)
4
W
s
COMMERCIAL SECTIOIl
Pases 1 to 8
VOL. XXVI-NO. 15.
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-its'-? " Jv -' I
V , -
EXPERT YiEWF THE SHEEP
, . . . i
' . . .
Veteran Bretder Taili of. How. to ltk
; c Indatry ProfiUbk ,
EREI)!NG FOR WOOL AND FOR MEAT
Pointer for f lockmatr. n.d .for
JlB$llr Breeders to' Klads
, ; ad CoBdltlona (or Grow-
i . y ' las ad Feedla.
: - ...
lit thei timi of rat flnanclal concern
In rapid ,accuipultitfon of Vtalth,' when
th proflt&bte tnvaatmant of .capital s it
dlraoted ' towarda apeoulatlv tnteresta,
whan "tha ft rich quick", methods teem
to have Invaded the legitimate tpduatilea
Of I ha country, whan land, the vary basla
of agricultural prosperity, has exhibited
a increase in values of from 100 to 00
per cent within a few yeara, when certain
Unas of agricultural production have mad
' equally astonishing. Increase, and "when
the eyes of the wools world, more than
at any past period, are turned , to. th. aollf
the basis of all prosperity, - there would
seem to be a reasonable apology for the
present Interest manifest In the sheep in
dustry, and a pardonable excuse for unem
ployed capital in aeeklng Investment la
the flocks. There ia nothing to excite. the
Investor with more emphasis than - the
present status of the flock industry;, shrep,
upon a thousand hills is a mental picture,
whjch, coupled with the commercial prod
ucts, mutton and wool, completes a most
encouraging dream of affluence.
The sheep industry In the United States
ia changing, constantly changing. Not
many yeara ago and the farm aheep In-
dustry of our country comprised prac-
tically all we had in aheep population.
At a later date the aheep commenced
coming weal to the open range dlstrlctsj
until now two-thirds of all the aheep in
- the United States are west of the Mis
souri river. These evidences of greaCl
flock development,' which are settling down
- over large areas of a strictly pasture!
country on the weatern aide of the United
States, are th result of Axed principles in
the natural resources of the country to
carry on successfully a grasing Indus
. try. It is the Intelligent undertaking of
this diversity of conditions and require
ments in the handling of the flock that
should appeal to the prospective owner
and handler of the range vheep.
Heeeeearr te Knew Tklnge. .
In th Brat place, In starting with the
heep It la necessary to know what the
ock . demands are, or, . in other words,
now what kind of sheep is best suited
t the soil, climate, pasturage and fed
mdltlona of ths country or locality the
uterprlae is to be started In.
When theae requisites are assured; then
the Cock must b mad to conform to the
market requirement of the country or
district where th surplus of the Hock end
wool produot Is to be marketed. We pre
sume that no man engagea In the aheep
raising buslnees simply because he likes
the work, the one great Incentive is the
prott to be made In th investment of
time, laoor and capital la th industry.
Th natural Inclination or love for the
Book la the key to success la sheep rais
ing, but this is often supplied nowadays
V fclrtng a sumnztf or foreman to look
f .. riH i -..( I '!"" d .'
I j'Wn.,M.J. U I
The
& j
pX.' -
25,000 -Square r'Tobrtf
" r
after the needs and requirements of the'
flock an i the real ,owner Is occupied in
other matters entirely tree from the cares"
and perplexities of detail work.
The western idea, or rang Ideas, of
growing sheep is very different from the
farm flock system of handling sheep in
the east. On the on hand thousands are
often run together on the same pasture
or grasing ' lands, while on' the other the
flock is divided and sub-dlviUed Into Ut
ile bunches . ranging from, wenty-flve to
100 In a pasture; ' therefore, -it doea not
follow that a man well versed In the care
and management- of the eastern farm flock
would be a success on the range. It 'is
safe to say, . however, that. th boy or
man who has grown up in th car and
management of sheep, no difference where
that has been. Is vastly better qualified
to . take .hold of a flock and learn its need
than the man who never learned the hab
its, characteristics and. peculiarities of tho
sheep in health and disease.
.. t. ' y What Breed f Sheest .
There ar breeds of sheep suited to al
most every -condition -of -car and feed
that can . be supplied in any district or
country. These various conditions have had
much to do In making the breed and its
habitg.
