134 



24. The number of sheep heretofore kept on the farm has varied 

 from 90 to 100. At present there are 158. They are of the common 

 Spanish Merino. The weight per fleece has increased from 4 to 4f 

 ft)S. within four years. The wool last year sold for 46 cents ^ fb., this 

 year for 55 cents. Fi-om one-third to more than one-half the sheep 

 produce lambs ; the number is yearly changing. About 90 ^ cent, 

 of the lambs are iisually reared ; this year had 62 — all raised. The 

 price of sheep sold to the butcher, has varied from $1 50 to $4 ; lambs 

 are never sold. 



25. The best and cheapest manner of wintering sheep I think is to 

 confine them in dry, well ventillated stables, without floors, and to have 

 water accessible at all times. The feed to consist of a small feed of hay 

 or com stalks once a day, and plenty of straw at other times ; some kind 

 of roots to be given twice or thrice a week, and perhaps a little grain 

 daily. With this feed sheep will keep in first rate order, and even increase 

 in flesh during winter. I have practiced this method of wintering sheep 

 for the three last winters, which has convinced me that it is apian which 

 might be adopted by all, to advantage. My sheep have uniformly been 

 healthy, having lost but one during the three years, and that one died 

 during the summer. 



26. I keep but few swine, fatten yearly from five to eight. They 

 are of a mixed breed, it would be difficult to tell what. They have 

 been crossed annually with the best breeds in this vicinity. They are 

 fed with the slops of the kitchen, run in clover pasture in summer, and 

 are fattened on barley or corn meal, or corn, fed in the ear. Those kill- 

 ed at eighteen or twenty months old, have weighed over 350 pounds, 

 and th(^se at fourteen months, about 300 pounds each. 



27. I have made no experiments under this head. 



FRUIT. 



28. The orchard contains 48 apple trees and 3 pear trees, of over 30 

 years growth, and 70 apple trees, of from 5 to 8 years growth. All the 

 fruit trees have been engrafted. The old trees are chiefly of the follow- 

 ing vai'ieties : early harvest, early joe, early bough, early strawberry, 

 fall pippin, fameuse or snow, Westfield seek-no-further, R. I. greening, 

 swaar, esopus spitzenburg, and Roxbury russet. Several of the largest 

 trees have been engrafted with the northern spy, but they are not yet 

 in full bearing. The young trees are Roxbury russet, northern spy, and 

 spitzenburg, with a tree each, of some fifteen other varieties. 



