VOL. LXVI1I
INDIANAPOLIS, MAY 24, 1913
NO. 21
Supplying Summer Pasture for Sheep
The prime essentiality in successful
summer management of sheep lies in
exercising forethought to have growing
continually a large amount of palatable
forage for pasturing purposes to turn
the flock upon during every month of
the grazing season. It is a matter of
importance to the interest of the nurs-
Suitable Forage Crops and Their Importance
By an Illinois Subscriber
calitles of this country to encounter a J time must come when the American
deficient amount of rainfall to maintain! sheep raiser must follow in the foot-
a constant supply of available moisture I steps of his English kin, and the sooner
:ind  fall.
l'or an early forage crop for sheep
pasture to be turned upon as soon as
the weather has moderated in the
spring, I find nothing better than fall-
sown rye. I have been growing rye
partially for early spring pasture for
many years and I find it is far superior
Many counties are becoming enthusiastic about county agricultural agents.    This lllustrati
ent visiting and exchanging Ideas with a farmer.
ing ewes and their growing progeny .to induce a continuous growth of nat-
that they be constantly feeding on ten- ural forage for sheep pasture. From
der growth of nutritious forage, that i the sun-parched pastures of the west-
the former may be able to maintain a ( ern range to the drouth-affected mead-
strong flow of a high, uniform quality lows of New England there are Inter-
of milk and that the latter obtain a | vening periods throughout the pastur-
sufflcient amount of supplementary food j Ing season when natural vegetation
to  supply  additional  nourishment  and  cannot  suffice the  craving appetite  of
induce rapid bone and muscle development.
It has been my experience and obser-
vatlon that one of the great hindrances
to economical mutton lad ffft-ol production is largely concealed in the lack ofj-owrht to, and because oath's apparent
forethought on the part of sheep own
ers to make adequate -arrangements to
alternate their flocks frequently from
pasture to pasture, thus stimulating appetite, encouraging forage growth and
promoting the most .vigorous and economic gain.
The Xeed of Supplementary Forage.
It Is a prevalent climatic condition of
iff airs throughout the sheep grazing lo-
the  flock  and     supplementary     forage
must  be supplied.
Flock owners in general do not give
as much attention to the production of
forage crops for sheep pasture as they
lack of full apprehension of their Intrinsic value in profitable sheep raising the American flock owner cannot
compete with his English brethren in
the production of sheep products. English flock owners many score years ago
came to realize more fully the great
value of green forage for sheep feeding
purposes and to-day they are devoting
close attention to this Important side
of   profitable   sheep   husbandry-       The
we fall into line the better it will be
for the sheep-growing enterprise of our
country.
Produces Profitable and Rapid  Gains.
There is no other food that can be
grown upon our farms that will produce such profitable and rapid gain of
mutton formation as will green forage.
The soils throughout the sheep-raising
districts of this country are suitably
adapted to the growing of an excellent
quality of forage for sheep grazing
purposes. Then, too, the large range
of forage crops that do remarkably
well on the soil where sheep are maintained make it indeed an easy matter
for sheep owners^to adopt a rotation of
forage crops *>/t can be profitably
grown for sheep pasture. On my farm
there is no less than a half dozen forage crops that are exceedingly well
suited to my soil and climatic conditions
which make excellent growth even during the drouth season of    midsummer
to many other forage crops ln many respects. Every owner of sheep sees the
time ln early spring before lt is time to
turn the flock to pasture that some
palatable forage for the nursing ewes
would not only stimulate appetite, but
materially assist in inducing milk flow
for the nursing lambs. To turn the
animals onto pasture that is intended
for summer purposes before it has secured a good start decidedly impairs its
future value. As I do not like to turn
my sheep onto clover meadow pasture
until the plant has well recovered
from the winter on account of the
sheep injuring the crown of the young
plant, I find that rye comes in Just at
the desired time and furnishes an early
forage crop that works in nicely with
»iy general farm rotation.
The oat-, and Pea  Mixture.
As a forage crop  that  can  be sown
early in the spring and depended upon
Continued on page IS.