THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISIT 



CONDUCTED BY ISAAC HILL. 



" Those lOho labor in the earth are the chosen people of God, whose breasts he has nrndr his peculiar dcpositefur snbstantial and genuine piHuc'-jEFFERSOM. 



VOLUME 2. 



CONCORD, N. H., JAN 31, 1840. 



NUMBER 1. 



THE VISITOR. 



The following is the rcjiort on Sheep made in 

 February ]S3if, to the New York State Agricultur- 

 al Society, alluded to in the last number of the Vis- 

 itor. It will be perceived that this report alludes to 

 the gentleman, Henry D. Grove, Esq. of Hoosick, 

 N. Y. who has so much distinguished himself in 

 rearing the fine wooled Sa.xony sheep. The infor- 

 mation in this report is highly interesting to the 

 sheep-farmers of the New England States, although 

 Bome of it is note.xactly adapted to their condition. 

 Lucerne, sanfoin and vetches are not with us a 

 common production with which to feed sheep ; and 

 barley, oat, rye or wheat straw is not a common 

 feed for any kind of animal. All these might he 

 profitably used in connexion witli the feeding of 

 succulent roots. One half of the quantity of hay 

 might be saved in this manner; and cattle of vari- 

 ous descriptions would fare quite as well as they do 

 eiinply on dry hay even of the best quality, if they 

 were fed on rutabaga, mangel wurlzel, carrots, or 

 sugar beets, with the cutstrav/ as a simple condi- 

 ment. Cattle, when fed on roots, will certainly eat 

 bay and straw that they would not touch without 

 them. — Ed. Visitor. 



KepoTt on the mauagement of Sheep. 

 Your conunittec, on " Tlie feeding and manage- 

 ment of sheep in winter," while they are fully a- 

 ware of the importance of the subject thus brought 

 under their notice, feel, that though they can sug- 

 gest but little that is new and instructive to the in- 

 tellicent fanner or flock-master, in the home man- 

 agement of sheep as now practised, yet are inclin- 

 ed to believe there is much, both interesting and 

 useful, wliich may be gathered from a knowledge 

 of sheep liusbandry in other countries, where its 

 vast importance, (forming as it does, in sgme cases, 

 the very wealth of the nation,) has called to its aid 

 all that education, ecience and close observation 

 could suggest for its improvements ; and there are 

 instances where this valuable amount of inielli- 

 gence has been practically applied in this State, 

 with a success that warrants your committee in of- 

 ferino- some suggestions from the German practice, 

 that may materially improve the winter manage- 

 ment of slicep in this State. 



The main body of sheep in the northern and mid- 

 dle States produce wool of an improved quality, 

 being more or less mixed with the Merino, or tlie 

 improved Merino of the Saxony family, and are 

 principally kept for the fleece; the carcass being 

 a secondary consideration ; but within a few years 

 this has become more valuable, from causes which 

 it is not necessary here to examine, as they are self- 

 tvident to every observing mind. Yourcommillee 

 would therefore have it understood, that their at- 

 tention on this occasion has been nearly confined 

 to the management of the Spanish sheep in all its 

 various grades, as found in this country. 



Many plans liave been recnmmended, rules have 

 been prefcnbed, maxims laid down, and the requi- 

 site quantities of food stated, for maintaining a 

 sheep in thriving and good condition. But all these 

 can only be relatively understood, for we ought to 

 take the size of the animal into consideration ; and 

 it must bo. borne in mind, that a large sheep re- 

 quires more food than a small one, and that a sheep 

 which gives five or si.x pounds of wool, must con- 

 pume niore than one which gives but three pounds. 



These considerations lead to a proposition vvhi^h 

 has received hut little or no attention from the great 

 mass of our farmers who keep sheep, namely : 

 The injiucnce or effect of feed on the quantity and 



qualittj of the wool and carcass. 

 ■ It may be laid down as a rule, that two pounds 

 of good hay, or its equivalent in grain, roots and 

 straw per day, fed regularly at three fodderings, 

 are sufficient for a grown sheep of the Merino fam- 

 ily, producing three pounds of fine wool, provided 

 it e'nters winter quarters healthy and in good con- 

 dition. For breeding ewes, or a larger r»cc oi 

 sheep, this quantity "would not be sufficient ; and 

 for a race by nature small and weak, it would be 

 more than they require, and if fed to them would 

 "reatly diminish the quality of the wool, though it 

 increased it^ quantity. 



