his horse lot and allowed them free access to an empty box stall containing a trough low enough to feed oats. These thin ewes were fed handfuls of oats daily all winter and had good clover hay and some grass. In early spring they dropped eight lambs, three of which were ewes. The best buck lamb was sold for $10 to a neighbor for breeding purposes. Four other lambs brought $17.50 from the butcher. The three ewe lambs were kept to increase the flock. The following spring before shearing and with seven small lambs at foot the lot was sold for $50 and the buyer made money on them. Names and dates could be given if deemed necessary. No other animals kept on the farm will return as large a profit on the investment as a well-cared-for flock of sheep. SHEEP WILL PAY PROFIT OF 50 PER CENT By A. A. Bates & Company, Irwin, Ohio It's just as cheap and much more satisfactory to keep registered sheep as it doesn't cost any more in the end. Ten ewes and a ram at a cost of $275 will almost pay for themselves the first year. They will pay 50 per cent on investment for twenty years if properly handled and managed, but don't think because you have sheep you can expect them to give a good account of themselves unless you look after and feed them properly. DO NOT BECOME DISCOURAGED By John R. Nash, Tipton, Indiana Start in the business when sheep are low in price, then you will not become discouraged. If you meet with a loss, just keep at it. All my life I have bred, fed, and showed sheep. No stock on the farm will pay as large a profit on the investment as a small flock of sheep. A VIRGINIA REPORT By R. M. Lawson, Burkee Garden, Virginia Properly cared for they make more pounds salable food at higher prices than any other stock, food value rated. They should be kept on every suitable farm. 11 SHEEP PAY ON HIGH PRICED LAND Reports from over 1,000 Corn Belt Farmers Show the Aver- age Cost of Feeding a Ewe and Her Lamb to be $4.69 per Year— Lamb and Wool from Ewe Sell for $11.15 More than 1,000 corn belt farmers have given careful reports on the cost of feeding a good ewe for the year 1916 and her lamb to selling time. The majority reporting sold their lambs when weaned. The average feed bill reported for ewe and lamb was $4.69. A few were very much higher and some decidedly lower than the aver- age, as they credited the ewes and lambs with eating weeds and gleaning fields after harvest, but the great majority gave the cost very near the average figure. Rambouillet Lambs It is interesting to note that the figures furnished were from farmers who kept a small bunch of ewes that dropped lambs in early spring and the lambs were sold in early fall. Not Guess Work The reports were not guess-work. Many went into itemized detail of cost. The same men reported the gross income for the year from the sale of the lamb and the ewe's fleece. The average income was $11.15. Reports on income showed less variance than reports on cost. This fact verifies their reliability as in- 12 SHEEP CONVERT WASTE INTO PROFIT 13 come is largely regulated by markets while the cost varies with farm conditions. One significant fact 'is that where the cost of feed was highest, there was almost without exception, a greater corresponding profit from sales of wool and mutton, showing that good feeding plays a big part in sheep profits. The data on the cost of feeding the ewe and lamb, furnished by the farmers, is lower than that given in Experiment Station trials, due to the fact that the ewes and lambs in more than half the reports were not charged with the pasture in stubble fields, barn lots, weed patches, and roadsides. The Pennsylvania Experiment Station, State College, Penn- sylvania, gives some valuable information on cost of feeding breeding ewes in their bulletin on "Maintenance of Breeding Ewes." Registered Sheep Forty-five breeders of registered sheep reported an average yearly cost of $5.60 for ewe and lamb and a yearly income of $32.88 from the sale of the ewe's wool and the sale or value of her lamb. PROFIT FROM SHEEP ON $200 LAND By C. W. Bentley, Sauble, Michigan I started with a pet lamb when I was three years old and have never been without sheep since and never expect to be as long as I live on a farm. If it had not been for my sheep I would not own a farm today. I expect to increase my flock to 200 breeding ewes as fast as I can. I raised sheep on a farm in Ohio where land was worth from $100 to $200 per acre and I can truthfully say I made on an average of 100 per cent on money invested each year and have done even better since in Michigan. I might say further that I spread the manure from those sheep in Ohio on the meadows and the hay was 100 per cent better by so doing. I have found that sheep will live on most any kind of weeds but, like any other kind of stock, better feed, better sheep, better returns, and a great deal more satisfaction. CAN KEEP TEN EWES WITHOUT COST Eat Enough Weeds to Pay Their Way By W. A. McDorman, Selma, Ohio I believe every Corn Belt farm can keep ten ewes to each hun- dred acres without costing a cent. They will eat enough weeds to pay their way and the income will be clear gain. Sometimes we have to study where to put them! They can go in the meadow early in the spring and clean the white top from the hay. They can go in the woods lot a little later, then clean up the lots and yards around the barn and sometimes the roadside, then the stubble fields after threshing. This changing about will help to keep them healthy. If confined to one field or pasture they should have tobacco and salt kept where they can have free access at all times as a preventive of stomach worms. SHEEP KEEP FAT ON RAG WEEDS By S. S. Stettbacher, Alhambra, Illinois I would advise having each field fenced, so that when the crop is harvested the sheep can be turned in and thrive in fields which otherwise would grow up in weeds. Good healthy sheep will thrive on rag weeds. When the corn in laid by the lambs are about ready to wean. The cornfield is a splendid place for them if there is grass or weeds to be cleaned up such as morning glories and green cockleburs. If the corn blows down they must be taken out when it begins to shoot. (Photo from University Extension Service, St. Paul, Minn.) Sheep Converting Brush and Leaves into Wool and Mutton 14 SHEEP CLEAN UP BRUSH LAND By George Y. Tedrow, Guysville, Ohio I would advise every farmer to try a small flock of ewes. They make the most money for the time and capital invested of any stock. I keep some stock cattle, some cows and hogs, and I think sheep pay best. They do not hurt the pastures nearly as much as some think they do. We could hardly keep this brush land in southeastern Ohio under control if it were not for the sheep. There are only a few kinds of weeds in this section that sheep will not eat. / have had cattle pastures covered so thickly with iron weed, cockleburs, and briars, that the cattle could hardly be seen, and after pasturing with sheep a few years there were no iron weeds in the field and very few burs or briars. SHEEP EAT MORNING GLORIES Advise Your Neighbor to Kill His Dog and Get a Bunch By A. H. McKellar, Waterloo, Iowa Give sheep a fresh pasture every year if possible. Sow rape in your oat fields. It will make a fresh pasture and also a very good one. Let them run in the corn fields. They will eat the leaves, grass, and morning glories, and clean everything up fine. Kill your own dog, and advise your neighbor to do the same. Some of the parasite enemies of sheep come directly from dogs. KEEP DOWN NOXIOUS WEEDS By Walter Casler, Ovid, Michigan I always sell my lambs off of grass as soon as they are large enough to bring the top price. The sheep owner should have his farm fenced so that every field can be pastured. Not only will the pasture pay for the fencing in a short time but the sheep will keep down all noxious weeds, and change of pasture is one of the most essential things in sheep raising. I plan to buy a few new ewes every year or two, but if good ewes are kept it is a good plan to save the best ewe lambs. SHEEP CLEAN UP CORN FIELD By David Needham, Virginia, Illinois I think it is profitable to keep a medium-sized flock of sheep on a farm where there is plenty of pasture, so the flock can be changed from one pasture to another. Use them to clean up stubble fields, pastures, and corn fields, where they will eat weeds and the lower blades of corn without damaging the grain to any extent. 15 25 EWES TO EVERY 100 ACRES Convert Briars and Weeds Into Wool and Mutton By G. D. Work, Galena, Ohio I breed the pure-bred Delaine Merino — those big, smooth fellows that raise a handy-weight lamb. My wether lambs one year old in April, when sold in June weighed 80 pounds and brought $5.60. They sheared a 11-pound fleece worth .$3.36. Merinos withstand the ravages of disease better, thus will stand closer herding. Of course, if I were wanting to raise a lamb to go to market at six months old I would prefer a mutton breed. If I were starting life over again I would start with a flock of sheep. I convert all my briars and weeds into wool and mutton and sell it for first-class instead of selling it in hay as second-class material. If every farmer who owns 100 acres of land had 25 brood ewes to start on he would find he would make a larger per cent on money invested than anything he could have about him. My motto is, "Keep Sheep." INDIANA FARMERS SHOULD HAVE SHEEP By W. K. Franklin, Danville, Indiana It might not be profitable nor practical for every farmer to maintain a flock of sheep, yet I think it safe to say that at least 90 per cent of the Indiaria farms could profitably maintain a small flock. (Photo from American Shropshire Registry Ass'n.) Shropshire Lambs Being Fitted for Show. Note the Board Over Rack to Keep Them from Jumping Over Trough 16 BUYS LAMBS TO CLEAN UP WEEDS By Wesley Brubaker, Ashland, Ohio I formerly kept a flock of ewes the entire year, but for the last ten years have fed western lambs. I usually buy them in August or September and they clean up the briars and weeds on the farm for me, but this way of handling sheep is more risky and requires more capital than to get a start in a small way and grow. I plan all my farm crops so as to have plenty of good feed to fatten lambs; nothing beats good clover, hay, and corn. I fre- quently sell small flocks of ewe lambs to my neighbors from my cross-bred Idaho feeding lambs and they always do very nicely. I have one neighbor who has fifty Delaine ewes from which he realizes every year $500 gross. SHEEP IMPROVE LOOKS OF FARM By C. R. Oder, Welton, Illinois Keep the whole farm sheep tight, as sheep will clean out all weeds and brush that grow in the fence corners, and after the corn is eared out they can be turned in the field and will do no damage to the corn. Sheep will clean up a farm in less time than any other animal, excepting the goat. In driving along the road you can tell every farm which keeps sheep even if you don't see them. The fence corners are not full of brush and weeds and the lots are all free from weeds, all of which help the looks of any place. CANNOT FARM WITHOUT SHEEP By A. R. Jacob, Short Creek, West Virginia I enjoy my flock of sheep, they keep the farm so clear of weeds. I think so much of them that I have often remarked, "When I have to quit keeping sheep I will quit farming." I give them full credit for what success I have made as a representative farmer as they are the only class of stock I can clip the coupons from and have the bonds left. OPEN SHEDS IN TENNESSEE By Perry Brown, Spring Hill, Tennessee We have open sheds, and fields fenced so all can be pastured. A deep-milking, long-legged active ewe bred to a Dorset ram is the best for this country. Don't overstock. 