THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



161 



value— both Iota being not only, on the mother's side, of the 

 same blood, but bred and reared on the same ground, thus 

 making them greatly more vakiable as subjects for an experi- 

 ment such as now detailed. It was this consideration which 

 partly prompted the writer to carry out the experimental teat 

 with them to the latter, and see them killed and dressed him- 

 self, so that the correct weight of mutton and tallow, as well 

 as the quality of the former, might be ascertained. And well 

 did all of them kill : several slaughterers were assisting, aud 

 all expressed their admiration, especially at the hind legs of 

 the Cheviots. " Such mutton," said they, " was rarely killed 

 in Ber^rick." And although the mutton of the Cheviots was 

 most admired, as being thought more likely, judging from the 

 taste of the public at present, to find a ready sale ; yet the 

 haif-breds, as to comparative weight in mutton, agaiu proved 

 their superiority by nearly 4 stoues more than the latter, be- 

 sides a few pounds more tallow. Taking it as a proportional 

 question, according to the respective live weight of each, the 

 Cheviots, had they killed as well as the half-breds, ought to 

 have produced nearly one and a-half stones more mutton than 

 they actually did. Aud yet, conclusive as this may seem, the 

 writter cannot think but that it would require a series of like 

 experiments made, ere judgment could be pronounced finally 

 in favour of feeding half-bred sheep at all times, and in all cir- 

 cumstances, in preference to Cheviots. So much is due to 

 what is termed "a difference of blood" in stock of all varieties, 

 that although the experiment in this case has proved itself a 

 very marked one in favour of the half-breds, in all probability, 

 were a few more like experiments conducted with sheep 

 selected from various Hocks, some might result in favour of the 

 Cheviot. 



A difference, too, of food, soil, situation, or altitude, may 

 each, separately or combined, be the means of causing ano- 

 malous and unexpected results in the feeding and fattening of 

 difiereut breeds of sheep stock especially. It is not invariably 

 the best of food and shelter that will do if something else is 

 awaoting. Witness the result in this experiment as to the 

 Leicesters. Cheviots are Cheviots wherever they may be met 

 with, likewise Leicesters, and every other breed. Each and 

 all, if pure, will present the same distiuguishing features in 

 their general tastes and habits, as well as appearance ; and 

 yet, strange to say, what is bred by one may be found not to 

 feed and fatten so well, whoever gets them, as those bred by 

 another. So much for a difference not of breed, but of blood, 

 creating, as it visibly does in all species, a greater or less in- 

 herent propensity to grow, feed, and fatten — a propensity 

 hereditary in its nature, aud so transmitted from one genera- 

 tion to another. As already hinted at, climatic influences pro- 

 duced by soil, situation, or altitude, may, and in all probability 

 do, exert a powerful effect, either salutary or deleterious, to- 

 wards the feeding of the different breeds of sheep. Thus, 

 results that were obtained, as in this experiment, on a dry soil, 

 with plenty of shelter, at, by Government survey, an altitude 

 of 500 feet, might have been very different on a poor, wet, 

 exposed piece of moory land at an elevation of 700 or 800 feet ; 

 or again, on the deepest, richest soil, thoroughly sheltered, 

 and at the height of 200 or 300 feet above the level of the 

 sea. 



Management, too, as most will allow, tends very much either 

 to the successful or unsuccessful results in sheepfeeding. 

 Thus, with advantages every way the same, one man may 

 make more, or at least as much, of what is generally regarded 

 as a secondary breed or class of sheep, than what some of his 

 neighbours make of the most approved. This applies more 

 especially to stock-feeding on the same farm on which they 

 haye been bred, So, possibly, a good deal may depend ou the 



farmer, farm, and stock having been for some time accustomed 

 to each other. Thus, from a variety of unpropitious circum- 

 stances and unfavourable occurrences for a time clashing with 

 each other, sheep of a certain breed may be found to succeed 

 so badly as to prove almost unprofitable, but which, when per- 

 severed with, may turn out to be the very reverse, responding 

 liberally to the most sanguine expectations. 



Such being a very few ideas as to sheep culture — not indeed 

 peculiar to the author, but prevalent, he is fully persuaded, 

 amongst, and thoroughly appreciated by, the greatest propor- 

 tion of those who have had experience in the breeding and 

 feeding of sheep — the writer feels it would be unfair in him 

 claiming especial attention to what he has termed " A Satis- 

 factory Experiment as to the Comparative Feeding and Fatten- 

 ing Qualities of Cheviot and Helf-bred Sheep," without stat- 

 ing fully everything, in his opioion, that may and does detract 

 from its really practical value, and cause it to be doubtfully 

 regarded and cautiously relied upon as being under allcircum- 

 stauces a sure basis on which to build sanguine expectations 

 as to the remunerative results from any peculiar breed of 

 sheep, compared with others, when annually and extensively 

 put to the test in whole flocks feeding in the ordinary way in 

 the field. A series of experiments, such as the one now re- 

 ported, on difiereut soils, &c., and subject to the opposiug in- 

 fluences just noted, can alone give reliable results on which to 

 ground an extensive practice, without the risk of loss and dis- 

 appointment. The writer concludes, then, with the hope that 

 others may begin where he has left off, and lend their assist- 

 ance in throwing a little more light, in the shape of practical 

 proof, on this department of agriculture — a department which 

 is more and more every year proving itself to be, with all kinds 

 of sheep, one of the most remunerative. — Journal of Agri- 

 culture. 



Note. — These experiments are interesting and valuable so far 

 as they go. If the same nuraher of slipep, of the different breeds 

 experimented upon, had been ftd together in the open fields, and 

 the weights of the individual sheep ascertained, some striking facts 

 might hive been elicited. When sheep are confined in pens or 

 enclosures, they always, as in these experiments, progress very 

 unequally. This vpe find to be invariably the case in feeding 

 sheep in sheds. Being in a great measure necessitateil to feed all 

 our sheep in sheds at Kilwhiss, we have found th.tt while some of 

 the Cheviot breed would gain luUy 21b. in live weight weekly for 

 about six monihs, others in the same pen were comparatively 

 stationary. In experiments on feeding it gives greater precision 

 to results if the exact weights of turnips are given. At present 

 our data are still somewhat imperfect for ascertaining and dis- 

 cu<-sing the profit or loss arising from feeding stock on turnips. 

 —Ed. J. A. 



TO RELIEVE CHOKED CATTLE.— Put upon the 

 creature's head a rope or head halter, and draw the rope 

 over the girt of the barn or some object which will raise the 

 animal's nose as high as can be done wliile standing upon 

 its feet. Then let two men take a smooth lever or sled 

 stake, and standing one on each side of the animal, press it 

 hard against the throat and carry it gradually down as far 

 as possible, and the obstruction will be carried down into 

 the stomach, and the creature is relieved. This method I 

 have never known to fail, and it being an external appli- 

 cation, is perfectly safe to both man and beast. Take a 

 small quantity of powder, enough to load an old-fa-hioned 

 musket, do it up in some soft paper like a cartridge, raise 

 the animal's head, draw its tongue, put down the cartridge as 

 low as you can, so that the creature will attempt to swallow. 

 After a few minutes let it move about, and soon the creature 

 will be relieved, aud no damage be done to it in any way, 

 which I have known done by the other remedy .—Correspon- 

 dence N. E. Farmer. 



