71 



out in the morning, and kept apart from the main flock. Tliis is not neceeeary 

 in small flocks ; but in large ones it is a matter of importance, for when lambs 

 are coming frequently, an ewe, will very often, just before yeaning, take to some 

 other young lamb and disregard her own — thus one lamb has two mothers, and 

 the other lamb is left without one ; this difficulty is very much lessened by the 

 taking out of the young lambs, together with the dam, as often as is convenient. 



My male lambs are all castrated before they ai-e ten days old, except such as I 

 intend for " stock bucks." I wash my sheep in a large vat of clear running 

 water, and wash them as long as they discolor the water when pressed from the 

 wool. I then put them on as clean green sward as I can conveniently ; and, if 

 the weather is good, shear in six or seven days after washing. 



I aim to have my sheep shorn as evenly as I can, by procuring good shearers; 

 after shearing, I turn my entire flock together, and let them remain together for 

 about ten days, by this time, the sheep being destitute of wool, the ticks have 

 left them and taken shelter in the wool of the Iambs ; now I dip the lambs in a 

 decoction of tobacco, and in this way rid my whole flock of the ticks, which if 

 allowed to remain in the sheep would materially injure their condition. I have 

 long been of the opinion, that the Saxony sheep, fairly managed, would be per- 

 fectly hardy, and produce more dollars and cents than any other breed of sheep 

 according to the feed they consume. Sheep consume just in proportion to their 

 weight ; and the sheep that gives the most money according to his weight of 

 carcass, is the sheep I should prefer, and not the one that shears the most 

 pounds of wool regardless of the carcass, that is to be supported at great 

 expense to produce this big fleece. Islj object in the commencement of my 

 flock, was to produce a strong, healthy sheep, with a fleece of superfine qua- 

 lity, and good fair weight. In this I have succeeded, I think, tolerably well, 

 certainly beyond my expectations. I had much rather shear my sheep than 

 describe them ; their weight of fleece is an average of three pounds per head — 

 With but few bucks or weathers, mostly breeding ewes and lambs. I have 

 taken from a full blood Saxony buck seven pounds of wool, washed clean, and 

 entirely free from grease and gum, the latter of which frequently forms a great 

 part of those heavy fleeces we hear of being produced. 



My ewes produce, on an average, about ninety lambs to one hundred ewes. 

 As to the health of my sheep, you can judge a little from my losses in the past 

 two winters. In 1850 I had a few over 500, my loss between fall and spring 

 grass was three; in 1851 it was two. 



I purchased last fall ten choice Merino ewes, they were brought from Vermont 

 two years since by R. C. Otis, Esq., of this place; they originated from the 

 flock of Stephen Atwood, of Ct. I purchased them expressly for testing their 

 merits with my Saxons, keej^ing the blood of both pure, and treating them 