17 SHEEP DO NOT REQUIRE EXPENSIVE SHELTER More Than One Thousand Farmers Reported in Favor of Open Sheds For Sheep. Many Did Not House Them Except During Storms and At Lambing Time. SHEEP NOT SHELTERED IN COLORADO By Chas. I. Bray, Associate Professor of Animal Husbandry, State Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colorado Very few sheep men give shelter to their sheep except at lambing time. Alfalfa hay, silage and corn makes the best feed. We advise a man to start with 30 or 40 range ewes, one year old. Use a pure-bred ram and save the best ewe lambs. Buy two or three pure-bred ewes of the same breed as the ram and gradually work into pure-breds. There is a great need for breeders of pure-bred mutton sheep in this state. DON'T KEEP IN TIGHT BUILDINGS By A. R. Runyan, Rochester, Michigan Don't keep sheep in a tight building. Better have an open shed. All they need is a roof and wind break. Don't compel them to eat musty or spoiled feed. Don't compel them to drink tainted water. Don't let them run to hay or straw stacks and get their wool full of chaff and then have to take less for it. DO NOT REQUIRE EXPENSIVE SHELTER By Poirson Bros., Fort Wayne, Indiana We have no expensive shelter for our sheep. Just a well- drained open shed. They are given plenty of range and feed that we grow on the farm with a little oil meal and wheat bran that is purchased. OPEN SHEEP SHEDS IN CANADA By W. H. Beattie, Wilton Grove, Ontario I have thirty sheep on 135 acres. I find that lambs dropped in March do best. I always keep my best ewe lambs and sell the rest when I get a buyer. Have open sheds facing the south. Feed alfalfa, hay, and roots. A man that does not like sheep is better without them. No stock pays better than sheep. They eat all kinds of weeds and keep the land rich. 18 $1,100 PROFIT IN FOUR YEARS Experiences of a Texas Farmer Who Grew into the Business By W. H. Ransberger, Coleman, Texas Seven years ago I bought 23 head of Merino sheep and put them on my 320-acre farm. I had a 20-acre pasture fenced sheep tight. The fourth year my flock clipped 1,215 pounds of wool that sold for $216.50. As sheep increased, I fenced more pasture. At the end of the fourth year I sold out at a net profit of $1,100. I then purchased six ewes and a ram, pure-bred Hampshires, and made a net profit of $107 the first year. Following my plan of growing into the business I think any farmer can be successful with sheep. PROTECT FROM RAIN AND SNOW By W. George Cavan, Sugar Grove, Illinois Have sufficient shelter to protect them from wet and snow. That is all. Select the breed you like best; have a good ram; you will scarcely miss what sheep eat. Always keep your best ewe lambs unless you can buy better ones elsewhere. (Photo from Farmers Advocate.) A Pole Shed Covered with Straw Makes a Good Shelter. Strj Must Be Stacked so as to Turn Water. Sheds Must Be Built on a Well-Drained Location 19 VENTILATION IMPORTANT By J. M. Walker, Middletown, Ohio I have kept sheep five years and they have paid me larger profit on money invested than any stock on my farm. The trouble in this rich farming country is that the average farmer thinks they are too small to bother with. Give them a well ventilated shed for shelter. OPEN SHEDS AND CHANGE PASTURE By C. M. Elkins, Prineville, Oregon We have 200 sheep on 320 acres. Have open sheds and change pasture frequently. Sheep like some weeds better than they do grass. Sow rye in September for early spring pasture. If a sheep bloats give one pint of milk fresh from cow. If milk is not fresh, put in a teaspoonful of turpentine. ORDINARY SHEDS By Robert F. Miller, University of California, Berkeley, California Have ordinary sheds for this climate and fence the farm so as to turn into any field. Start with good grade ewes. Don't buy overfat ewes. They may be barren. Sell off the broken-mouthed ewes and those with spoiled udders. Ewes Cleaning up Grass and Weeds on Roadside 20 SHELTER AT LAMBING TIME By W. E. Green, Francisco, Alabama They need good shelter at lambing time. Sheep are scarce in this country. Give them a change of pasture and good feed and they destroy harmful weeds and bring a nice income. Last August I bought five common ewes and one ram for $21.25. I raised seven lambs and sold them and the ram for $51 and wool for $10.50. I teach the lambs to eat meal when they are young. There is more profit in sheep than in cattle or hogs. HAVE A WELL-VENTILATED SHED By Fred E. Reichert, Ann Arbor, Michigan I would have farm fenced so the sheep could have the run of different fields to avoid stomach worms. Keep them in a well- ventilated shed or barn. I was brought up with sheep and have yet to see the time when they would not pay for the little extra care given by a good herder. HAVE A WINDBREAK FOR SHELTER By W. H. Edick, Pray, Montana A good windbreak for shelter but not a warm shed. Better let them lie in the snow than in a close shed where they will steam and get catarrh. Give them a dry place to lie. They require more attention than horses or cattle but they hand you the pay oftener. NEVER TURN SHEEP OUT IN RAIN By Jacob Goebel, Charlestown, Indiana I always keep my best ewe lambs. Change pastures every two or three weeks — never turn sheep out in rain in winter. I am 71 years old and have raised sheep for over forty years and have made more out of sheep than any other stock. From my sixteen sheep I sold last year $169 worth of lambs and wool. (Photo from Faimers Advocate.) Good Windbreak for the Flock 21 DON'T USE A SCRUB RAM Lambs Sired by Good Ram Sold For $7.35 Per 100 Lbs. Those Sired by a Scrub Ram Sold For $4.50 In 1913 the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station con- ducted a test to show the value of a good ram. Thirty-four Colorado ewes were selected. They were uniform in size and condition and showed a predominance of Merino blood. Grade Western Ewe Good Hampshire Ram (Photos from Missouri Experiment Station.) I • Lamb from Hamp- shire Ram Lambs Like this Sold for $7.35 per 100 pounds Scrub vs. Registered Ram Seventeen were bred to an inferior "scrub" ram and seventeen bred to a fairly good registered Hampshire ram. The lambs were sold at three months of age. The lambs sired by the Hamp- shire ram made 26.6 per cent more daily than those sired by the scrub ram. It took 52.81 pounds of grain to make 100 pounds of gain on 22 IT PAYS TO USE A GOOD RAM 23 the lambs sired by the Hampshire and 88.78 pounds of grain to make 100 pounds of gain on the lambs sired by the scrub ram. Grade Western Ewe Scrub Ram Difference in Lambs The lambs were sold at East St. Louis stock yards. The Hamp- shire lambs sold for $7.35 per 100 pounds, and the scrub lambs sold for $4.50 per 100 pounds. The well-bred lambs were thicker- fleshed, smoother, broader-in-back, and tighter-in-pelt than the scrubs. A few dollars extra spent for a good ram means many dollars in- creased value in the lambs. Lamb From Scrub Ram Lambs Like This Sold for $4.50 per 100 pounds Good Ram More Than Half the Flock Select a ram with a short, thick neck, big, masculine head, wide between the eyes, a prominent poll or crown and a short, broad, clubby nose. A long slim-nosed ram with thin neck and low head will prove a disappointment. Be sure to have a ram with good mutton form, straight back, round-ribbed, full hind quarters and wide, deep chest. Watch his eating and way of moving. One that chews rapidly and is alert and quick of motion is vigorous and usually a good stock ram. GETTING A START WITH SHEEP Don't Start With Too Many— Keep One Breed— Cull the Ewes — Save Best Ewe Lambs With Better start with a few ewes and grow into the business, good care sheep increase rapidly. In a few years a good-sized bunch of ewes can be grown from a small start. Pure-Bred Ewes Sheep need not be pure-bred or registered to be profitable. The average farmer will do better producing sheep and lamls to sell for mutton than producing pure-bred sheep to sell for breeding stock. Selling Breeding Stock The farmer who is a good judge of sheep, understands breeding pure-breds, and is a good salesman, can make the breeding of pure-bred sheep very profitable. Have Ewes All One Breed Whether the ewes are pure-bred or not it is best to have them all of one breed. They look better, their fleeces will be more alike, and their lambs more uniform than from a mixed bunch. The breed is a matter of choice. All of the well established breeds have good qualities. Kind of Ewes — Sort out Delicate Ones Discard ewes with small bodies, narrow chests, and those that are small around the heart; also the ones with crooked and club feet that are apt to catch and hold filth between the toes. Ideal Type of Breeding Ewe. Note Short Neck, Straight Back and Roomy Middle. Property of J. C. Andrew. We.t Point, Ind. 24 SHEEP IMPROVE THE FARM'S APPEARANCE 25 Keep Big Blocky Ewes — Save Best Ewe Lambs Sheep that have long, thin, "goose" necks usually have weak constitutions and are poor feeders. Select up-headed, stylish ewes with broad backs, roomy bodies and plump hind quarters. Have them uniform in size, mate them with good rams of the same breed, keep the choicest ewe lambs, and the farm flock will improve in value and returns each year. Young Ewes There are several ways of getting started with sheep. One way to start is to buy a few good young ewes and a pure-bred ram, all of one breed — this is the best way. It is not always possible to secure good young ewes. The price one would have to pay for them is sometimes prohibitive. Old Ewes Sometimes the beginner can buy a few old ewes and by giving them good care prolong their lives and raise some valuable lambs. This is a less expensive way of starting than buying young ewes. This way also requires more care and is more uncertain. Some- times well-bred ewes that are too old to live with the rest of the sheep, with common farm care will live long enough to produce two or three lambs if given a little extra attention. Starting With Lambs Sometimes the owner of a large flock will sell the small lambs cheaply at weaning time, and the beginner can secure a few small ewe lambs from a good breeder and by giving them good care develop a fine bunch of ewes. A few small sheep placed by themselves and given the run of a farm will develop wonder- fully. Mixed Ewes Many men have started with a bunch of mixed ewes and by using good rams and saving the best ewe lambs had in a few years a uniform, valuable bunch of ewes. Cross Breeding When cross breeding is practiced to produce mutton lambs it is better to have the ewes all of one breed and not keep the cross-bred lambs for breeders. This means buying new ewes to keep up the ewe flock or else every two or three years mating part of the ewes with a ram of the same blood and keeping the ewe lambs from this mating for breeding purposes. 26 TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR SHEEP How Old To Breed Ewe lambs of the mutton breeds will mate soon after they are weaned from their mothers, and produce lambs when one year old or even younger. If this is permitted it stops their development and stunts them in size. Ewes should not be bred until they are one year old and some practical sheep men do not breed them until two years of age. SHED BETTER THAN BARN BASEMENT By Peter Tubbs, Seymour, Wisconsin Have been keeping sheep for forty-five years. I would advise keeping twenty-five sheep on 160 acres. A cheap shed is better than a barn basement for shelter. Keep them separate from cattle, horses and hogs. They do not need much attention but the better you treat them the larger will be the returns. WILL STAND ABUSE, BUT GOOD CARE PAYS By Grover Krantz, Canal Dover, Ohio A man that has had no experience had better start in the sheep business on a small scale, as no other stock requires the detailed care that sheep do to have them do their best. But on the other hand, they will stand as much abuse and poor care and make more money than other stock. A Good Ewe Will Give More Milk for Feed Consumed Than the Best Dairy Cow. Ewes' Milk Fed to Fat Lambs Will Produce More In- come Per Gallon than Cows' Milk Sold in the Can or Made Into Butter. The Lambs Do Their Own Milking. The Ewe Has a Fleece and the Cow Has Not. PROFITABLE SHEEP MANAGEMENT Plan For Keeping Bunch of Ewes One Year, Commencing November 1st Up to November 1st the ewes can pasture in the different fields and lots. If they are in good flesh and the pasture plentiful they can be kept in the Corn Belt up to this time without grain feed. Light Grain Feed — Ear Corn It is well, however, to begin about the middle of October, sometimes sooner, to give them a light grain feed once a day. This can be one-half ear of corn to each ewe, fed on the grass or in a wide, flat-bottomed trough, allowing the ewes to shell the corn themselves. Oats can be fed if they are grown on the farm. The amount of grain to feed in the fall depends on the pasture and condition of the ewes. Flat-Bottomed Troughs All grain troughs for sheep should have flat bottoms. V-shaped troughs allow the sheep to get too much feed in their mouths at once and they will waste much of it when changing places at the trough. Time to Breed Ewes If early lambs are wanted the ewes