VOL. L1V.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., FEB. 4, 1899.
NO. 5
%xpzximt& §epitxtmimtt
THE WINTER MANAGEMENT OF BREEDING EWES.
What are the Best Methods?
let Premium,—Breeding ewes are generally
reduced in flesh by the time lambs are taken
oil. Tis a good plan to change pasture, as "a
change of pasture makes fat sheep." From
one field to another is a great advantage.
Would prefer having my ewes in moderate
flesh at time of mating, rather thin than too
fat. Fat ewes often fail to breed. Let them
have plenty of good grass during the fall and
beginning of winter. Salt regularly. A little
sulphur and ashes mixed with salt is beneficial,
aa it destroys ticks and worms.
While grass is covered with enow, clover
hay ie the best roughness, or corn fodder,
when we haven't the hay. Sheep will not eat
much dry food when they can get grass.
Shelled corn and oats mixed make a good
grain ration. Be careful not to give too much
grain. Sheep thrive better if they .have a variety of succulent food, chopped roots, cabbage, etc.
A good shed, large enough to allow them
plenty of room to move around in is very important. Never shut them in until time for
lambing, but let them go in and out atleieure.
Have the ehed open on the south so the sun
can shine in during lambing eeaeorl. Fasten
them in at night, as they will often leave the
ehed while lambing. Allow them out during
the day, provided it is not raining or too
blustery. Cold rains are the most severe
weather on sheep.
After lambing examine the udder and teats.
Then see that the lamb nurees. If the lamba
seem weak, keep them in a few days until
they gain strength. When strong enough, allow them out on all nice days, as the sheep ie
naturally a rover and forager. If convenient
seperate the ewes with young lambs from the
remaining flock. Have a rack for hay and a
trough for grain.
With plenty of good feed, a well ventilated
shed, regular feeding and salting and a good
shepherd success ia yours. 0. W. 0.
Whiteland.
2d premium—The best result comes from
early breeding. The lambe should drop about
February, and bs ready for the market in
August, averaging 90 pounds.
Tne first care should be for a roomy, well
ventilated, dry ehed. The ewes can etand cold
bat need to be kept dry. Feed them all the
clover hay they want, all winter, but no corn.
A little shelled or chopped oats is good, but
with plenty of clover hay, not much grain if
required. After the lambs come, fed more
oate, and a little shelled corn maybe added,
but corn is too heating and fattening to bt
ueed except sparingly. On all days when noi
stormy turn the ewes out where there ie plenty
of good water and also dry pasture land. No
matter how close picked they will find something to eat. At night and on very etormy
days keep them in the shed. Whon lambing
time arrives have stalls that can be protected
from cold and drafts, putting two or three
ewes to a Btall. When the lambs drop catch
the in other and start the milk. Many a stout
lamb that seems to be getting m ilk, will if not
assisted, starve to death in a day. When the
lambs are a couple of days old, they, with
their mothers, may return to the flock and the
stalls be given up to other ewes. Twenty ewes
well cared for during winter and especially
during lambing time are worth more than 40
left to care for themeelves. S. T. H.
Avon.
ere, in the fall, and about a week before mating we feed a little corn twice a day, for two
purposes; firet we believe that by warming
them upa little with corn they will bring more
and stronger lambe; secondly, it gets the ewee
in better flesh and prepares them to go through
the winter in better condition. We usually
turn the full blooded Shropsire ram with them
the first of October That brings our lambs
due the firet of March. I was told onco to
turn the ram with the ewee the first Sunday in
October and the ewes would all lamb in daylight, I tried it once and found it that way,
but why it is, or whether is Is always that way
or not, I cannot say. We never allow the ram
to run with the ewes more than six weeks.
We usually let them run on a clover field
that we intend to put in corn in the spring.
And ae Boon ae the clover paeture playe out
we feed them on fodder, but no corn when the
ground is bare, and turn in the stalk field
when sufficient enow falls to protect the wheat.
Hoge should run on the stalks a few daye
before eheep are turned in. If not the
eheep are liable to get too much corn, and
either founder or die. or shed their wool.
About two weeks before lambing we clean out
a stable, stop cracks and make warm as possible, then bed with clean, bright straw, and
turn sheep in nights and bad daye. But turn
them out on warm eunehiny days in the barnyard, or some place where they can be watched closely. After beginning to stable we feed
wheat bran, oate and ground corn, and clover
hay instead of fodder. This ehould be continued until grass. Then turn on good clover
pasture. The fundamental principles of eheep
raieing are to have good strong ewes, a full
blooded ram; proper feed both in quality and
quantity; and clore attention especially during the lambing period. My experience has
been that the better bred the sheep are the less
feed and care they require during winter.