All breeds of sheep are not well adapted
to rang conditions, consequently some
breeds are mors successful on th range
than others. Th large mutton breeds ar
better suited to farm acommodatlons than
to mak a profitable living on th rango,
where they are required to travel in large
flacks, over, extensive', areas of , grazing
lands. These larger breeds ar In a great
meeuj-e'-speclalty-brads, their prim pur
pose' in.' creation was mutton, the fleeces
property , a minor and secondary feature.
Their habits are those of dependence; they
incline to be -fed and provided for; they
eat,' sleep and grow.' fat, , while the wool.
breeds, such as th mwlno, forages every i
where, traveling miles,-each day In searcb
of new. feed,. They. sj often termed the
poor men's sheep, because they are active
In hunting up their own living and do not
depend on prepared feed, only when dire
necessity compels them."
Th feature of' the sheep business of
most Interest to th western flock own
ers, at thla time, is what breed of sheep I
best suited to ths rang and largo flock
requirements T Th merino has bn ao
, corded this place, after ytu-s of experi
mentation and tests of the various bre?..;.u
and cross-breeds of long wool that th
merino is th range sheep, taking th his
tory of the rang sheep country, not only
Of America, but of the entire sheep coun
tries of the world.
It is the combined properties of wool and
mutton that stimulates activity and In
terest In the speculative and buslnees
trafflo in . the sheep. When tbss two
products ar in active demand, as at th
present, th commercial importance of the
sheep Is at one recognised by capitalist
and dealera, and ' a period of successful
trad in growing and handling aheep, as a
result, follows. Until recent year th
wool product was regarded as th Im
portant feature in th sheep business, mut
ton being reckoned a secondary matter.
These conditions ar now changed, how
ever, mutton being regarded th product
of greatest value in th sheep, and th
wool secondary. . Mutton and wool being
th two Important factor In tb com
mercial importance of the sheep Industry,
the combination of these, to th higheut
degree possible la on breed of sheep is
3 m. m
OmahaI ' Sunday
IF t ;-f H,
'F!oor-Spaco":
Priii tef s to H is Roy al Majesty
the reasonable demand in economical pro
duction. ' v
Xot m.m Entirely New Ides.
, The fact that there are specialty breeds
of sheep ' both for wool and mutton does
not argue that there cannot be a combined
wool and mutton sheep that will equal, If
not surpass, 'either of the specialty animals
in their specialty. , This ia not entirely a
new idea. For years breeders ' of sheen
have been making efforts along thla line of
getting a mutton and wool sheep in the
same animal. Thee efforts have been
usually along the lines of crosses of one
mutton breed onto another. A long wool
and a short, wool breed, thus hoping -to re
tain th slse ard physical properties of th
big mutton carcass and to secure a fleece
of better 'texture than tho original basis;
shorten the fiber on the long wool sheep,
thicken It, up, make a more dense- fleece,
therefore more weight; while on the oppo
site the offspring would carry a fleece that
would be longer rn fiber, finer Vi texture
and better manufacturing quality and bet
ter weight of fleece. The Shropshire Is an
illustration of effects lh this direction and
Is today possibly the most popular mutton
breed In America, because of Its claim of
mutton and wool combination. But Is It a
range sheep? Will it go out on the rang
and face the grasing condition that th
merino wlUT These are questions that the
flock owner and shepherd roust answer
when he Is planning for the extension of his
flock . interests. The merino Is an old es
tablished type of sheep; for oenturles Jts
Inherited flock properties have character
ized It as. an unbroken wandering band of
foragers. It ; Is the only breed that will
bear crowding without apparent Injury In
sheds,, corrals and on the range it accom
modates Itself to the surroundings and sel
dom suffers, as a result, from disease in
fluences. They herd In flocks of thousands
on the rangev with appartntly.tbe same
?re of prosperity as In flocks of hundred.
Th term Merino has becom a general
term for a class of sheep which la divided
Into many varieties of families; as knqjvn
In. th United States. The merino sheep
history of this country commences author
itatively back In 1801, when one ram lamb,
toi'lng $1,000, was imported from Spain to
the farm of a Frenchman on the Hudson
in New Tors, In 1S02, and later up to U10
and l&ll, there were extensive importation
bj . Chancellor Livingston. Colonel ' David
Humphries Beth Adams, William Jarvls
and others. Here Is where th critical
feature of th merino sheep Industry of
th United States takes data. During all
this work of Importation and distribution
of Spanish and French merino sheep Into
th United Btate there was no system of
pedigree or registration thought of until
about stxty-flv year following, when
close competition in th breeding and ex
hibition of the merino -aheep encouraged
rival competitor to devise means of ad
vantage other than their flock possessed.