will be bred before Novem- ber 1st. Ewes bred November 1st will begin lambing about April 1st. It is the practice of many farmers to breed their ewes in Novem- ber so that the lambs are born in April, when the weather is getting warm and the pastures are beginning to furnish grass for the ewes. Advantages of April Lambs It does not take as much feed or shelter for April-born lambs as for earlier ones yet there are good sheep men who claim that where there is warm shelter, plenty of clover or alfalfa hay and good silage to feed the ewes, the lambs are more profitable if born in February or March. Advantages of Early Lambs In Winter and early Spring the outdoor farm work is not so urgent. More time can be spent caring for the lambs. Early 27 28 SEPARATE RAM FROM EWES DURING WINTER lambs learn to eat hay and grain before they are turned to pasture, thus getting a start ahead of later lambs. This makes them better able to withstand parasites and they can be fattened for earlier and better markets. Breeding the Ewes — Care of the Ram If there are only a few ewes and the ram is strong and vigorous, he can be turned with the ewes at breeding time and left with them for one month. If there are more than fifty ewes the ram should be kept away from them at night or a part of each day and fed and given water in a stall or lot where he cannot see the ewes. Feed Box For Ram The ram can be fed while running with the ewes by giving him some grain in a small box so that the ewes cannot steal it from him. Take Ram Away From Ewes The ram can be allowed to stay with the ewes until winter when he should be taken away from them. If he stays with the ewes through the winter he will eat too much, get "bossy," and bunt the ewes about, often causing abortions. Shelter From Storms When the weather begins to grow cold in October and Novem- ber sheep should have shelter from rains. The important part of this shelter is the roof. It can be an open shed on one or more sides and there should be a fence or door to keep the sheep in during rains as they will not always go in out of storms, es- pecially if the storm comes at night after they have selected their place to lie. Sheep that are out in soaking fall or winter rains followed by cold weather get catarrh or "snuffles," suffer and lose flesh. Ewes in Stalk Fields Ewes can be turned into stalk fields after the corn is harvested. If the husking is carelessly done, leaving many ears in the field, there is danger of the ewes getting too much corn, causing founder. If the corn is fairly well gathered there is no danger. The ewes will not need grain fed to them while they can get ears in the field. FEED SILAGE TO SHEEP 29 Turnips, Rape and Rye Turnips, rape, soy beans or vetch sowed in the corn at last cultivation will often furnish much fall and early winter feed. Early-sowed rye makes good fall, winter, and spring pasture. Sheds and Hayracks As winter approaches with hard freezing and snows, sheds and racks for feeding hay must be provided. Silage and Alfalfa for Ewes There is no better roughage for sheep than alfalfa hay. Next to it is clover, soy bean and pea hay. Early-cut oat hay is ex- cellent roughage for ewes. An ideal winter feed for breeding ewes is from three to five pounds per day of good corn silage to each ewe, and what alfalfa hay they will eat up clean. The silage should be made from well-matured, well-eared corn. If there is no alfalfa, clover or protein roughage they should have some oil meal, cotton seed meal, wheat bran, or a mixture of these to furnish protein. Corn fodder can be fed to the ewes in racks, shredded or cut, or whole stalks can be scattered on the frozen ground (better out on the pasture), where they can pick the blades off. Clean Feeding Ground Never feed fodder or hay day after day in the same place on the ground. Sheep do not like to eat from a place where they must muss over the feed. Bad Practice of Feeding Fodder Day after Day in the Same Place. Sheep Will Not Eat Feed They Have Tramped Over Unless Driven To It By Hunger. 30 GROW YOUR PROTEIN FOR SHEEP Shock Corn When silage is not available, breeding ewes can be wintered up to near lambing time on shock corn and alfalfa. The ewes can be fed the shock corn on frozen ground or pasture when the weather is not stormy. Feed the shock corn sparingly until the ewes learn to husk it themselves — then they can be fed enough shock corn to make one large ear to each ewe per day. The ears are easily counted as the shock corn is scattered, always allowing a few ears extra if it is a large bunch of ewes. Feed the alfalfa in racks at evening. There are numerous combinations of feeds for ewes. The feeds to be fed depend upon the feeds that you can grow on your farm and the kinds that you can buy the cheapest, providing they are good and suitable feeds. Ewes Must Have Protein — Grow It Breeding ewes should not be allowed to become thin in flesh. They should always have protein feed in winter such as alfalfa, clover or bean hay, oil meal, wheat bran, brewers grains, or gluten feed, to maintain their muscle and blood supply and to develop the unborn lambs. Cotton seed meal is a good protein feed and can be fed safely with silage. It is always best to grow the clover or alfalfa to provide protein and not buy too much expensive feed. Lambing Time Watch the ewes closely at lambing time to see that the new- born lambs do not get lost from their mothers and that they get the first mess of milk promptly — after that, they will stand considerable cold and will look after themselves in a surprising manner if they have good mothers. Don't neglect them. (Photo from Oklahoma Experiment Station) Creep for the Lambs by Means of Which the Lambs may be Fed Separately From the Older Sheep HAVE A CREEP FOR THE LAMBS 31 Hurdled and Pens It is a good plan to have hurdles six to eight feet long made of light boards or lath, which may be set across corners of the sheep house to make separate pens for the ewes while their lambs are young. The hurdles can be tied in place with string or wire. Separate pens are especially important with ewes that have twins, to keep the ewe and lambs together, so that the ewe will not disown one of the lambs. Keep Hogs and Stock Away Keep hogs and other stock away from the ewes and lambs. Hogs will eat the lambs while they are young and horses and cattle will tramp and injure them if confined in the same yards or sheds. Shear Early and Dip After Shearing Early shearing is always advisable if there is shelter for the ewes on cold nights and from rain. If there are ticks on the ewes dip both ewes and lambs right after shearing. Be sure to dip the lambs as the ticks will move to the lambs after the ewes are shorn. Ewe Like Dairy Cow Ewes should be fed like dairy cows if they are to produce a lot of milk. Don't feed a ewe much grain for a day or two after the lamb is born — then her feed can be increased until the lamb learns to eat hay, grain, and grass, when her feed can be reduced and more given to the lamb. Creep For Lambs Build a creep for the lambs (a creep is a panel of fence with This Feeding Trough Keeps Lambs from Jumping Into Their Feed 32 KEEP LAMBS OUT OF FEED TROUGHS slats or palings far enough apart to let the lambs through but not the ewes), and place a feeding trough inside the creep in which the lambs can be fed. Lamb Feeding Trough Always make a lamb trough so the lambs cannot jump into it and soil their feed (see illustration on preceding page). Feed for the lambs at first can be wheat bran, cracked corn, a little oil meal, or any clean ground feed until they learn to eat. Then they can be fed cracked corn and oats, oil meal and silage, or any good feed or combination of feeds. Keep Lambs Out of Hay Racks Fix the hay racks for both ewes and lambs so the lambs cannot get upon the hay with their feet (lambs delight in climbing into racks). Give the lambs choice bits of alfalfa or clover hay. They will soon learn to eat silage. When to Sell Lambs A fat lamb at weaning time (lambs should be weaned when four months old) , will usually bring as much as it will two months later and often as much as it will bring after being fattened in the winter. It is the practice on many farms to sell the lambs right off the ewes ; others keep the lambs to fatten and sell during the winter; others do not sell the lambs until they are one year old, thus getting one fleece from them. Shearing is advisable with the fine wools as they produce heavier fleeces and do not mature quite so rapidly as the mutton breeds. Keep Best Ewe Lambs Keep a few of the best ewe lambs each year and discard a few of the older and less useful ewes. Summer Feed When lambs are to be sold at weaning time it is usually profitable to feed them grain until they are sold. This can be done by building a pen or creep in the pasture in which to feed them. If the pasture is good and the lambs are fed grain liberally, feeding the ewes grain can be discontinued when the lambs are two months old. Lambs grown for feeders, to be fattened during the winter need not be fed as much grain during the summer, as lambs that are to be sold at weaning time. TURN LAMBS IN THE CORNFIELD 33 A Few Sheep Without Grain Where there are but few sheep on the farm and there is plenty of range, fat lambs can sometimes be grown without feeding either ewes or lambs grain after the grass is plentiful. Fresh Pasture Prevents Worms If the ewes and lambs can have a fresh pasture every two weeks until the lambs are weaned, there will be little danger from stomach worms. Where there are only a few ewes on a farm this plan can be worked out. If it is not possible to have change of pastures a close watch must be kept for indications of stomach worms. (See page 48.) By all means furnish the lambs fresh pasture after they are weaned. Rape Patch on Every Farm A small patch of rape is valuable on every farm for lamb and hog pasture. (Photo Courtesy Pa. State College.) This combination hay and grain rack, designed by Mr. Chas. W. Carothers, Taylorstown, Pa., keeps the sheep from wasting hay and protects the fleece from chaff and seeds. The sheep must pull the hay through the slats in order to get it and the trough catches the leaves that shatter off, thus saving the best part of the hay. With poorly made feed racks sheep sometimes waste as much feed as they cat. 34 EWES WILL CLEAN UP THE FARM Rape and sweet clover can be sowed with oats in spring and after oat harvest the rape and clover will furnish excellent pasture. Lambs in Cornfield If the lambs are not sold at weaning time there is no better place for them than in the cornfield to eat weeds and lower blades of corn. Provide Water Always arrange so that both ewes and lambs can get pure water. Sheep will get along on pasture without water but they will do better with it. Salt and Tobacco Sheep and lambs should have salt where they can get to it the year round. It will do no harm to have tobacco stems where the lambs can always get them; they will help prevent stomach worms. Let the Ewes Clean Up the Farm After the lambs are weaned the ewes can be used to clean up lots and fields on any part of the farm. From August to November they can have the run of meadows, stubble fields, and wheat fields until the wheat comes up, eating volunteer grain and the grass and weeds along the fences. They can spend a few days in each of the barn lots. It will not harm mature ewes to occasionally confine them on weed patches until they clean up the weeds thoroughly. Docking and Castrating Big healthy lambs can be docked and castrated when three days old, but it is safer with average lambs to wait until one week old. The earlier this work can be done with safety the less will be the shock to the lambs. It is not necessary to dock and castrate the lambs if they are to be sold before they are three months old. Always Disinfect Always disinfect tools, hands, and wounds when castrating and docking lambs. There is nothing better for this than reliable sheep dip, mixed with warm water according to directions. Cut Tails With Sheep Shears Young lambs ' tails can be quickly cut off with a pair of sharp sheep shears with stiff springs. Let the operator stand astride of DOCKING AND CASTRATING 35 the lamb, holding it between his legs with its head behind him. With the thumb and finger of left hand pull the skin at the root of the tail toward the lamb's body, and snip off the tail, leaving a stub about one inch long. When the skin is released by the left