Shannondale. O, L. M.
3d premium.—We usually cull out all of the
old and weak, or ewes that are not good moth-
I am afraid that the subject of winter man-
agement of breeding ewes muet be divided
and subdivided before it can be treated most
profitably. In my younger daye I was situated where there was a scarcity of litter, as we
did not raise wheat, and felt that practically
all roughage muet be eaten up. This makes it
difficult to keep sheep comfortable ln very
cold weather. Again, I once wintered 400
sheep with a wheat stack of grand proportions
to draw upon and quantities of damaged
wheat to feed.
In both cases it was the aim ta rai*e eheep
for wool, and a lamb in April or even May
was good enough to make a strong animal for
winter, and it was much more sure and cos*
lees than winter born lambs. Now the aim ie
for mutlon and the late lamb is out of the
'raca except for fattening late or wintering.
For this reason I would always try to divide
the flock and spend the greater part of the
time and care on the ewes that must etand the
terrible strain of producing lambs in winter
for the early trade. Ewes that may safely
wait till warm weather for lambing need
much less attention than the others.
As to methods they all center in the phrase
"intelligent care." We all know that if a ewe
is to be the nurse as well as mother of one or
two lambe she must be kept In good vigorous
condition. The worst of it all ie that some
sheep are much more hearty feeders than others, and the result le that the weaker and more
dainty members of the flock eoon begin to go
down hill, and when they are once etarted it ie
hard in cold weather to stop them. The result is a lamb that they will not own, ae they
have nothing to feed it. It is here that the
watchful eye of tho feeder comes in, and
where he can learn a moet valuable lessson at
the same time. Change of feed for the dainty
must be made till something is found that is
reliehed and produces reeulte in fleeh. If the
eye is  not quick enough to detect the firet
change for the worse a weighing scale is .a
valuable thing. Then all effort ehould bo
made to select for the foundation of the future llock the lambs of the healthy, strong
feeders, for tho dainty and tho weak will reproduce themselves, ram as well as ewe.
Buffalo, N. Y. J. O.
That method is best that will bring the
prospective mothers through the winter
months in such a condition as will insure tho
production of healthy offspring. To do this,
tho animal ehould be neither starved or over
fed. Tho feeding, however should be gener-
oue, and of euch articles of diet as will keep
the animal's system in a strong and vigorous
condition.
The feeds I have found beet suited for this
purpose are clover hay and bright corn fodder,
fed alternately, with a stack of oats or wheat
stiaw in their yard from which they can eat at
pleasure, aleo tho run of a meadow or rye field
when the weather is fit I would feed nograin
until after lambing.
For shelter I prefer open sheds rather than
close houses. Yards and sheds to be kept well
littered with straw and free from mud holce
and stagnant pools. Water to be furnished
daily and salt twice a week. Add to the above
the watchful care of a good shepherd that le
quick to perceive and provide for the wante of
his flock. X.
Monroeville.
Ae a preliminary step to giving the best
care to breeding ewes in winter, they ehould
be well cared for duringthe preceding summer and fall, thue having them in firet class
condition at winter. Before the coupling
season begins, they should have a little grain
of some kind daily, and thia should be kept
up all winter. For thie purpose, I consider
oate the best of anything, but corn and bran,
equal parte by weight, make a very good substitute. Tney should have access to both salt
and water at all times. For rough feed, good
clover hay and corn fodder are ae good as can
be had. After the lamba are dropped, the
ewee ehould be given roofc>, if they are to be
had. They ehould be housed nights in a comfortable, but well ventilated ehed, and they
should aleo be kept in on bad days, especially
rainy days. If bred forwinterlambe,theysh;.u'd
be placed in a warm enclosure when they arc
about to wean, eo that there may bo no danger of tho lambj becomiog chilled In order
to know when each ewe is due to lamb a record should be kept of the time when sho was
bred. If the lamba are not dropped until
April or the firrt of May, but little attention
will be required at lambing time farther than
housing tin eves from storms and at nights
but they ehould bo given the same car
through the winter and kept in a good thrifty
condition as when winter lambs are desired,
While there ie, perhaps, ae little hard labor in
caring for breeding ewee as any stock on tho
farm, it should be borno in mind that they require constant every dare care. B.
the lambing time let near tho half of their
grain ration be bran and this will increase
the flow of milk, and the corn part will give
etrength. Make ita point to feed regularly
every night and morning, never missing a
feed. A strong well fed ewe will bring a
strong lamb. About ono pint of ground feed
twice a day will be sufficient, with plenty of
roughness and pasture. C. M. 1*.