In 1S7B th subject of a sheep breeders' reg.
tster was Introduced at the annual meeting
of th Ohio Wool Growers' avociatlon.
This was ths beginning of ths present sys
tem of pedigree with tb merino sheep
breeders.
I'alrormltr la the Fleck.
On of th important features of sheep
raising Is to establish uniformity in ths
flock. This Is a desirable quality In any
line of stock breeding, but more especially
ia it deslrabl In ths sheep, sine there are
two festures of produot that demand a
market consideration, wool and mutton.
OMAHA, -SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 30, 1906.
9
NEW
A
!iir--i!t ;
The matter of uniformity In quality of
produce 'offered in the market Is getting
to be more and mora a requirement. In
order to get the top prices In the mutton
market It ia necessary that the flock offered
be Of uniform age, size, condition of flesh,
quality of fleece, possessing, the same gen
eral appearance; In short, a uniform fam
ily resemblance must be carried through
out .the Individuals. When these conditions
or qualities are possessed in a flock the
highest possible value will be secured when
sold.
quality and Type of Wool.
; The same Importance of uniformity Is
attached to the wool producu-ln It com
mercial value,. If the highest price Is to
be had for the crop of wool l must be
uniform in quality and condition. The
length of staple, the fineness and truenes
of fiber, the quality and cast of the yolk
or oil and th condition of tho fleece as
to th freeness from dirt or foreign sub
stances, etc., are qualities in fleece that
must be observed by th flock owner and
carefully guarded. Th matter of han
dling the fleece ha a great deal also to do
In the advantage of sal. Th fleece should
be carefully taken off and as carefully
sorted and tied up, so that there w4U ap
pear a uniform sameness. In appearance
when the wool is piled in th storehouse
for sale, or when it is being graded for
sale to th manufacturer. The wool from
a flock that contains a half doson tlistlnct
qualities or types of sheep, and as many
grades of fleece by condition, necessitating
an assorting before an approximate man
ufacturing .valu can be placed on th
clip or crop of wool, cannot be classed as
No. 1 or even good or medium, and must
necessitate a big cut in price to stand th
culling and assorting, which it must
eventually undergo.
' In these mixed flocks there Is never a
full valu received for th wool, or mut-
ton.
ettber, because the better grades are
used to sell tb poorer, and tb comparison
of th better and the poorer mixed In
on flock always works to th damage of
all. A very unsightly, mixed lot of sheep
may be sorted up into grades by an ex
pert handler of sheep and be mad to ap
pear entirely Ilk a different lot of ani
mals, and so improved that many of the
objectionable features are taken away. Thus
ths Importance of breeding a flock uniform
In appearance can readily be understood
and appreciated. ' Besides obviating the
necessity of sorting up for th sal of sur
plus, for mutton purposes, you can estab
lish a grade of sheep so uniform In quality
and appearance that an increased value
will soon be acquired for breeding pur-,
poses. There la no line of stock breeding
that demands so. much attention In the
securing of uniformity, and none that pays
so large per lent .for the effort.
The breeder or flock manager must have
an Ideal sheep In bis mind, if h I to mak
any permanent or lasting Improvement In
his flock. This Idea can only be had by
study and acquiring Information on mat
ter of flock history. Do you know what
you want In the sheep f If you have formed
no Idea. If you hav no preference of
breed or type of animal, you are going to
make a failure In th sheep breeding busi
ness, or you ar only getting a part of th
profit and money advantage the business
offers.
Selaetlea t Breeding Rasas.
Th great work to be accomplished in
flock improvement I to be brought about
by the brtidlng rams, and the culling out
ach year for th mutton market, tb un
desirable and off-styled auimals, retaining
I
KiNG
..OMAHA..
LOCATION 1210-12 HOWARD
We occupy this entire building. Our
plant is equipped with the latest, most up-to-date
machinery known to the trade. Each
machine is operated by individual motors.
Our presses are all equipped with automatic
feeding machines.
- We have recently added a Steel Die and
Copper Plate Department, which makes our
shop the most complete and best equipped
Printing and Binding Plant in the west.
WE INVITE INSPECTION.