hand it moves back and helps to cover over the wound. Always disinfect the hands and shears before operating. Have the disinfecting fluid in a large pan and lay the shears in the pan while not using them; also dip the hands in the pan. Castrating A pair of sharp shears with a stiff spring are better than a knife for use in castrating young lambs. Keep a close watch on the lambs after docking and castrating that maggots do not get in the wounds. Sore Eyes Young lambs sometimes have sore eyes. Don't neglect them. Wash them with a mild solution of sheep dip. Often sore eyes are caused by the eyelid 's rolling in and irritating the ball. This trouble is frequent with Merinos, both lambs and older sheep. This can be cured by nipping out with a pair of sharp shears a "button hole" about one inch long and one-quarter inch wide in the skin above or below, whichever lid it should be. Cut close to the lid but not too deep. As the "button hole" heals the skin is drawn back, pulling the lid open. WARM WEATHER BRINGS MAGGOTS Maggots hatch from the eggs of the blow fly. Blow flies are apt to lay their eggs in the wool on any part of the sheep's body if the wool is kept wet by continued rains. Keep the sheep tagged or trimmed so no manure will get on the wool. Watch the sheep closely for maggots. Any good sheep dip will kill them. SILAGE FOR SHEEP Good silage made from mature corn is a safe and dependable sheep feed in the hands of a careful feeder. Sour or mouldy si- lage will kill sheep. Lambs can be fed up to two pounds of silage daily and older sheep up to five pounds. Some good sheep men feed ewes suckling lambs, all the silage they will eat. Clover or alfalfa hay should be fed with si- lage. The amount of grain fed with silage depends on the amount of corn in the silage. The writer has win- tered breeding ewes and fattened lambs successfully on corn silage, made from ma- ture corn with large ears on it, and alfalfa hay, with no other feeds. Start the sheep on silage by giving them very little at a time. Sheep on Farm of O. C. Shaffel, New Castle, Indiana Don't give the sheep a big mess of silage the first feed after they have been away from it a while. Be careful not to feed mouldy or spoiled silage to sheep. Don't feed the silage from around the silo doors, no matter how good it appears to be. 36 HOW TO CARE FOR BREEDING EWES By C. L. Freed, Lancaster, Ohio My grain feed consists of two parts oats, one part corn. Breed- ing ewes are also fed some bran and oil meal. I take good care of my sheep and lambs at lambing time. Protect the ewes and lambs from cold winds and draughts, and arrange their quarters so that no lamb can get out under or fast in anything. I usually have pens 3^ x ^1A fee* l°ng f°r tne ewes with y°ung lambs and twins. Shear all tags well away around udder before lamb- ing. See that the young lamb drains both sides of the udder, and when there is an orphan carry it along with the use of bottle and cows milk until a foster mother is available for it. Put it with her in a pen and make her own it. BE ON THE JOB AT LAMBING TIME By John Foster, Williamsburg, Ohio Lambing time is a very critical time and a man must be on the job and know what to do. There are many little things to learn connected with the sheep business. Sometimes a ewe will have twins and, feeling sore and sick, has a desire to walk off and leave them. Your attention is needed to gather the little fellows up and place them in a small pen with her so that they are separated from the flock. Nine times out of ten she will raise the lambs. I have saved many a pair of lambs that way. Another thing which happens very often is that a wax forms in the end of the nipple and the little fellow has not the strength to pull it out. ONE EAR OF CORN AND PASTURE FOR EWES By W. D. Spence, Fairbury, Illinois Start with ten good mutton ewes and a pure-bred ram. About August 1st I begin feeding each ewe an ear of corn a day on pasture. This seems to make them mate earlier and my lambs arrive about February 1st. After the ewes are bred I let them clean up stubble fields, fence corners, and weed patches, until after corn husking when they go to the stalk fields, where they stay until almost time for the lambs to come. Put them in a shed in stormy weather. Give them good care during lambing and feed both ewes and lambs a little grain. 37 HOW TO COMBAT SHEEP PARASITES By H. J. Renk, Boise, Idaho Saving the lamb crop is the key to success or failure. The ewes should lamb early and wean early. Put out on fresh suc- culent feed that has not been pastured by sheep before, to dodge the stomach worms and other internal parasites which take such a large toll of native lambs annually. Sow about two pounds Dwarf Essex rape seed and a few pounds of red clover and turnip seeds with grain crop every spring and you will have a fine fall pasture for lambs. A thin, weak sheep or lamb is very susceptible to internal parasites or any disease. A great many diseases are warded off by nature when a sheep is in good flesh and has abundance of exercise. Never allow sheep to get thin or run down. In hot weather be on the lookout for blow flies, as maggots will hatch from their eggs in a few days and begin eating the host up alive. Use coal tar dips diluted in water. KEEP UP STOCK WITH EWE LAMBS By Clark James, Princeton, Illinois I will buy a carload of young western ewes and use registered Shropshire bucks. Will dip ewes twice for ticks when received, and once every year both ewes and lambs will be dipped after shearing. By keeping 100 ewes I can ship a car of sheep every fall by keeping up the old stock with ewe lambs and culling old ewes with spoiled udders. Unless I have a carload or part of one and divide the car I fill in with hogs. It's hard to dispose of a few. If only ten or fifteen sheep are wanted to keep down weeds, etc., home con- sumption and the local butcher can handle the surplus. RAPE WITH OATS FOR SHEEP PASTURE By J. S. Bumgarner, McNabb, Illinois I sow rape with my oats and after harvest can carry from three to five ewes and lambs per acre until time to plow in the fall. I usually get from two and one-half to three months pasture in that way. I wean the lambs and put them in a cornfield in which rape was sowed at last cultivation. I also sow some rye early for fall and early spring pasture. If lambs are to be sold by June 1st they need not be castrated. If they are to run until fall by all means alter and dock them. 38 HOTHOUSE LAMB BUSINESS PAYS By Wendell P. Miller, Fairlands Farm, Sunbury, Ohio Hothouse lambs have furnished an important part of the winter meat supply of the larger cities for the past 25 years. When we first heard of the growing demand for these winter lambs it seemed to us that Central Ohio was too far from New York to safely send fresh meat without refrigeration, also it looked like an expert butcher would be required. Both these fears however were without foundation, for the express trains carry the meat safely and the butchering is very simple. Twenty years ago 10- week-old lambs sold for 18 to $10 each from Thanksgiving to Easter, while last year we sold several at $15 apiece and the market demand was not filled. The Best Breeds In starting the hothouse lamb business the first requisite is to get a flock of ewes that will breed in the spring. We prefer Merino-Dorset ewes and Tunis rams. The lambs from this cross fatten early, the dark faces and short wool add much to the appearance, and the well-fattened carcass has just the proper pinkness of flesh to suit the New York trade. Another point in favor of the grade Tunis is the heavy development of the caul fat, which adds greatly to the finished appearance of the carcass. May is the favorite month with us for breeding. If possible it would be best not to have the lambs born until the flock is ready to go into winter quarters, for in this way they would entirely escape stomach worms and can be gotten to eating grain much younger. Best Feed for Breeding Ewes If the pasture has not been abundant we begin to feed the Ewes and Hothouse Lambs at Purdue Farm, La Fayette, Ind. 39 40 FEEDS FOR EWES AND IAMBS ewes about two weeks before lambing starts. Corn and some protein feed usually make up the ration. Remove mothers from the main flock. In case of Dorset or grade Dorset ewes with only one lamb it will be necessary to watch the udders for the first week and remove surplus milk. After that feed the ewes to give all the milk possible. Lambs whose mothers do not give sufficient milk will soon learn to utilize this excess if the ewe is held for them. When the lambs are two weeks old we put cracked corn and bran before them and their troughs are never empty except for cleaning three times a day. Oats, barley, or gluten is often added to give variety and stimulate the appetite, for we want the lamb to eat as much as possible at this early age. Bright clover, alfalfa, or soy bean hay is as necessary for the lambs as for the ewes, but the lambs should have theirs changed several times a day, as they will eat only the finer stems and leaves. Silage Good for Hothouse Lambs Clean water and salt must be accessible to the lambs as well as to the ewes at all times. Corn silage has been the essential part of the ewes' ration since we commenced raising hothouse lambs. It is fed twice a day and supplemented with oats, cottonseed meal, gluten, distiller's grains, or a mixed feed. A light feed of hay is given along with each feed of silage. The lambs are fed in a room shut off from the ewes by a creep, the slats of which should be just eight inches apart. When the lambs pass through this fence with difficulty they are big enough to butcher, the live weight being 45 to 55 pounds. The uninformed person is often led to think from the term "hot- house" that the lambs are raised in an artificially heated build- ing, but this is not the case as the only protection needed is that against cold, wind, rain and snow. On pleasant days the barn should be opened as much as possible and the air should be kept very pure at all times. Sunlight is especially desirable in the "lamb parlor" as we call the creep. The barn is kept clean with a light bedding of straw each day. Let nothing disturb the lambs or their mothers. How to Dress Lambs for Market The method of dressing the carcass has always been similar to hog dressing. At present only the stomach and attached organs are removed, the liver, lungs, heart and kidneys remaining untouch- ed in natural position. The head is not removed until late in the HOW TO DRESS LAMBS FOR MARKET 41 spring. The preparation for market requires some skill in the finishing of the carcass. It is very important that they be thoroughly bled out by sticking the vein and artery in the neck close behind the head with a sharp pointed knife. Make sure that the artery is severed by noticing if the blood is bright red in color. For ease in dressing we suspend the lamb by the hind feet with a loop of binder twine around each leg, from a short single tree or stick bolted to the rafters. The belly is shorn closely from the brisket to the tail and up the inside of hind legs. Wipe the skin on the flanks clean with a dry piece of burlap. Open the lamb from tail to brisket and as the stomach falls out remove the caul fat and place it where it will remain warm. In cold weather place it in warm water. Back-set sticks are placed diagonally across the back to spread the carcass open and hold it firm. Dressed Lambs Should Be Attractive Carefully spread the caul fat over all the exposed flesh and pin it in place with a good grade of hardwood toothpicks. Make small slits in the caul over the kidneys and pull them through. It is here that care must be taken to make the carcass look attractive. Hang the finished carcass in a clean room to cool for 12 to 24 hours, usually overnight. In the morning a small square of muslin is placed over the exposed flesh and sewed in place with strings across the back. Then burlap is wrapped about the entire carcass if the lambs are to shipped singly or the crate is lined with burlap if sent in a crate. Part of the time we ship in small crates holding four lambs packed tight, and part of the time loose with only the burlap for protection. This will depend upon the commission man you send to and the number of railroad changes necessary. For the commission men the lambs should arrive in New York not later than Friday morning, preferably earlier in the week. The first quotations on the New