1838] 



FARMERS' li R G I S T E R 



fl47 



ed its share of discussion in the afrricultural jour- 

 nals ol' our country, especially as it bears a double 

 relation to our wants and our conifiirts. It is 

 from the same animal that we obtain (he choicest 

 and most wholef^ome supply oflbod for our tables, 

 and the materia! for a jjreat variety ofcloihing 

 suited to a vast extent of climate. The improve- 

 ment and increase ol' our wool and mutton nuisl 

 then be an object of jjreat concern to both rich 

 and poor; and if by a clian<fe in manatiemcnt we 

 can obtain more wool and meat from one-half, or 

 two-thirds ol the animals kept, our soil must con- 

 sequently improve under an additional covering of 

 grass, and we he immediately benefited in the in- 

 creased quantity of tallow, flesh, and wool. There 

 is a beiTuilinfr propensity with most of us to crowd 

 our lands with slock, prelerrinnr, as it would seem, 

 numbers to quality, and lbr<]^etiing the difficulties 

 attendinj; a dry climate and Ions winter. When 

 in the habit of keeping double the number of my 

 present stock of sheep on the same ground, I was 

 compelled at particular seasons to go to extraordi- 

 nary expense in their feeding to keep them in a 

 thriving condition. Notwithstanding, the average 

 weight of their fleeces fell from eight to between 

 four and five pounds. Experience then teaches 

 me to keep no more sheep than I can feed well 

 with economy, and have those separated in warm 

 weather, never increasing their expense, risk, or 

 trouble, by having lambs sooner than the first or 

 middle of March, when they may have green 

 food. A rye lot proportioned to the number of 

 breeding ewes need be the only additional expense 

 in keeping, to common pasture and good wheat 

 straw when the snow is on the ground. A slight 

 portion of Indian meal (too little to be called food) 

 should be given them once or twice a week 

 throughout the year, mixed in their salt. With 

 the aici of improvements through crosses and se- 

 lection, I will venture to say our flocks will double 

 their produce in a short time. With regard to the 

 expense of an individual flock, I may almost say 

 that mine cost me nothing last winter. The 

 weather, to be sure, was uncommonly favorable. 

 A rye lot of nine acres divided, was their chief 

 food, which was grazed until the 10th of April, 

 and left pretty bare. I have hired the thrashing 

 of the rye, in order to ascertain the quantity in 

 time for your information. Two hundred and 

 twenty-three bushels have been measured up, and 

 I have no doubt there was two or three bushels 

 left on the ground per acre, not having horse- 

 raked it, as was the rest of my stubble (nearly 

 tw^enty-five bushels per acre.) I had like to have 

 forgotten a considerable part of the production of 

 this ground. Turnip seed was sowed the last of 

 August, with the rye, at the rate of two pints per 

 acre, and harrowed in. Very late in the fall the 

 largest were carried off', and the sheep had ample 

 provision in the balance, preferring turnips to rye. 

 I had hoped at this time to have been enabled to 

 make a comparison between the productiveness of 

 the long wool, and the merino; and to have ascer- 

 tained how much good wool they sheared to the 

 pound of flesh, but the circumstance of my long 

 woolled sheep being in their prime, and the me- 

 rinoes on their decline (not having bred from them 

 for four or five years but by the long wool cross) 

 would make an unequal comparison, and I should 

 be sorry to venture an opinion lessening the value 

 of the one, or increasing the value of the other. 



without a confident experience of both. Take 

 them as they are, a few of the best selected from 

 each, prove in favor of tiie long wool, nearly two 

 to one, with regard to the fleece; but we must give 

 the merino the credit of imparting a large share 

 of this value to the long wool, for it appears, as far 

 as my observation has extended, that the first 

 long wool cross on the merino has the heaviest aa 

 well as the finest fleece. If this be the fiict, my 

 determination to select the finest, closest woolled 

 males to breed from, will have the desired effect 

 of uniting as nearly as possible the quality and 

 quantity; the same practice will, of course, apply 

 to other breeders of a similar stock. 



Several of the first shear long wool, produced at 

 the rate of one pound to every ten and eleven 

 pounds weight on the hoof. The merino, Arling- 

 ton long wool, and Tunis sheep are the most 

 noted and valuable breeds immediately amongst 

 us, and according to the situation and views of the 

 breeder, deserve the greatest attention, either to 

 perftjct them as a distinct stock, or by judicious 

 intermixtures to produce such valuable varieliea 

 as their nature, controlled by our skill, is possibly 

 susceptible of. 



June 3d. Sheared 49 sheep — 5 wethers, one 

 only a two year old — 2 rams, one and two years 

 old — 12 ewes first shear — 30 ewes from two to 

 five and six years — 26 of which produced 36 

 lambs, and raised 30 of them. 



Weight of wool from Mr. W. Barton's notes. 



9 fleeces full blood merino or 7-8 - 58^ lbs. 



8 do. Arlington long wool cross 



8 do. 



8 do. 



8 do. - - - - 

 8 do. 



49 



73J 

 55| 

 66| 

 56| 

 62| 



374* 



A total average, of above 7 5-8 — the average 

 of the 40 long woolled fleeces 7 7-8 lbs.— 9 merino 

 fleeces 6^ lbs. 



There were a 'few fleeces weighed in presence 

 of some of the officers and members of the so- 

 ciety. 



A Ram 2 years old, wt. 188 lbs. fleece ID lbs. 

 Ewe 1 year old, wt. 128 - - 13 

 Ewe same age, - 118 - - Hi 

 Ewe do. - - 130 - - lU 

 Ewe do. - - 122 - - 11 

 Wether, first shear, 128 - - 11 

 Wether do. - - 120 - - 11 

 Wether 2 years old, 185 - - 8 

 It is to be understood that the whole of the 

 wool was unwashed, and freed only from the 

 gross tags. Samples of the above fleeces are sent 

 you, which will be found to measure when the fi- 

 bre is extended from six to nine inches — but take 

 the very heaviest fleece we exhibit, and compare 

 it with the Vermont fleece of 18^* washed wool. 



♦ This fleece proved to be of four years growth, as 

 appears by a correspondence in relation to it between 

 ttie editor of the American Farmer and the postmaster 

 at Bennington, see American Farmer, volume 5th, 

 page 213. The sheep is there stated to be a full 

 blooded merino of the Livingston stock. It would be 

 worth while, if practicable, to ascertain the increase 

 of eacli year, where tli^enes are thus left more than one 

 year. — Ed. Am. Farm. 