Brown Co.        	
No. lKl.Feb. 11.—Agricultural superstitions.
—Name a number we have  outgrown  and a
number that still have advocates.
No. 154, Feb. 18 —Name one or more books
or persons or events that have greatly impressed and shaped your life.
No. 155, Feb. 25.—What do you mean to the
people who know you—What do you stand for?
Premiums of $1 75 cents and 50 cents will be
given to 1st, 2d and 3d beet articles each week.
Let copy be as practicable as possible and forwarded 10 days before publication to
Lafayette. E. H. Collins.
(StnzxixX JJtjeurs.
Don't try to keep too many eheep on the
farm, and espeolally too many ewes through
the winter. A email flock well cared for will
yield larger returns than a large flock poorly
cared for. By all means have a eheep house to
go in at night and during bad weather. Have
conveniences to properly feed thom on tho inside, with troughs and racks to feed outside
during nice weather. Sheep would rather lie
outside during nice weather, and I think'it is
better for them. Have a separate room for
the ewes with youngest lamba and give them
special attention. When your conveniences
for sheltering are first-class then you must direct your attention to feeding. First try to
have plenty of-paeture if possible even in winter. By all means keep your owes up in flesh
and commence feeding ground grain, euch as
corn and oate, mixed with bran.   When near
Russia', export of eggs exceeds l.sOJ.OCO.'OOayear.
In the 16th century the horse raddish had not been
introlutcdin Kng'and. Its original home is in
eastern Kurope.
Since the introduction of pneumatic rubber tiles
on the London cabs many of the cab hors'B wear
large Swiss cowbtllion their cecks.
The crown prince of Siam writes fluently in three
European languages, and s ,veral stories from his
pen have been published in Knglish magazines.
The Chicago Training school has sent niTe than
100 missionaries to foreign fields and has prepared
over 800 deaconesses for work in the Methodist
Kpiscopal church.
The Prince of Wales al a boy showed remarkable
talent for drawing, but this gift has been rarely exercised in later years
Queen Victoria's pet birds f jllow the courtevery-
wliere, except to the continent.
To date the United states has issued 616,441
patents.
It usually takes about live years to tan the skin
of an elephant.
Tea drinedrs in London are swindled systemat.
ically. A number of old women go about and bny
up from servants tea leaves tnat have been used"
The leaves are then artificially colored, dried and
sold as good tea.
T'e Abyssfnians make a tea from the leaves of a
certain plant whicli has such stimulatiig qualities
that to chew a single l*nf will produce all the effects of a strong cip of ten. I tis most valuable to
travelers.
jsiafc tQzxas.
Silas Myerly, nearl ipton, lost $2,000 by tho burning of his bara acd contents.
While Daniel Hingaman was drill n* a well on
his farm, near n ar Koyal Center, he struck a vein
of coal estimated to be 15 feet thick,
T^e little child of James L. Boyd, near Blaine,
drank carbolic ,-ioid and died. Theb .ttle filled with
the liquid was given to the infant by a four-year-old
brother.
In a divorce case at Lebanon it was ih wn that
the husband and father had been drunk on a average of three limes weekly for 80 years, a  total  of
4.C.S9.
Counterfeit dollars and quarters, bearing date of
the year 1SH2, are in circulation in Klwood, and so
perfect's the make tnat they almost defy detection.
A section hand, living in Princeton, is utilizing
a piano box for a cow stable, and says the cow—
which is a Jersey—has plenty of room. The owner
of the cow has contrived a means of heating the
box by the use of a lantern placed in such a way aa
to bs free from danger of lire.
Mrs. Almira P Moore, an old resident of Colfax
who has heretofore been in needy circumstances'
has by the death of a distant relative fallen heir to
several thousand dollars.
January 24th, while Douglass Kelly, a prosperous
young farmer of Waterloo, with two men, were
cutting timber on his farm, a large tree twitted
arouni and tore a limb from another tree, the latter falling on Kelly and crushing his skull. ITis
death occurred within three hours, ire was well-
known fn this section, and was a nephew of the
Hon. Freeman Kelly.