AK-SAR-BEN
nothing that Is in he least deformed, or
so objectionable as to attract the eye of
the casual observer. In the selection ot
breeding rams constitutional qualities and
fleece properties are the two grand di
visions to be consulted. From these any
breeder may construct his Ideal sheep. The
putting together properly the, qualities to
be used In the structure, of course, de
termines the value of the Ideal sheep that
we may so construct t
. An outline of the range aheep that would
satisfy me would be, first, a robust consti
tution. This would be Indicated by a
healthy countenance, expanded nostrils,
short, strong neck, well set on broad shoul
ders, a deep chest, round barrel, a strong,
broad back, quarters long and well filled
up, head short, heavy bone of fine texture,
the legs short, straight, well spread apart,
hoofs clear In color and well shaped. In'
general appearance I would want, and, get,
from these properties an animal' of good
carriage, bold, 1 vigorous style and sym-,
metrical form, and a body comparatively
free from wrinkles or folds. .
In th fleece properties I would want a
strong masculine fleece, long staple, com
bining density, strength, crimp, fineness
and trueness of fiber, evenness throughout,
freeness from gsre and a white, flowing
yolk or oil. Th texture and evenness of
the fleece over the entire body, leg, belly,
neck and head are Important qualities in
th fleece of the stock ram. And last,
but not, least, this fleece-must weigh not
less than twenty-five pounds at one year's
growth, and be not less than three Inches
in length of staple, and the ram at ma
turity to weigh not less than 200 pounds
and be a smooth bodied sheep, with a
heavy flank and under fold or dew lap on
neck.
With such a sheep the produce from any
ordinary flock can be raised above the
mother stock in wool production from 40
to 60 per cent the first year. Thla is a
paying business of itself, but the profit
does not stop with increase In wool. These
lambs have an increased value over the
original stock which figures largely in the
gain and must be credited to the invest
ment in the ram.
How often do we see, In rang flocks,
a half dosen different types of sheep rep
resented in the breeding rams used, and
yet If these flock owners were asked.
What Is your purpose In breeding and
handling sheep? they would every one say:
"I am in it for the money there is in it.
I am not In the sheep business for my
health."
Th spirit and disposition is r 11 right;
they desire, of course) to breed up flocks
that will excel those of their neighbors,
but lack tb education and flock training
that Is essential to good breeding results.
They have been captivated by the alluring
figures of great profits In the sheep busi
ness, and have -conceived the Idea that a
man who has the money to bijy a flock
and the rang to turn it on can make
plenty of money. All he has to do is to
see that the wolves ar kept awsy from
them, that they ar herded In grasing
season and corralled and hayed during the
winter; cheap sheds, common car and a
double revenue, "wool and lamb," will
soon make a millionaire of the flock owner.
, Mast Be Properly Haadled. '
There la a great deal of truth in this
dream. Jt figures out on paper better than
any live (lock proposition on earth. But
"everything is not gold that glitters,"
nilther is the shue business without its
drawbacks and Irregularities In matters of
unrestricted success and profit. Th sheep
to be made ptofitabl to th. limit of its
Bee
SINGLE
n n
CUSTAV A. WIEOE, Manager.
Omaha, Nebr
resource must be systematically and prop
erly handled, systematically and properly
bred, and in these two requirements there
Is a demand for skilled and well trained
labor. It is one . thing to be properly
trained In the work of feeding and car of
the flock, but an entirely, different one-in
being able to skillfully mate',' In order to
assure the best results, or even desired re
sults. The proper use of stock rams Is the
secret of Improvment. This part' of the
flock should all be of one type. They
should be as nearly possible of one quality
in fleece andform; they should be of the
seme strain apd family, if not from th
same breeding flock. Thla is necessary to
establish uniformity In the produce of your
flock. . The height of ambition of the flock
owner should . be to secure a flock whose
Individual members all look alike and
produoe ths. largest possible fleece of fine,
long, crimpy, white wool. 'And whose phy
sical make-up Is a perfect type of mutton
production. These cqmblnatlons are possi
ble and It only remain for the ingenuity
of the breeder to determine how fast he
can progress towards this desired end,
The usual Influence shown by having
sheep of various ages, all In one flock, of
course will be apparent, in the large flocl:
as well as In the smaller ones; thla, how
ever. Is a matter of flock management and
does not -argue against any breed. ,;To
successfully handle sheep on ' range ; or
farm, especially where large numbers are
thrown together, -there should -be - a
classification of ages and kinds In order' tc
secure the best results. It must be re
membered that In th result depends ttu
profit in the business. If by a' little extra
care and attention to per cent of the In
crease of the flock Is grown Into matured
animals, yielding . a" full average in wool
and mutton, how much better it Is, from
a business standpoint, than to raise 75 per
cent.
Hospital Flock ar Dlvisioa.
