THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



be able to grow the flnest-combiug wools, and ' first befoi'e a flock of sheep, for some of the 

 seriously afl'ect our markets. The lands in South I stronger ones will be so greedy for it, that they 

 America are fine for grazing; rich, and gener- 1 will eat so freely of it that the salt will kill them, 

 ally well watered, and must become one of the I Alter they have become accustomed to it, a lump 

 first wool-producing countries of the globe, when j should be kept by them always. Castration and 

 enterprising wool-growers take hold of it. The I docking of lambs should be done early, as early 

 natural soil of these Republics is so fertile, and j as the first week, if done at all. 

 the pasturage so rich, and the climate so equita- ! Lambs are usuall.v weaned at four months, or 

 ble, that were the government stable and sure, earlier, and should, when they are to be weaned, 

 the industry would a-ssume vast proportions. be turned on some short, rich pasture, freely 



MEXICO.— Good grazing lands can be leased in watered, and should short pasturage require it, 

 large tracts at a rental less than one-half a cent be fed somewhat on grain. The intelligence of 

 an acre, or be bought for ten cents an acre, or thel'armermust be his adviser in feeding, for any 

 less, and were the government stable and good, neglect on his part will run down his flock and 

 sheep-raising would soon gain a foothold and be lessen his profits. Corn fodder does well for 

 a rising competitor In the markets for wool. We sheep with a feed of hay for a change ; but always 

 do not mention other foreign wool countries, for so feed that the animals are kept active, 

 all except Russia, and jierhaps Spain, do not Sheep pens should be kept well littered, and if 

 export wool in quantities to seriously afl'eet the asmell of ammonia is perceived, the pen should 

 wool markets. They grow largely for home con- be cleaned or land-p'.aster freely applied to it. 



%^ 



gumption, and supi)ly the home demand and 

 lessen our export market. 



LAMBS.— The flock-master will find the most 

 careful attention of the lambing necessar.v. In 

 fact, if he profits, this period must not be neglec- 

 ted. While we do not propose to instruct the 

 herder who has spent years in raising, 

 yet, there are many who only grow small 

 flocks, and where lambs are valuable, and 

 to them the few hints we give will be of 

 profit. The rule that the stronger and the 

 healtii.er the stock bred from, the stronger 

 and healthier are the lambs, is true, and 

 the importance of good bucks for sires 

 will be manifested in the vigor of the 

 young. The ewes should be kept in good 

 condition, but not fat, and allowed to run 

 in the field in open weather during win- 

 ter for exercise, or at least should be 

 allowed the liberty of a large yard. Cold 

 and needless exposure weakens the ewe, 

 and also makes sickly lambs. Although 

 they may find little or no forage in the 

 bare field in winter, yet, the sheep are 

 greatly improved by the exercise gained 

 by it. Exposure to cold rains and snows 

 must always be avoided. 



The period of gest at ion in the ewe, is five 

 months (150 days), and shortly before that time 

 the ewe should be put in a roomy, dr.v pen, free 

 fi*om cold draughts and from disturbances ( f any 

 kind. If the sheep have been properly kept With 

 a change of food, with a slight increase of grain, 

 a month before lambing, and a small suppl.v of 

 clover hay added, the lambing will not only be 

 easy, but tlie lambs will be fijie and vigorous. 

 But a small loss will occur, and the lambs will 

 care for themselves with little attention. If the 

 sheep have been kept and treated kindly, they 

 will be easy to handle, and are easily caught and 

 separated. After lambing, the ewes may be fed 

 potatoes, turnips, pumpkins, &c., with the grain 

 and hay, and the milk production gradually in- 

 orea-sed as the lambs increase in size. In sheep- 

 breeding, care must always be taken to make no 

 sudden changes of feed or pasture, but gradually 

 if you want a sound and healthy flock. 



When a lamb is taken to the fire to warm, and 

 the ewe will not own it when returned, usually, 

 if the lamb is wetted by milking the mother, the 

 smell of the milk will reconcile the ewe to the 

 lamb, even if it be a strange one. Lambs fre- 

 quently die of constipation when a week old, 

 this seldom occurs in cases where the ewes have 

 been well kept, and the milk rich and healthy, 

 or where the feeding of roots is practiced Rafter 

 lambing. Roots fed before will occasionally 

 cause too free a flow of milk, and many breeders 

 think also abortion. Where ewes are too free 

 milkers, they are to be carefully and regularly 

 milked, until the lamb can consume all the flow. 