York market are made just before Thanksgiving. Commission men give the regular shipper careful attention. In some cases it is possible to arrange for a private trade, which will make the business more profitable. The demand for lambs continues active until after Easter. HAVE CREEP FOR LAMBS By D. D. Clifton, LaRue, Ohio About one month before lambing time tag the ewes by trimming off the dirt and the locks and wool from around the udder, so the lambs will have no trouble in nursing. When the lambs begin to come stay with the flock as much of the time as can be spared from other duties, for some of the ewes will need help and some of the lambs will be weak and will need help to get their first milk. After nursing once they will usually take care of themselves. When the lambs are about two weeks old they should be trimmed and docked. We have found the heated docking pincer the most satisfactory instrument to use. After the lambs are two weeks old make a creep where the lambs can feed at their leisure and the ewes cannot get in, and keep equal parts bran and ground oats before them all the time. Let them have all they can eat. SHEEP DIP CURES STOMACH WORMS By C. L. Robb, Cadiz, Ohio We have used sheep dip for stomach worms and prefer it to the gasoline treatment as it is less severe on the sheep and we think it a very efficient remedy. We give about one teaspoonful of dip mixed with two-thirds pint of water. Older sheep may be given half teaspoonful more. Like all remedies it is best given after fasting from twelve to sixteen hours, and should be repeated in a few days. We have also used the dip mixed with salt and kept before the sheep, using from two to four tablespoons to a gallon of salt, with good results. This also tends to keep flies from the sheep's nose. We never lost a sheep from using the dip treat- ment, but care should be used when giving any treatment not to strangle the sheep. INCOME ALMOST FABULOUS By L. B. Eidmann, Mascoutah, Illinois I sold lambs about the 25th of March that brought $8 per head, weighing a little over forty pounds. Several of my ewes raised two this year which sold for that figure. The gross income per ewe would be almost fabulous. The fleece netted me over $4. I cannot say if all corn belt farms should have sheep. So many farmers are such careless stockmen that no stock will do well in their hands. 42 TURN HOGS AND LAMBS INTO CORN FIELD Corn Belt Farmers Should Turn Them into the Field in August The cost of harvesting a corn crop is as great as the cost of growing it. It is a good plan to sow some rape and soy beans in the corn at last cultivation. It would be fine to have a strip of both rape and soy beans along one side of the corn field. When the corn is full grown, turn lambs into the cornfield to eat the lower blades and weeds. The lambs will get an occasional ear of corn. By the time the corn is ripe the lambs will be on full feed of corn that they have pulled down. Now turn hogs in with them and let them ah1 fatten together. The lambs will soon get used to the hogs and will eat much of the corn that the hogs break down. By this method the gain on the lambs is almost all extra profit. The weeds in the corn fields and the lower blades of corn that go to waste in the corn belt would make thousands of dollars' worth of high grade mutton, if good lambs were turned into the corn fields in August. Lambs Eating Weeds and Lower Blades of Corn. 43 LAMBING OFF CORN WILL SAVE LABOR By J. Orton Finley, Knox County, Illinois My lambs and ewes did a splendid job of harvesting corn last year. They not only ate all the leaves off the stalk and all the corn off the cob, but they polished the stalks as well. We pastured off nearly 75 acres of corn in our fields with lambs, ewes, and a few shotes, and I am frank to say that my feeders have never done better. At night the ewes and lambs came into the yards for a feed of silage, alfalfa, and some cottonseed meal. They never went into the field when muddy. Saved $200 in Labor When it came time to husk, labor was scarce and prices high. I bought a half mile of wire fence and gave them ten acres at a time, the lambs going over the field first, followed by the ewes and shotes as the lambs passed on to a new ten acres. This saved me $200 in husking and extra labor in feeding. Kept moving the fence back last season until 75 acres were harvested, and I expect to do the same again this season. [Mr. Finley's lambs usually top the market. He was the first man in the world to receive $11.15 a hundred for a car of lambs. A lamb never leaves the farm until his ribs have been touched to determine the degree of fatness. If he is not fat that lamb stays at home. Uniformity of breeding, finish, and quality is one reason why Mr. Finley's lambs are always market toppers.] Sheep Eating Corn Leaves that Would Otherwise go to Waste and at the Same Time Cleaning up the Weed Seeds 44 LAMB FEEDING PROFITABLE WAY TO MARKET FARM FEEDS There Are 5,000 Corn Belt Farmers Who Should Be Growing Alfalfa and Feeding Their Corn to Lambs Instead of Hauling It to Elevators By Roscoe M. Wood, Douglas, Wyoming, and Saline, Michigan Feeding lambs on the farm is a practical and profitable method of marketing much coarse feed which would otherwise bring little return to the farmer. This business is a development of the last twenty years and in that time its character has changed much. Two Kinds of Lamb Feeding Lamb feeding is practically of two kinds: The pasture and cornfield proposition of late summer and fall and the winter feeding in sheds on hay and corn. Whether a farmer pursues one or both systems there are several factors which apply with equal force. We Must Like the Business First — A man must have a liking for handling sheep. We read of occasional amateurs making phenomenal profits with their first bunch of feeding lambs, but these are like the pros- pectors who discover a fabulously rich mine — we do not hear of the men who lose. To fatten lambs requires observance of their peculiarities and humoring of their appetites. The same per- son should do the feeding — they should have their feed at regular intervals — both feed and water must be clean. Other animals should not have access to their pasture or feed lot, nor should any disturbance be permitted to excite them. Western Range Lambs Best In feeding the first thing is the lambs. Western range lambs are generally better than natives. They are free from disease. One lot runs of an even grade and they handle better in sizable flocks. Lambs weighing 52 to 60 pounds showing good bone and feeding capacity are most desired. Lambs carrying some Merino blood are hardier, make better gains, and are freer from death loss. These lambs can be bought in car lots through a reliable commission house at one of the leading markets or of a local dealer who may have bought on the market or direct from the range grower. -..-a*^ 45 46 TEACH LAMBS TO EAT GRAIN Be Careful in Feeding However secured, they should be handled carefully when first brought to the farm. A timothy or blue-grass pasture is better than clover at first until the lambs are well filled and re-- covered from the shrinkage incident to shipping; or if put in the barn their feed should be limited until they have satisfied their hunger. Free access to salt should not be permitted. Given twice a week at regular intervals and scattered in the grain troughs is better. Oats for Lambs In accustoming lambs to grain we have found that putting oats in the troughs and sprinkling a small amount of salt over them will teach the lambs to eat grain most quickly, without a few getting too much. For this purpose oats are best as there is practically no danger of overeating. In a week's time corn can be added and the oats reduced and by the end of thirty days corn alone can be used. Many successful feeders, however, prefer during the entire feeding period, a mixture of oats, corn, and a little wheat bran, or dried beet pulp; linseed cake is also a profitable feed, but corn is the main grain. In beginning grain feeding it requires a quarter-pound per head per day, gradually increased to one pound per day and the last two or three weeks of feeding, all the grain the lambs will clean up at a feed even to \Y^ to 1% pounds per head. It is very import- Lamb Feeding on an Illinois Farm. Note the Silos ALFALFA THE BEST ROUGHAGE 47 ant that the increase should be gradual. Much loss has been occasioned by too sudden increase in the feeding of grain. Alfalfa Excellent Roughage For roughage clover hay has no superior. Alfalfa, where pos- sible to secure, is excellent. In case of shortage of these feeds corn fodder, bean pods, oat straw, any or all will help out a short- age of clover hay, but some of the latter is essential. A large share of the profit in lamb feeding is secured by transforming these coarse feeds into marketable form and putting much of them back upon the land in the form of manure, thereby increasing the fertility of the soil. Cornfield Feeding In feeding lambs in the cornfield give them free access to it at all times after they are used to the pasture and surroundings. A good pasture in connection with the cornfield gives best re- sults, Pure water, accessible at all times, is essential. Rape sown in the corn at time of last cultivation furnishes most ac- ceptable roughage at a minimum cost. Clean Racks and Troughs Cleanliness, regularity and proper feeding are three important requisites to profitable lamb feeding. Hay racks must not be burdened with hay or roughage which has been picked and mussed over; grain troughs must always be clean and dry, no manure nor filth being permitted; water troughs or tubs must be likewise. A lamb's appetite is a perfect clock — he is hungry for his feed at the same time each day. Do not disappoint him by failing to have his grain before him when he wants it. Proper feeding consists in giving just the right amount each time and especially not too much. The lambs should clean up the grain troughs quickly and at the same time plenty should be given. The lamb's appetite must be watched and humored. For instance, he will assimilate more feed in cold, dry weather than when it is warm and wet. The most successful feeder is he who watches his lambs and humors them most, for then they gain best. STOMACH WORMS CAN BE PREVENTED Change Pasture Every Two Weeks — Wean Lambs Early — Put Lambs in Corn and Stubble Fields — Feed Tobacco Stems the Year Round Next to dogs, stomach worms are the most dangerous enemy of sheep and lambs. They do not always seriously affect older sheep, but hundreds of lambs suffer and die from this pest. How Lambs Become Infested The worms live in the fourth stomach. Mature sheep can look healthy, yet carry over winter enough worms to kill all the lambs the following summer. The eggs are scattered with the droppings on pastures where they hatch and the young lambs gather them up with the grass. There is no danger in cold weather. As soon as the weather is warm the eggs hatch and if the lambs are kept on the infested fields, trouble and loss is sure to follow. Symptoms of Stomach Worms Lambs get droopy and dull — sometimes refuse to eat and lose flesh rapidly. Often there is swelling under the jaws. The bowels are loose and offensive and the skin gets chalky white instead of pink as it should be on a healthy sheep. Death often results unless effective and early treatment is given. (Courtesy Lousiana Experiment Station.) Lamb Infested by Stomach Worms 48 PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE 49 "Paper Skin" is the old name for the white, "papery" ap- pearance of the skin of sheep suffering from stomach worms. Prevention is the best cure. If the farm is fenced so the ewes and lambs can be changed to an entirely fresh pasture every two weeks until the lambs are sold, or weaned and turned into stubble or cornfields, there will be little danger from worms. Tobacco Prevents Stomach Worms Tobacco dust or stems chopped fine and placed where sheep and lambs can always have access to them will help prevent stomach worms. Instances have been reported where lambs that have had tobacco stems to eat remained healthy all summer on old pasture. There are worm powders and medicated salts on the market for which claims are made. Keeping tobacco stems before sheep the year round is a cheap and apparently effective preventive, but by all means arrange changes of pasture. Drenching the Only Cure It has never been shown that sheep will