166 [Senate 



farmer who raises sheep for the butcher, and with whom wool is only 

 a secondary object, will find the most profit in the coarse wooled 

 sheep. But for the large farmer, fine wooled sheep are decidedly the 

 most profitable. The merino is considered the most hardy, and there- 

 fore the most desirable for a fine wooled flock. 



Sheep are generally sheltered and allowed a plenty of litter. It is 

 the practice of many large farmers, to winter them at stacks. If fur- 

 nished with good shelters, they have been found to do as well, and 

 generally better, than when confined to yards. In that way, the 

 flocks are easily divided, and but about one hundred are allowed to- 

 gether. The lambs are usually kept at the barn, where they can 

 have more attention, and if necessary, better keep. The ewes gene- 

 rally drop their lanribs early in May. On a wheat farm, sheep are 

 considered the most profitable stock that the farmer can raise. A 

 greater attention to root culture would add materially to the farmer's 

 profits in keeping sheep. In general, the sheep are very healthy; I 

 do not know that the foot rot has ever occurred in the county. 



There are but very few mules raised in the county. The census of 

 1840 shows of animals, as follows: 



Horses and mules, 8,718 



Neat cattle, 22,203 



Sheep, 88,810 



Swine, 28,150 



8th. Value of land and size of Farms. — Farms are sold from $12 

 to $80 and ^100 per acre. The general average at this time of the 

 selling price for farms, would fall below $40. At the present value 

 of farms, they probably pay a better interest on the investment than 

 almost any other county in the State. 



The average size of farms would be not far from 150 acres. Very 

 few have over 300 acres, or under 50 acres. 



9th. Timber. — The prevailing timber is sugar maple. In the 

 northern towns, it is mixed wuth oak, chestnut, beech, and some hem- 

 lock, elm and bass wood. The southern portion has less oak than 

 the north. Black and white ash, v/hitewood and sycamore are found 

 in various parts. Various kinds of the walnut are also found in the 

 county. The woodland is well timbered; and most farms possess 

 sufficient good rail timber to keep their fences good for a century,if pro- 

 perly husbanded, and a more improved method of fencing is adopted. 



10th. Fattening stock for market. — Excepting swine, very little 

 stock is fattened for market. Hogs are fattened generally in the au- 

 tumn, and early part of winter; the greatest number are marketed 

 from the middle of November to the middle of December. They are 

 generally about IS months old when killed; and average not far from 

 300 lbs. dressed. The method of fattening very prevalent now, is to 

 boil or steam potatoes or apples, and mix with them provender made 

 by grinding corn, buckwheat and barley or oats together. In this 

 manner, they are fattened off very rapidly, and at small expense. 

 Peas are generally fed to them in the vine. If ground, they are fre- 

 quently used in the place of corn, and make a very good substitute. 