There should be a hospital flock or di
vision on all sheep farms or ranches. There
are aheep at all time of the year that
work to disadvantage in th main flock;
thla may be caused from various reasons.
Sickness gets Into th animal family, on
very much the same basis that It does In
the human. . Th well fed and well cared
for sheep are apt to be In good health, but
let a sheep get on th decline, and, where
kept la larg flocks. It soon loses Its
ability, to keep up, let alone Improve. It
drops back. It Is crowded out and away
from the best and most nourishing feed
and It rapidly goes down and Is lost.
The lambing period. In th range flock
bring with It many perplexities and an
noyances as well as the . hopes and ex
pectations of a profitable Increase. The
management of a large flock of sheep at
this critical period will tax the ingenu
ity and patience of any man, especially If
the streather is wet, cold or stormy, when
the new born lambs are" demanding your
attention.
There are some general principles ta be
observed In the handling of the ewe flock.
First, th awe should be fed and herded
so as to keep them In good flesh during
th entire period of gestation. It is' ab
solutely essential that the ewe be strong
and able to fully nurs her new born off
spring from th stsrt; it Is nsceseary that
tb mother flock be comfortably boused or
shedded at nights, and .during all bad
weather. On of th greatest mistakes
usually made is carelessness In controll
ing the breeding season. In this climate
laniHfe t hould not come until grass is
started and the severe weather of spring
is vast.- Ths first of Ma is, soon tuugh
THE OMAHA DEE
Cost &
West
COPY FIVE CENTS.
to commence. The work of handling the
flock will bo greatly reduced, the ewes will
own their lambs better, there will be a
better supply of nourishment for th
lamb, the death rate will be lessened 21
to SO per cent, which means a big profit
in the. business. Under the most syste
matic and carefully planned management
of the flock, during the lambing period,
the flockmaster Is going to hav his
hands full.
Give the Lamb a Cbaaee-.
Imagine a flock of. 1,000 ewes, and cn
going out in the morning to the corral
you And any place from 100 to 200 new
born lambs running About, bleating wildly
for they know not what; if the mothet
sheep is sufficiently alert and attentlv
she will follow the little stranger about
until she gets its attention and gets It to
understand that she is Its rightful pro
tector and guardian. , Scores of thes
lambs, however, get lost in the flock, ths
mothers get bewildered and don't know
their own lambs; sometimes two twei
want the same lamb and the natural off
spring Is disowned and pushed aside
Again there are scores of unnatural
mothers who desert their lambs, and re
fuse to own any lamb, thus making a
surplus of foundlings on Jhe hands of
the shepherd. This wild excitement that
prevails in the breeding flock for fully a,
month is enough to drive any nervous
person distracted. Do the best you can
and there are a lot of foster lambs oa
hand to be killed, or fad on the bottle, a
business which hardly pays, unless It is
to- assist the poorly supplied lamb until
its mother can fully care for it. in imn
farm flocks whera there is only one or two
hundred ewes in the flock, this work can
be bandied without much loss, but where
the ewe flock reaches up into th thou,
sands, a kind of wholesale management
must be resorted to, and the division of
th ewes with their new born lsmbs is a
necessity' of separating them from th
main flock. Thl division Is best carrlod
on by numbering the ew and th lamb
as the pairs are found, starting with 1
and running up to 200 at least; then
change the color of your paint and com
mence again with one and so on until you
get a flock of ewes and lambs as large as
you desire. Then start another flock. Th)
main thing is to get the ew and th
lamb to know each other; when thl la
done your labor with that pair 1 usually
over with. .
It I a good Idea to have a woven wire
corral for the lamb and ewes; this does
away with the possibility of iambs getting
out and wandering off or being taken by
wolves or dogs. A wire fence of this kind
two and one-half or three feet high, with
three or four strands of barbed wire above,
makes a good rencefor sheep corrals. Th
sheep buslnees does' not require much ev
pensive preparation, but It does require an
abundance of convenient corral and shed
accommodation, so as to be able to sort
over and properly classify your flock for
advantage - In administering needed care
and attention.
fare f the La sab Floek.
The lamb flock should be given extra ad
vantage In all that tends to rapid growth.
When th lamb ar two week old they
commence to feed on tender grasses? and
If given an opportunity will eat bran,
shorts, meal, etc This is tb opportune
time to make your flock Industry profitable
to th highest degree. If th sheep bust
ness ia worth pursuing. It is worth getting
all out of it that is in it. No farmer will
(.Continued on fag Fi4
I