eat enough of any- thing to "cure" stomach worms. Anything that can be fed to them can be considered only as a preventive. Drenching is the only cure when once the worms have posses- sion and the sheep are losing flesh. Here are three good treatments for stomach worms: Blue Vitriol Dissolve one ounce of blue vitriol in one gallon of water. Do this by putting the vitriol in a sack and hanging it in the water — it will not dissolve in the bottom of a vessel. Give this mix- ture in doses of from two ounces for lambs to three ounces for older (Photo Courtesy University of Minnesota Experiment Station) All These Lambs Were Same Age and Breeding — Little One on Extreme Left Was Infested With Stomach Worms — Others Were Pro- tected by Change of Pasture 50 TREATMENTS FOR STOMACH WORMS sheep after keeping them away from grass or feed overnight to allow the stomach to empty. Repeat the dose in 10 days. Keep the mixture^well stirred so the last doses will not be too strong. Carelessness in mixing or giving this treatment is dangerous. Coal Tar Sheep Dip Mix the coal tar dips same strength as for dipping for ticks and give three ounces to lambs and four or five ounces to older sheep. Keep the sheep off feed overnight or 15 hours before giving the dip and repeat in 10 days. Gasoline Mix one tablespoonful of gasoline in five ounces of milk for lambs and one and one-half tablespoonfuls of gasoline to five ounces of milk for older sheep. Keep the sheep off feed overnight before giving treatment. Repeat in 10 days. Mix each dose separately. Be careful not to get too much gasoline. Shake every dose well to mix the gasoline with the milk. Give Treatment Three Times It will make a cure more certain to give the worm treatment three days in succession, each time fasting the sheep overnight before giving the dose, then repeating in 10 days. At the second treatment after the 10-day interval it is not necessary to give the three successive doses unless the sheep is badly infested. Get Rid of Worms in Winter Although it is not definite- ly known experience indicates that stomach worms do not live over win- ~^**X ter in pas- tures. This gives a chance to get rid of worms in all the sheep dur- ing the winter and start A Self-Feeder Like This Filled With Salt and Tobacco clean in the Stems Kept in the Pasture Will Help to Prevent Stomach Worm. Spring. USE CARE WHEN DRENCHING 51 Drenching Ewes Ewes can be dosed while in lamb if they are carefully handled. After sheep or lambs have been treated put them on fresh pasture. Never lay a sheep on its rump or side to drench it. Always allow it to stand. The safe way to hold a sheep for drenching is for the operator to back the sheep into a corner and stand astride of it. Every farmer should have a metal drenching syringe. A large-sized syringe will do for cattle, horses, or sheep. A long-necked bottle will do but there is danger of strangling the sheep by pouring too much into the throat at once. Don't hold the sheep's nose high. Put the left hand under the jaw and hold the nose a very little higher than level, run the syringe or bottle back into the mouth but not far enough to pour the dose directly into the throat. There will be no trouble in getting a sheep to swallow. Make three swallows out of an ordinary dose by pouring about one- third of it into the back of the mouth at a time and stopping long enough between times for the sheep to swallow. There is great danger of strangulation if the head is held too high or too much is poured into the throat at once. Sheep Should Have Shade. This Shed Could be Improved by the Addition of Three Sides to Darken It and Keep out Flies. MUDDY YARDS MEAN SORE FEET Have Dry Yards and Pastures — Foot Rot Dangerous Sheep that are compelled to stay in muddy yards or in low, swampy pastures are almost sure to have sore feet. Foot troubles are given different names such as "foot scald," "hoof ail," "foul foot," and "foot rot," but all mean the same. It is the belief of some farmers that there are two kinds of sore feet — the first called "foot scald," being the "scaldy" con- dition found between the toes when the sheep is first affected; and second, genuine "contagious foot rot" when the disease gets deep seated under the horn of the hoof. There seems to be some ground for the belief that the two stages are different diseases since the first has been known to get well with no treatment except to place the sheep on perfectly dry footing. Such instances are so rare that the man with lame sheep cannot afford to take the chance of thus curing them. Sore Feet Contagious It serves the practical sheep man to treat foot diseases as con- tagious and needful of prompt attention. The first symptoms are lameness and on examination the foot is found to be feverish and the skin in the cleft of the hoof red and swollen. Soon matter or pus forms in the cleft and in a short time, if left unchecked the disease gets under the skin and spreads under the entire horn or wall. Blow flies lay eggs in the dis- eased hoof during the summer months. The maggots spread from the foot to the wool, finally killing the sheep if left unchecked. The thing for the farmer to do as soon as he discovers lame sheep is to get busy and stop the trouble before it reaches the advanced chronic stage. If the outbreak occurs in winter or spring the first thing is to provide dry quarters if possible. If it happens in summer put the sheep on tbe driest pasture obtain- able until cured. Doctoring Sore Feet If there are but few sheep on the farm they can be caught and each foot treated separately. Treatment consists of cleaning all mud and filth from between the toes and applying something that will cure. In practical experience nothing has proven better than pulverized blue stone or blue vitriol (sulphate of copper), mixed with vinegar or water to a batter and applied with a 52 TRIM SHEEP'S FEET ONCE A YE4R 53 paddle to the sore. If the lame sheep are neglected until the disease gets deep-seated all the horn must be pared away from diseased parts with a sharp knife so the remedy can reach the sore. The right way is not to allow the trouble to reach that stage. Quick Way for Large Flocks Where there are many sheep to be treated it can be best done by walking them through a trough containing a blue vitriol solu- tion mixed at the rate of one-half pound of blue vitriol to a gallon of water. The trough can be arranged so the sheep must walk through it coming from the pasture to stable. This trough treat- ment is an excellent way to prevent sore feet. Whitewash Preventive Where there has been no lame sheep a trough containing a lime and water mixture about as thick as whitewash placed where the sheep will walk through it daily will prevent foot trouble. This is cheaper than curing after the sheep are lame. Trim Feet Once a Year The good sheep man will catch his sheep once or preferably twice a year and with "toe nippers" trim the long toes and cut away all excess hoof that will be likely to catch filth. Keep- ing the hoofs level adds comfort to the sheep. Sheep Enjoy a High, Dry Place to Rest CANNOT AFFORD TO FEED SHEEP TICKS Dipping Kills Ticks and Cures Scab Lambs with ticks on them do not grow. Ticks cut down the ewes' milk. Ticks suck blood from the sheep. The way to get rid of them is to dip the sheep thoroughly and repeat in about two weeks to kill the ticks that hatch after the first dipping. Dipping can be done any time of year but best results are obtained in Spring just after shearing. Dip both ewes and lambs. Use any of the reliable sheep dips and follow directions. Medium-sized sheep and lambs can be dipped in a large barrel. A home-made dipping box of wood or concrete is sometimes used, or galvanized dipping vats can be bought. Dipping cures all skin diseases, keeps the sheep from "pull- ing their wool," cures sore eyes, and adds to the general health. A thorough dipping, repeated in ten days will cure scab. Keep the sheep in dip two minutes. Be careful not to strangle the sheep while dipping by keeping the head under. Sheep should be dipped every spring to prevent ticks, scab, and other skin diseases. Grub in The Head Inquiries about this trouble are frequent. Briefly, grubs in the head hatch from eggs laid in the sheep's nostrils by flies dur- ing the summer. The grubs work themselves up into the sheep's head and there is no positive cure, but they will come out them- selves in their life cycle and change into flies to lay more eggs. The farmer can prevent this trouble by providing dark places for his sheep to lie during the hot days of summer. Flies do not work in the dark, thus the sheep escape grubs and are com- fortable out of the hot sun. A cheap shed can be darkened foi them or they can be allowed to come to the barn and have a corner there. Pine Tar on Noses Pine tar smeared on the sheep's noses will keep the flies away. Where shelter cannot be provided tar should be used and it will do no harm to use both tar and shelter. The tar can be smeared on with a brush or paddle, or salt boxes or troughs can be arranged ao the sheep will get tar on the nose while licking salt. 54 SHEEP BLOAT AND HOW TO TREAT IT Bloating is a swelling that shows on the left side of the sheep's abdomen just in front of the hip bone. It is caused by gas forming in the stomach from the fermenta- tion of green leguminous feed, like clover and alfalfa. Sheep are very apt to die from bloat if not relieved early. Bloat usually happens when sheep are pastured on young and rapidly growing clover, alfalfa or rape. There is more danger when grazing while the dew is on or after a rain. Sweet Clover Will Not Bloat Sheep or Any Live Stock There is little danger of bloating if the sheep are gradually ac- customed to the clover, alfalfa or rape by turning them on it for only a short time each day for a few days before allowing them to have all they will eat. It is best to turn the sheep into clover or rape the first time in the afternoon after they have had a chance to fill up on other grass so they will not eat so greedily. If sheep that have become accustomed to clover pasture are taken away for a day or two and returned hungry, they are apt to overeat and bloat. Care and good judgment will prevent practically all loss from bloating. Remedies for Bloat There are several simple remedies that if given in time, will re- lieve the sheep. One is to drench the sheep with a pint of milk after stirring in it a tablespoon of baking soda. If the milk cannot be had use warm water with the soda. Another is to give a pint or more of milk fresh from the cow. This remedy was first prescribed by Mr. Frank Kleinheinz, of Madison, Wisconsin, and has been successfully used since by many farmers. Another: Give four tablespoons of linseed oil and a teaspoon of turpentine in a half pint of milk. Relief sometimes can be secured by forcing the sheep's mouth open by holding a hammer handle or smooth stick crosswise like a bridle bit in the mouth and pressing gently on the swelled side. It is always best to give one of the doses prescribed above as soon as the swelling is noticed and sheep is seen to be in distress; then the mouth can be held open. Sometimes a second dose in a 55 56 PREVENT SHEEP BLOAT few minutes will bring relief if the first one fails. Pouring cold water on the swelling helps to cure, along with the other treatment. If relief does not follow soon after these remedies are tried the last recourse is to "tap" the bloated side which is always the left. This should be done with a trochar, but a knife will do. Make a small incision at the highest most distended spot by running the knife blade downward, so as to puncture the stomach and allow the gas to escape. It is best to insert a quill or reed, or small tube by the side of the knife blade to hold the incision open for a short time. The Best Cure for Any Trouble is Prevention Accustom the sheep to the pasture and don't allow them to gorge themselves on clover when hungry and there will be little trouble from bloat. Merino Rams Owned by J. G. Helser, LaFayette, Ohio HOW TO TELL SHEEP'S AGE BY TEETH It is a great advantage for the beginner to be able to judge the age of sheep: it may save him from disappointment. The age of sheep up to four years of age is easily told by the teeth. Lamb Teeth (Fig. 1) Young lambs have eight front teeth on the lower jaw. They are rather short and narrow and are called "milk teeth." There are no front teeth on upper jaw. FIG-l. FIG-2. XAM.B TEETH FIG-3. FIG -4. mm TWO YEARS YH&EB YEARS FIS-5. ^mm. FIG-- 6 FJ6-Z j§$fiff^ hardy, are easily herd- ed, develop rapidly and lay on flesh almost as rapidly as the strictly mutton breeds. They have white faces and are covered completely over body with dense, long wool. Corriedales give promise of being a great range sheep and also practical for the average farmer. There are only a very few Corriedales in the United States, they being located on the western ranges. Fig. 11— Corriedale Ram, owned by F. S. Cheyenne, Wyo. Figure 12 — Romney Marsh or Kent sheep came from the marshes of Kent in the southern part of England. They have been bred for many years on the low-lying marshes. They are an excellent sheep for range conditions. The Rom- ney is a long-wooled sheep, having a very heavy fleece. In ap- pearance Romneys are very similar to Corrie- dales. Romneys have only been in the United States a very few years, Fi«- 12— Romney Ram. but their numbers are steadily increasing. The Romney ap- proaches an ideal combination for wool and mutton. MERINO HARDIEST OF ALL BREEDS 81 Fig. 13 — Karakul Ram, owned by Middlewater Cattle Co., Middlewater, Tex. Figure 13 — Karakul or Persian Fur sheep are natives of Turkestan and Persia. This breed is valued for the skins of the young lambs, which are killed for their pelts when three or four days old. Fine quality pelts are worth as much as $12 each. Karakuls be- long to the fat-tailed family of sheep. They mature to medium size and the mutton is of high quality. The rams are usually horned, the ewes are hornless. The ears are small and pen- dulous, the face nar- row. Face and legs are covered with short, glossy, dark hair. The wool is long and hair- like and varies in color from light gray to black. Mr. Alex Albright, Dundee, Texas, has developed the "Karalinc Fur Sheep," which is a cross between Karakuls and Lincolns. The Merino or Fine Wool Breed The Merino is the hardiest of all breeds and produces the finest wool. Merinos came from Spain where they were kept in great herds and trailed many miles to pasture. They have been de- veloped in the United States into three classes. Figure 14— "Class A," very wrinkly and has a dense, fine, oily fleece. Rams of this type sometimes shear more than 30 pounds and ewes over 25 pounds. They are usu- ally completely covered j with wool on face and legs. "Class A" Me- rinos are not valuable Fig 14_class ,«A,, Merino Ram> owned by for mutton, but pro- W« M- StaleV> Marysville, Ohio duce the highest grade of clothing wool. 82 MERINOS SHEAR HEAVY FLEECES Figure 15 — "Class B" Merinos are larger than "Class A's," have fewer wrinkles, and longer, bulkier fleeces, containing con- siderable oil. They produce a fair mut- ton carcass and at the same time grow very heavy fleeces. Class "B" Merino rams are in demand by range men to use on light-fleeced range ewes. This cross in- creases the weight and quality of the lamb's fleece. j^^n^v^^^L^...^^' Fig. 15 — Class "B" Merino Ram, owned by R. A. Hayne, Adena, Ohio. Figure 16^" Class C" Merinos are bred for a mutton carcass and have a fine long fleece of Delaine wool. They are very valu- able for range and farm, as the Merino will thrive in large flocks better than any other and stand more hardships. "Class C" Merinos often have mutton carcasses equal to the best mutton breeds. Merino ewes of "B" and "C" types make good mothers for raising mutton lambs when mated wTith mutton rams. The ewes will mate any time in the year, are long lived, and shear heavy fleeces. Merino sheep have been developed and improved to their present state within the United States. They are the only sheep that importations from other countries are not made to secure sires and new blood. They are also the only breed of sheep exported from the United States to other countries in any great numbers. Fig. 16 — Class "C" Merino Ram, owned by C. L. Robb, Cadiz, Ohio RAMBOUILLET A COMBINATION BREED 83 Figure 17 — The Rambouillet is a Merino that has been devel- oped to a large size, and bears a heavy fleece. The face and legs are completely covered with wool. They are noted for hardiness, longevity, and ability to make good use of feed in production of both wool and mutton. Many Rambouillet rams are used on the ranges, and are also a good farm sheep. In sheep shows they are also divided into classes, like other Mer- Fig. 17— Rambouillet Ewe, owned by F. S. 1I1OS. King, Laramie, Wyo. FEDERAL DOG TAX There are probably 25,000,000 dogs in the United States, and 50,000,000 sheep. A Federal dog tax would be a great stroke of good legislation. Let us have a Federal dog tax, make it high enough, and provide that the tax shall be collected in every case or a dog grave dug. WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN. A few million dog skins will help relieve the leather famine. ANGORA GOATS By H. S. Mobley On my farm in the Ozarks in northwest Arkansas, I had a forty-acre tract lying on a hillside that was covered with rocks and boulders and shrub brush. It was as real a piece of waste land as you could find in any country. In 1906 I fenced this forty acres and paid $15 for a small bunch of Angora goats. I have forgotten the number. Since that time I have sold out of that herd of goats $375 worth and have had goat mutton for the family whenever they wanted it, and they wanted it often, for it is good eating. The goats shrubbed this land completely and native grasses and white clover volunteered and covered it with a strong crop. For the past nine years I have pastured approximately seven months each year between seventy and eighty goats, sheep, hogs, cows, and horses on this ground. If I was to base the pasture's profit at the usual rental price of $1 per head per month, it would sound like too much of a good thing to be a fact, but putting the price at 50 cents per head per month, this pasture has yielded during this nine-year period over $2,400. Thus the goats and pasture together have yielded a profit of $2,800 in nine years, or something over $300 per year from a piece of ground that was totally unproductive and valueless and would have continued so but for the use of goats. The thought just here is that on almost every farm, especially in the hill and timber districts, there are tracts of land similar to this, waiting for the goat to turn them from eyesores and valueless investments into profitable pastures. Angora Goats, The Land Clearer; 84 DOG MOST DANGEROUS AND WORTHLESS OF ALL DOMESTIC ANIMALS How 50 Head of Sheep worth $1,000 were Destroyed in One Night by Two Dogs Henry K. Reed of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, had 54 breed- ing ewes worth $20 each. The night of February 8, 1917, two dogs killed 50 of them and crippled the others. Fifty ewes, producers of food and clothing, the product of years of skill and endeavor in breeding, the pride of a good farmer, and the source of his income, totally de- stroyed in one night by two worthless curs. (Photo from National Stockman and Farmer.) One Night's Work Of Two Dogs This story is but an incident in the history of the ravages of dogs. Farmers in all parts of the United States have found in their pastures dead, crippled, torn, bleeding, and frightened sheep, the result of raids by dogs. Sheep confined for protection in yards and houses have been raided and killed. Flocks have been destroyed outright. Flocks have been chased and worried until worthless. Men have been financially ruined, become discouraged and 85 86 THE REMEDY FOR THE DOG NUISANCE their farms made destitute — sheep husbandry has been driven out of long-settled communities and kept out of new ones because there is no protection against prowling, vicious, wolf-dogs that rant, murder and go law-free. How long will a civilized country permit this? DOGS THE REASON FOR SHEEP SCARCITY In a review of 5?000 farmers in all parts of the United States, all but eighteen gave "dogs" as the main reason for the scarcity of sheep. The dog is a carrier of hog cholera, stomach and tape worms, lice, ticks, fleas, rabies, and foot and mouth disease. He brings contagious diseases home to the family. He runs at large, practically unrestrained, enjoying undisputed rights, and all for what? What has the dog family ever done that they should have more rights than their owners? All states have "dog laws" that if enforced would lessen dog troubles, yet dog laws are nearer dead letters than anything on the statute books. What is the remedy? First — Enforce the laws already passed until better ones are enacted. Then — Unqualifiedly put the dog on the same legal status as sheep, hogs, horses, and cattle. Take away the right to run at large day and night. Compel every dog owner to keep his dog on his own premises or under his control when away from home. A dog to be of any value to his owner must be about his owner's business. How long would law or public opinion allow a 100-pound shote or a three-months old calf to follow its owner to town, down the street, into the store, blacksmith shop, post office, and on the way home gallop through the neighbors fields, yards, sheep folds, and feed lots? Any one has a right to own a dog but no one has a moral right to maintain a nuisance. Dog-proof fences are all right but let the dog owner build them. A fence that will keep dogs out will keep dogs in. Dog chains and muzzles are inexpensive. The use of both can be prescribed by law. DOGS OR SHEEP? 87 The dog problem is not solved by license. Licensing a dog, requiring the owner to buy a collar for him, or to pay a heavy tax on him, does not keep the dog from killing sheep or being a worthless cur. Require the dog owner to be responsible for the where- abouts of his dog. Back this requirement with public sentiment and of- ficers with backbone not of gristle, and sheep will come to their own. A medium sized cow bell on every tenth sheep will help to frighten dogs away and alarm the owner and neighbors. Don't use little dinky sheep bells. They don't make enough noise. USE COW BELLS. DOGS OR SHEEP— WHICH? By H. S. Mobley At the time when the woods and plains were inhabited by wild animals, some useful as a source of food and clothing, and others a menace to his safety, man found the dog a most useful and de- pendable aid in the chase or as a sentinel and defender. Thus originated a racial attachment that continues to the present. But these old time conditions are changed. Man now has re- course to breeding and raising the domesticated animals, the cow, the horse, the hog, the goat, and the sheep for a large part of his meat, and clothing supply. Regarding this combination the dog has reversed his former position until now so far as sheep and goats are concerned, he has become a menace and disadvantage where he was formerly a most efficient helper. His value now is almost wholly sentimental on account of his past service. The question to be decided now is, does his past services as a helper, give him sufficient value to justify his ravages of the flocks of sheep and goats which now are so necessary to man as a source of food and clothing? The irresistible conclusion is that since the sheep and the goat are producers of food and clothing, and the dog produces nothing, but is a consumer of and a destroyer of one of the most important food resources, man must deny his sentimental appreciation of the dog in favor of his more pressing need of meat and clothing and substitute the sheep and the goat for the dog. CO-OPERATIVE LAMB SELLING Furnishes a Market for the Man With a Half Dozen Lambs. Co-Operative Selling is Successful if Well Managed In communities where farmers raise small bunches of fat lambs they can be successfully marketed in a co-operative way by making up car lots and shipping to good markets, instead of selling to a local buyer at a sacrifice as is sometimes done. Occasionally the local market is the best and more can be realized from a bunch of lambs by selling them a few at a time as local customers or butchers want them. When there is no good local market the co-operative selling association will solve the problem. Such associations are successfully operating in several counties in the United States. They need not be for selling sheep or lambs alone. Lamb selling can be carried on by an association formed for the purchase or sale of any product. Selling clubs or associations must be managed in a business-like way and the members must not be "Kickers." Selling organizations can never be profitably operated unless some one who