Joe Reed, age 9, of Casper, Wyo., for his question:

WHERE DID SHEEP ORIGINATE?

Sheep are supposed to have come originally from the high plateaus and mountains of central Asia. The largest wild sheep, the argali, lives in the Altai Mountains of Siberia and Mongolia. The male stands four feet high at the shoulders.

Wild sheep look much like wild goats. Wild sheep are high spirited, daring and self reliant. They brave the harsh storms of winter and climb the steepest mountains with very few problems.

All of the domestic breeds of sheep we have today are descended from two different kinds of wild sheep. These are the uriai, which lives in Southern Asia, and the mouflon, which is the only kind of wild. sheep still living in Southern Europe.

Domestic sheep have been slowly and carefully changed from their wild ancestors. Originally, the wild sheep were tamed for the sake of their hides and milk. They were also used to carry burdens.

Very early in modern history the sheep became important for their fleece. The coarse hair that covered the wild sheep was replaced by a soft coat of wool through breeding.

Also, it has been only in the last 200 years that breeders have developed sheep that are grown primarily for their meat.

Sheep walk on hoofs that are divided into two toes. Their ankles are slim and the upper part of their legs is muscular, helping them to move quickly and easily.

Sheep have no incisor, or cutting teeth on their upper jaws, though they have eight on their lower jaws. They have six grinding teeth on the back part of each jaw. Sheep can bite off grass much closer to the ground than cattle can. In fact, where sheep have eaten their fill, there is little plant life left.

Leading sheep raising countries include Australia, Russia, China and New Zealand.

Here are the 10 leading sheep raising states in the United States, listed in order of importance: Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, California, South Dakota, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, Idaho and Ohio.

There are two distinctly different ways of raising sheep in America. The most important way is on the range. Here sheep are herded about in large bands containing from 1,000 to 2,000 or more sheep.

The large herds are moved about on large tracts of land which may be owned by the sheep owner, or may be leased from another owner or from the government. The sheep eat grass in the pastures.

The other important way of raising sheep is on farms. The farmer raises from 30 to a few hundred head of sheep. He keeps them in fenced pastures. During the winter he feeds them grain and hay grown on the farm.

The United States can produce nearly all the lamb and mutton it needs, but it imports much of the wool it uses because of the demand for special types of wool.