Farmers in Germany generally allow theirsheep 

 an average of from one and three-fourths to two 

 pounds of hay daily, including the whole flock, 

 and their sheep are vigorous, healthy and in good 

 condition, and attended with the best eft'ect upon 

 the wool. Others allow theirsheep one and a half 

 pounds daily, and they do not suffer by this quan- 

 tity, but are healthy and rather thriving upon it ; 

 still they do not yield so much wool, nor is the car- 

 cass so heavy ; while otiiers, through ill advised 

 economy, limit theirsheep to one and one-fourth 

 pounds of hay daily ; but it was found that they 

 sheared from ten to sixteen ounces less of wool per 

 head; that the constitution of the animal could not 

 be matured, and he ultimately became a diminutive 

 and feeble animal. The wool from such sheep is 

 termed ^^hungcrfme," and appears to possess a high 

 degree of fineness upon the sheep's back, and is 

 extremely mild and soft to the touch. "But," says 

 Mr. Eisner, a writer on sheep husbandry, "this 

 kind of mildness is as exceptionable as its fineness, 

 both arising from the poverty of the animal', for 

 after shearing and washing, it lessens to an unu- 

 sual degree in volume." It is deficient in strengtii, 

 elasticity and the felting properties, and it does not 

 make as perfect and durable a fabric, as it would, 

 had the sheep been kept in a thriving condition. — 

 Us intrinsic value, therefore, to llie manufacturer, 

 is not so great as its apparent fineness would indi- 

 cate, and the grower who anticipated a "good clip" 

 of wool from his flock, is very unpleasantly awak- 

 ened from his dreams, when he finds that they shear 

 much less than he expected; and this we fear is 

 too often the case with many of our economists who 

 undertake to keep flocks of fine wooled slieep. 



It is, however, certainly a most erroneous con- 

 clusion, that sheep produce an increased or extra 

 quantity of wool in proportion to au increased or ex- 

 tra quantity of feed. "Farmers who were deceived by 

 this theory," says Mr. Eslner, the author above 

 quoted, "have been disappointed ; for the increased 

 quantity of wool was scarcely half in proportion to 

 the extra quantity of feed, and the quality was con- 

 siderably deteriorated." Such is the opinion of 

 one of tho most intelligent breeders and close ol)- 

 .lervcrs of the economy of sheep in Germany. — 

 The experience of one of your committee fully 

 goes to confirm the above position. And his ex- 

 periments, made with great attention and exactness 

 for a series of years, botli here and in Germany, 

 enable him confidently to offer the following result-. 

 That sheep of good size, superior fineness and thick 

 fleece, when rightly fed and managed, produce on 

 an average two and three-fourths to three pounds 

 of clean wool, washed on the sheep's back. ]!ut a 

 flock is only rightly fed and managed, when tliey 

 are not allowed quite as much as they would eat, 

 thus insuring thriftiness and bodily health. To ef- 

 fect this desirable object, as has been alreridy stated, 

 two pounds of good hay, or its equivalent in grain, 

 roots and straw, per day, are required; whereas, 

 the same sheep, were they allowed aa much hay as 

 they could eat, would consume over three pounds 

 or its equivalent in grain, roots and straw. Now in 

 order that the increased or extra quantity of wool 

 be equal to the increased or extra quantity of hay, 

 they ought to shear from four and an eighth to four 

 and a half pounds of v.'ool per head. But this is 

 not the case ; the increase seldom amounts to more 

 than 25 instead of 50 per cent. In other words, 

 six pounds of hay fed to three sheep, produced 

 from eight and one-fourth to nine pounds, while 

 the same quantity and of the same quality, fed to 

 two sheep daily, produced from six and seven- 

 eighths to seven and a half pounds of wool only, 

 leaving a balance in favor of the former of from 

 one and three-eighths to one and a half pounds ; 

 an item in the profits of a sheep establishment oi 

 some importance, especially where large flocks are 

 kept But this is not the only disadvantage of higli 

 feeding, for while it ruins the natural constitution 

 of thelinimal, it injures the wool. 