is competent is in charge and the members agree to abide by the decisions of the manager or directors. The plan for selling lambs, wool, or any farm product must be worked out to fit the conditions of the locality. ' In some sections where lambs are sold co-operatively the Secretary or Manager of the organization after consulting with the farmers advises either in the local paper or by letter that on a certain day a shipment of lambs will be made and for farmers to communicate with him at once as to how many and what kind of lambs they can furnish. This gives the manager a chance to arrange for shipment and also gives the farmers a chance to sell the lambs that are then ready for market. The smaller lambs and the ones not yet fat enough can be held until another shipment is made. This plan of selling opens a market for the man with two or three lambs as well as for the man with twenty. The sellers must agree to abide by the market prices for the grade to which their lambs belong. In selling car loads a better price can usually be obtained by selling all the lambs of one grade together, regardless of who the consignor is. 88 START SHEEP CLUBS! Arrangement can be made to weigh each man's lambs separately after the sale, so each will get his share of the returns. The County Agent can do a great work in helping to start a lamb selling club. BOYS' AND GIRLS' SHEEP CLUBS Why not start a sheep club in your community? There are pig clubs, calf clubs, poultry clubs, garden clubs and canning clubs. Sheep clubs are an opportunity for bankers, business men, county agents, fathers and mothers, and all to encourage the boys and girls and at the same time create interest in an industry that is much needed — the raising of sheep. The Banker can do no greater good for a lad than to loan him money to buy a pair of good ewes, and help the boy get in touch with the county agent to receive advice as to feeding and caring for his sheep. Boys' and girls' sheep clubs will do much to create sentiment that is needed against prowling dogs. A community with twenty-five boys and girls with a pair of good ewes each, will have to keep its dogs where they belong. Boys who early in life learn to successfully care for sheep will develop characteristics that will be valuable, no difference what they may pursue later in life. The best sheep farmers today are the men who learned to care for sheep when they were boys. Start Sheep Clubs! SUMMARY The future wool and mutton supply of the United States must come from farms where small flocks of ewes are kept to grow wool and raise lambs. The range flocks of the west are being divided and sold as homesteaders take up the pasture lands. Sheep are profitable. The average cost of feeding a ewe for a year and her lamb until it was sold was $4.69. The income from lamb and wool was $11.15. These figures are the average of 1,000 reports from Corn Belt farmers in 1916. Nearly every farm can keep a small flock of ewes half of the year on weeds and on grass and feed that otherwise would go to waste. Sheep improve the farm's appearance; convert waste into profit. Sheep will eat weeds, and weed seeds eaten by sheep never grow. The roof is the main part of a sheep house. Many farmers shelter their sheep in straw sheds. Sheep must have dry yards and pastures. Muddy yards make sore feet. Blue vitriol dissolved in water is a good treat- ment for sore feet. Don't rush into sheep raising by buying a large flock of high priced ewes. The best way to start with sheep is to buy a few good young ewes. Get them uniform and of same breeding. Their wool and lambs will be worth more. Sometimes the beginner can buy a few old ewes cheaply and by giving them good care get a start of lambs before the ewes get past their usefulness. The owner of a large flock will sometimes sell the undersized lambs cheaply at weaning time. The beginner can secure a few small ewe lambs and with good care grow them into a bunch of good ewes. At the Missouri Experiment Station lambs sired by a pure- bred ram sold for $2.85 per hundred more than lambs sired by a scrub ram. The mothers of the lambs were alike and all had the same care. This emphasizes the importance of pure-bred sires. 90 91 Ewes and lambs should have a change of pasture every two weeks to prevent stomach worms (see Page 48 for treatment). Ewes should be fed like dairy cows when they are raising lambs. Every farm should have a patch of rape for the lambs. Care should be used in getting the sheep accustomed to rape pasture to prevent bloating. Pasture a short time each day for sev- eral days, and at first keep sheep off after a rain or when dew is on. There is also danger from bloat when clover or alfalfa is pastured. There is no place where lambs will thrive better and with more profit than in the standing corn just as it begins to ripen. They will eat the lower blades that would otherwise go to waste. Silage and alfalfa make an ideal sheep feed. The breed depends on locality and the preference of the owner. The large mutton breeds thrive better in small flocks and they must be liberally fed. The fine wooled sheep are the hardiest and will live in large herds. If the sheep have ticks on them they should be dipped twice — • about two weeks between dippings. Many good shepherds dip their sheep once a year whether they have ticks or not. Sheep men are too careless about preparing wool for market. Sheep should not be permitted to get burs, chaff or straw in their wool. Manure and filth should never be tied up in the fleeces and the tying should be done with "paper twine." Never tie wool with binder twine. Machine shears are best for shearing. They should be run by gas engine or farm power. Turning by hand is not satis- factory. Dogs are a great menace to the sheep industry. Every state should have laws unqualifiedly putting the dog on the same legal status as horses, cattle, and hogs. Where there are co-operative associations or farm bureaus, ewes can be purchased in car lots by the organization for dis- tribution among the farms of the community. Where there is no organization farmers can join in the purchase of a car load of ewes if there are no sheep in the neighborhood. Here is a chance for the County Agent to do good work. A PARTIAL LIST OF SHEEP LITERATURE BOOKS Sheep Farming in America, by Joseph E. Wing. Published by Breeders' Gazette, Chicago. Sheep Management, Breeds and Judging, by Frank Kleinheinz. Pub- lished by the author, Madison, Wis. "Wool," by Edw. W. France. Published by Museum of School and In- dustrial Art, Philadelphia, Pa. Modern Sheep, by Chas. E. Stewart. Published by American Sheep Breeder, Chicago. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS Sheep Raising, Extension Circular No. 49, Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pa. Growing and Marketing Wool, Circular No. 161, Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, Urbana. Docking and Castrating Lambs, Circular No. 61, Missouri Experiment Station, Columbia. Corn Silage for Winter Feeding of Ewes and Young Lambs, Bulletin No. 147, Purdue Agricultural Experiment Station, Lafayette, Ind. Series of Bulletins on Fattening Western Lambs, by Purdue Agri- cultural Experiment Station, Lafayette, Ind. Advantage from Use of Pure Bred Ram, Circular No. 65, Missouri Ex- periment Station, Columbia. Rations for Breeding Ewes, Bulletin No. 120, Missouri Experiment Sta- tion, Columbia. The Maintenance of Breeding Ewes of Mutton and Wool Sheep, Bulletin No. 144, Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pa. Market Classes and Grades of Sheep, Bulletin No. 129, Illinois Agri- cultural Exoeriment Station, Urbana. FARMERS BULLETINS Sheep Feeding, Farmers* Bulletin No. 49, U. S. Dept. Agriculture, Wash- ington, D. G. Raising Sheep for Mutton, Farmers' Bulletin No. 96, U. S. Dept. of Agri- culture, Washington, D. G. Replanning a Farm for Profit, Farmers' Bulletin No. 370, Page 17, "A Sheep Farm," U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. G. Mutton and Its Value in the Diet, Farmers' Bulletin No. 526, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. G. The Angora Goat, Farmers' Bulletin No. 573, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. G. Breeds of Sheep for the Farm, Farmers' Bulletin No. 576, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. G. Sheep Killing Dogs, Farmers' Bulletin No. 652, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Sheep Scab, Fanners' Bulletin No. 713, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Wash- ington, D. G. Sheep Raising for Beginners, Farmers' Bulletin No. 840, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. G. 92 The Visual Method of Instruction The Big Idea in Education Characterized in I H C Lecture Charts and Lantern Slides SIMPLE-LOGICAI^IMPRESSIVE-PRACTICAL USED EVERYWHERE— In Community and Home — Rural School and College — On the Farm and In the Factory — By Teacher, Pupil, Farmer, Banker and Merchant I H C CHARTS OR SLIDES LOANED FREE On these conditions — that you have a plan for using them, pay express charges from Chicago and return, and report all meetings at the end of each week CHARTS OR SLIDES FURNISHED ON THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS: 8. Weeds Mean Waste. 9. Home Economics and Sanitation. 10. Fight the Fly. 1 1. Great Forward Movement in Education. 12. Diversified Farming for the South. 13. Home Canning. 14. Development of Agriculture — (No. 14 in Lantern 9tidee unly.) 1. Corn is King 2. Alfalfa on Every Farm. 3. A Fertile Soil Means a Prosperous People. 4. Live Stock on Every Farm. 5. Dairying. 6. Greater Profit from the Oat Crop. 7. Make More from Your Farm Poultry. CHARTS I H C lecture charts are 70 inches long by 63 inches wide, made of a good grade of sheeting, printed in clear black letters, which can easily be read at a distance of 100 feet or more. They are arranged for setting up and taking down quickly and conveniently. Sets contain from ten to fifteen charts. Each set with iron stand, pointer, and lecture book, is packed in a canvas case. Weight, 35 Ibs. LANTERN SLIDES Lantern slide sets, 50 to 60 slides, plain and in colors. Weight, 15 Ibs. Lecture Books Furnished For the information and direction of lecturers, each set contains an illustrated lecture book outlining in brief form the story of each chart or slide. rT"'HE sole object of the Agricultural Extension Department of the Inter- I national Harvester Company is to help YOU make YOUR work more effective. It is not a matter of making money out of charts, slides, booklets, or any other material prepared and published by the Department. 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NAME Pages Single Copies Quantities Getting a Start with Alfalfa in the Corn Belt. 12 $0.02 $0.01 Getting a Start with Alfalfa in the Northwest. 36 02 01 Sweet Clover in the Northwest 38 02 01 Seed Corn, Do You Know It Will Grow 28 02 01 I H C Demonstration Farms in the North 46 Free 01 I H C Demonstration Farms in the South. ... 20 Free 01 Hog Cholera 12 02 01 Humus — The Life of the Soil 12 02 01 Storing Sweet Potatoes 8 02 01 Dip the Cattle Tick 18 02 01 Home Bulletin 24 02 01 Helps for Wash Day 20 02 01 Cold Pack Canning 28 03 O2 The Pit Silo 28 02 Ol Sweet Clover 68 05 04 Diversified Farming is Safe Farming 32 05 04 Boll Weevil 32 05 04 For Better Crops in the South 100 05 04 For Better Crops 160 05 04 We Must Feed Ourselves 52 05 04 A Silo on Every Farm 52 10 O6 Cow Makes Farming More Profitable 128 15 10 Literature Especially Suited to Schools Grow a Garden 8 Free $0.10 doz. Poultry is Profitable 12 Making Money from Pigs 8 " *' A Pig for Every Boy 4 " " Fly Catechism 4 " $.30 per 100 Pages Single Copies Quantities Each Each Studies in Alfalfa 32 $0.05 $0.04 Story of Bread 32 05 04 Creeds of Great Business Men .46 05 04 Binder Twine Industry 48 20 15 Harvest Scenes of the World 150 50 35 Stencils — Paper patterns 3-ft. square for re- producing large charts. Subjects: Corn, Poultry, Oats, Soil, Weeds, Educational, The Fly, Alfalfa, Dairying, Live Stock, Can- ning. Per Set of 10 to 15 sheets on each subject 50 per set Fly Trap Pattern 05 The "Rag Doll" for Testing Seed Corn — Per Doz. Cloth 10 $0.75 Paper Sample Free 05 Germination Cloth for Saw Dust Box — Cloth 20 Paper Sample Free 10 Send for our new catalog containing descriptions, illustrations and a complete list of all literature published by the Agricultural Extension Department. 94 .. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY HARVESTER