 Young lambs will soon learn to eat ground feed, 

 which is best fed in a separate enclosure, with 

 round slats or stakes set far enough apart to allow 

 only the lambs free access. The enclosure will 

 soon be found by the inquisitive lambs, and will 

 soon be filled with them, and the older ones will 

 consume more feed than one would suppose pos- 

 sible, and will make a rapid growth. The young- 

 est lambs will soon imitate the older, and be 

 found with them nibbling at the grain. Equal 

 portions of oats and corn ground together is the 

 best. The ewes should be kept well-watered wtih 

 fresh water daily, and regularly salted, either by 

 keeping a lump of rock-salt in the pen, orsprink- 

 ling the fodder with salt-water. Caution should 

 be used not to keep a lump of rock-salt long at 



Care should be taken that the ewes, when the 

 lambs are removed in weaning, do not suflTer 

 from the continued flow of milk. The English 

 breeds are such excellent milkers that they espe- 

 clall.v require attentioi.. All they need i.s to be 

 occasionally milked, and if done timely, 





'^.. 

 ^■- 



LINCOLN sJikEI',nKlnM hi/ T. IVattei ,t Sinis. Wnt Chfstei f' Pa, 



caked udder will result. The spring lambs des- 

 tined for the butchers, should be forced into 

 growth by judicious feeding, as rapidly as possi- 

 ble, while those intended for breoding, should be 

 kept in only good, healthy growing condition, if 

 you desire a healthy, rugged breed of sheep. 



WOOL.— Weshall pass by shearing, fofit cannot 

 be taught only from a practical shearer. The eye 

 is to be taught, not the judgement, and hence 

 the eye must see the performance to become an 

 adept in the art. We will only say, good fleeces 

 can only be grown by a regularity of feeding, and 

 a proper protection from excessive cold. Sheep 

 in poor condition, if given an abundance of rich 

 food, will cause a new growth of wool to take 



the place of the old, stunted growth, which, as 

 the new growth starts, will fall off and leave the 

 sheep bare in the midst of winter. The zsame 

 may occur in changing from the coarse or scanty 

 feed of winter to pasture in the spring. The 

 wool increases or decreases aec-ording to the 

 condition of growth, and will be uneven in 

 fineness and break up into short pieces at the 

 places where the changes occur. Such wool is 

 poor and worthless to the manufacturer, and 

 does not merit a price. Exposure to colds and 

 storms act similarly on both sheep and wool. 



DISEASES.-We shall carefully consider diseases, 

 not only to enable the breeder to aid in their 

 cure, but what is of far greater importance, to 

 enable the grower to know how to prevent them. 

 "We shall give the cause of the diseases and the 

 usual symptoms of them, and point out a radical 

 means of cure, but would say at the outset, that 

 prevention is better than cure. 



FOOT ROT.— This is one of the troublesome dis- 

 eases that is likely to occur on wet soils or damp 

 pastures. The disease is contagious, and will run 

 through a tlock. If neglected, as its nan\e indi- 

 cates, it will ro* the foot so that tke hoof will 

 no I come off, and the sheep perish. The common 

 observer will not fail to notice that the 

 foot of a sheep is very much smaller than 

 is in due proportion to the size of other 

 ~^ domestic animals, and by a continued 



> running in moisture, it becomes softened, 



and spreading under the weight of the 

 sheep, ruptures the union of the hoof to 

 the foot, and causes t lie inflammation that 

 produces the disea.se. Such a view is 

 rendered more probable from the fact that 

 thfe first appearance occurs at the top of 

 the cleft over the heel of the foot, where 

 the gi'eatest strain occurs, and follows 

 the walls of the clelt until the inflamma- 

 tion penetrates between the fleshy sole 

 and the hoof, which Anally ulcerates and 

 comes off. If wet pastures are to be used, 

 drive the sheep to them, and when they 

 cease feeding, take them away to a dry 

 pasture or to the fold, where the pen is 

 dry and well littered, and then when they 

 need feeding, drive away to grass again 

 and back to the fold. This will reduce the expos- 

 ure and lessen the danger. Foul, dirty, and wet 

 pens and rnns are also to be avoided by the fre- 

 quent use of litter. When contracted, separate 

 the sheep at once and immediately examine the 

 feet. The first indication will be a little inflam- 

 mation and soreness, which we have described. 

 At once clean the foot well, pare off the diseased 

 portion of the hoofcarefully, and apply amixtrue 

 made of one pound of blue vitriol (sulphate of cop- 

 per), and a half pound of verdigris tacetate of 

 copper), pulverized finelj', and mi.xed with one 

 pint of linseed oil and one quart of wood-tar. 

 Apply every 3 days, until a cure is affected. Wash 

 clean before each application. The hoof must be 



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