FARMERS' REGISTER— WINTERING SHEEP. 



647 



aAvay islands; add to old, and form new ones. 1 

 Some may think they know the cause of the 

 changes in our climate, and the gradual diminu- 

 tion ot the waters of our fountains and rivers: but 

 they cannot agree among themselves about it. 

 Why is it that the tide rises at Cumberland, in the 

 Bay of Fundy, to the great height of seventy-one 

 feet, and only nine, at Cape Sable — six and a half 

 at Cape Cod, twenty-five at the mouth of Pas- 

 samaq noddy river, ten at Penobscot, eight at 

 Halifax (Nova Scotia,) five at New York, four 

 and a half at Cape Henry, five at Norfolk, and 

 but one and a half at the mouths of the Mississip- 

 pi? Rut enough of this digression. 



From the Cultivator. 

 WINTERING tJIIEEP. 



In Oeccmber flocks of sheep require a little of 

 our time and attention; if these are bestowed with 

 subsequent ordinary cai^e, sheej) will connnonly 

 pass through the winter with trifling loss and much 

 to our advantage. For want of attention in the 

 commencement of winter I have seen large flocks 

 nearly lost during its course, which might have 

 been saved with a little previous care. But when 

 it did occur you could not convince their owners 

 that it was their bad management, as they had 

 made up their minds to impute it solely to their bad 

 luck. It is always the best policy for the farmer to 

 have his sheep in good condition when Ihey begin 

 the winter, and then they are sure to go well 

 through it. If however they are permitted to en- 

 ter it poor and light — good provender and a regu- 

 lar supply of it, which is the best that can then be 

 done, although it may sav3 the lives of some, will 

 not carry them prosperously through it. The 

 foundation of our loss of sheep in winter is laid 

 during the season of pasturing, for the experience 

 of every farmer will teach him that only give 

 them enough to eat during the summer, the natu- 

 ral effect will be that they will put on flesh; and a 

 sheep in good condition is easily and safely winter- 

 ed, whilst it is a most difficult job to carry a poor 

 sheep safe through the winter. It is wrong to 

 permit them to ramble over the fields later than 

 about the first of December, because at that time 

 there is little nutriment in the scanty herbage on 

 whicli they feed, and the blades of grass had bet- 

 ter remain on the stem to protect it during the 

 frosts and winds of winter, and prepare it lor an 

 early and vigorous growth in the spring; besides, 

 as the supply to the animal is small, and innutri- 

 tions, there is great danger that there will be a 

 falling off" in its flesh, which it can illy spare, and 

 Avhich to its subsequent existence it is so necessary 

 it should no\v retain. I have frequently thought 

 that an open December, which is often wished for 

 by the farmer to save his winter supply of hay, is 

 more prejudicial to his sheep, when they ramble 

 over the fields, and to his own interest, than he is 

 generally aware of It would certainly comport 

 more with real economy, if he were to bring up 

 his sheep by the 10th, or at farthest the 15ih ol 

 this month, into winter quarters, even if the wea- 

 ther should remain warm and the ground uncover- 

 ed; for if they lose flesh at this tinie, they cannot 

 regain it until spring, and the mortality which 



sometimes costs almost entire flocks is imputable 

 in a measure to this cause. 



Sheep in winter should have sheds; the preser- 

 vation of their health requires this indulgence, and 

 nature prompts to it. Let me aslc, if they have 

 the choice, do they remain in the open air in a 

 storm 7 No, they as instinctively run to their co- 

 vering as a man docs to his house, and if they do 

 not require it ([iiite as nmch, they appear quite as 

 well lor the shelter. For a flock of poor sheep a 

 protection from the weather is all important. 

 Those in good condition do not as much want it, 

 as they have a better coat both of flesh and wool; 

 but for them it is likewise useful, and a good far- 

 mer will not omit to give all the requisite shelter. 

 In those countries in Eurojie which grow large 

 quantities of the finest wool, they find it indispen- 

 sable to the attainment of their object, that is fine 

 wool, that their sheep are sheltered from storms 

 both summer and winter, and they have made 

 their arrangements accordingly, lor they herd 

 them every night and narrowly watch the indica- 

 tions of the weather during the day. They say 

 that rain and snow give a hardness and coarseness 

 to the wool which they can obviate by a sufficiency 

 of shelter. But to our subject: as soon as sheep 

 are brought into the yard lor winter, the different 

 kinds of lambs, ewes, and wethers should be care- 

 fully separated and kept apart. It is important 

 that those in one yard should be as nearly of a 

 size as practicable; for by being so, there are no 

 strong ones among them, to drive the weaker from 

 their provender. All will then feed alike and do 

 well. The flocks ought likewise to be as small as 

 we can conveniently make them. It is an invari- 

 able rule that a small flock does much better than a 

 large one, even if both, according to their number, 

 are fed equally well. If the flocks in each yard 

 can be reduced to between fifty and one hundred, 

 so much the better; and it is a great desideratum 

 to make them as few as fifty if it can in any way 

 be effected. It is also necessary to ha\e a sepa- 

 rate yard for old and j^oor sheep, and if there are 

 any in the flock that do not subsequently do Avell 

 they should be removed into what is commonly 

 called the hospital. These hospital sheep, by be- 

 ing few in number, ha\'ing a good warm shed, a 

 sheaf of" oats, or a Cew screenings from under the 

 fanning mill, once a da)', will soon begin to im- 

 prove. I have had my hospital sheep in a better 

 condition with this care by spring than any other 

 flock, and I must say that for the last three sea- 

 sons, my sheep were in better condition when I 

 turned them out of my yards in the spring, than 

 when I put them there in the beginning of winter. 

 Sheep ought to be rather sparingly than sumptu- 

 ously fed, three times a day, and out of racks, to 

 prevent them from running over and tram|)ling on 

 the hay. As soon as one is seen in any of the 

 flocks to become thin, it ought to be removed at 

 once into the hospital where it will be better fed. 

 If you neglect to do this it will soon be too late, 

 and you will suffer loss: for a sheep once reduced 

 to a certain point cannot be recovered. It is of 

 service to give them a feeding of straw, or pine 

 tops, if jou please; for it invigorates their health 

 and makes a change in their food. They ought 

 all to be daily watered, and if your hay has not 

 been salted, to have a lick of salt occasionally. 

 The opinion that sheep do not want water is erro- 

 neous; repeated observation hascomincedmethat 