Some German writers on sheep husbandry esti- 

 mate this reduction in quality at ten per cent., and 

 maintain that the greatest waste in cleansing it in- 

 creases the loss to twenty per cent. ; such wool con- 

 lainino- a larger quantity of oily ot greasy substan- 

 .•es, which "o far to make up the increased weight 

 of the fleece. Assuming this to he a correct es- 



timate — and it is believed to be a fair one — it will 

 be found that for an outlay of 5U per cent, in extra 

 feed, only five — at the most ten — per cent, of wool 

 is obtained in return. It would, however, increase 

 the carcass and the quantity of manure, but this 

 would be done at too great a price. If, however, 

 the sheep were intended for the shambles it would 

 alter the case. 



Having considered the influence or effect of feed 

 upon the quality and quantity of the wool, and 

 shown that either extreme, the too little, or the too 

 much, is unprofitable to the wool-grower, your com- 

 mittee will, in the next place, proceed to the con- 

 sideration of the care and management of sheep 

 during winter. 



It may be classed under three heads — Feeding, 

 Watering and Shelter. 



Food — Should be such as to agree with the hab 

 its and economy of the sheep, and should contain 

 nourishment and bulk equivalent to two pounds ot 



hay. 



The varieties of winter provender, to be consid- 

 ered, are hay of all the cultivated grasses, such aa 

 clover, lucerne, &c. &c. hay from natural but dry 

 meadows ; sound oat straw, barley, rye and wheat, 

 well cured vetches and pea vines ; all kinds of 

 grain, but with the exception of the less healthy 

 rye, roots, such as polraoes, carrots, rutabaga, man • 

 o-el wurtzcl, turnips and the different kinds ofbeels; 

 all are conducive to the health, prosperity and in- 

 ternal economy of the sheep. 



Of the different kinds of hay, white and red clo- 

 ver, sainfoin, and timothy, stand first, and seem to 

 be best adapted to the nature of the sheep ; they 

 eat it with great avidity, and with but little abate- 

 ment in appetite through the whole of a long wia- 

 ter. Of red clover, there are two kinds, the north- 

 ern and southern— the latter makes much the best 

 hay. Sheep should be made to eat their hay up 

 clean when it is cut at the right tinie and well cur- 

 ed, and that time is, when clover, lucerne and sain- 

 foin is in full bloom, and timothy when about one- 

 quarter to one-half of the blossom is off. But if the 

 (rrowth is large, lodged or decayed at the bottom, 

 tiiey should not be forced to eat it clean ; but an al- 

 lowance must be made, as the decayed parts, were 

 they compelled to eat them, would prove hurtful. 

 And if hay is somewhat injured by rains during the 

 process of curing, then again an allowance should 

 be made. Mow burnt or mouldy hay should never 

 be used in the sheep cot, for !t causes a general de- 

 bility of the system, and if continued would ulti- 

 mately create the rot. 



Hay from low land meadoyvs is not so good as 

 that from the uplands ; if these can be renovated 

 by occasional ploughing and reseeding, it improves 

 the quality; but in portioning out the quantify of 

 hav to sheep, a suitable allowance should be made, 

 and the more of the wild and sour grasses are 

 mixed in with it, the greater should that allow- 

 ance be. 



Hay from v.et meadows is not wholesome for 

 sheep, and should never be given them unless from 

 necessity ; then double the usual quantity must be 

 allowed. Were they confined to such hay and com- 

 pelled to eat it nearly or quite clean, it would prove 

 ruinous to the flock. 



Hay from meadows that have been very highly 

 enriched by top dressings, aflFord a luxuriance and 

 rankness of grov.th possessing a laxative property, 

 and should be dealt out to sheep very cautiously, 

 especially to lambs, and if it is pretty freely salted 

 with a view of preserving it, the greater caution is 

 necessary. Sheep wiU then eat it greedily, espe- 

 cially if salt has been withheld from them for some 

 length of time, but it is then the more dangerous ; 

 as foddering from it a few days in succession, even 

 a few times, creates great thirst. Sheep drink an 

 unusual quantity of water, and scouring is produc- 

 ed, which often proves to be very fatal. 



But before entering upon any course of feeding, 

 it is advisable to divide the sheep into different 

 flocks. The breeding ewes into one flock — ■the 

 wethers into another— and the lambs into a thirdi 

 From these main divisions, subdivisions may be 

 made as circumstances require, taking care that 

 the individuals composing the diflferent flocks are 

 as nearly as possible of equal size and strength ; 

 if not, the wesker portion are not apt to get ados 



