No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 455 



himsolf, to see such cleanliness of stable and cattle in such a con- 

 tinuous system of soiling. The feeding and mixing of feed wa« 

 watched closely and commented upon as being the best all-around 

 feeding that had come under the visitor's observation. The manure 

 at l^lourtown is cared for only second to the milk and cattle them- 

 selves; so valuable a product is the manure in the estimation of the 

 owner. And the dailv carting of this manure to the land instead 

 of to the barnyard is the most probable explanation of the crops 

 growing and gathering. The watering is as regular three times a 

 day as the feeding. The ventilation, light and grooming enter into 

 the soiling system as well as salting and providing the dairy animals 

 with clay once or twice a week, of which they are very fond of licking 

 and eating. 



Broom, brush, fork, hoe, shovel and push stick for gutter are in 

 every stable. Make everything so convenient that it is easier to 

 do it than neglect it; it is one of the arts of the soiling system. In 

 this method of the dairy business the dairyman has all his animals 

 directly under his eye. Waste is impossible, because so easily pre- 

 vented. 



As for the health of the herd, the animals, old and young, could 

 not be better. The veterinary bill is small because of the regularity 

 in feeding, and the other essentials pertaining to the system that 

 has been presented in this paper. 



The CHAIRMAN Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the pleasure of 

 presenting to you Mr. J. S. Burns, of Clinton, Pa. 



Mr. Burns presented his paper as follows: 



SHEEP HUSBANDRY 



By J. S. BURXS, Clinton, Pa 



Almost ever since the foundation of the world, sheep husbandry 

 has been one of the leading industries of the earth. We need only 

 come down to the second generation of which we have any history, 

 and we read that "Abel was a keeper of sheep." And each suc- 

 ceeding generation which has come and gone has furnished men who 

 were noted for their skill in the breeding and management of sheep. 

 And we believe that in the breeding and development of the sheep 

 there has been as much advancement as in any other line of domes- 

 tic animals. Personal observation justifies the assertion that there 



