1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



271 



spaying two or three heifers every year for beef, 

 at the proper age, had the experiment made on a 

 cow with her first calf, which succeeded; and he 

 sent her to me at Norfolk, after keeping her a year 

 or two, thinking she would be desirable for a town 

 row. She gave as much milk as ordinary cows, 

 and I thought a1 firsl she would be a great acqui- 

 sition, but soon found one inconvenience attend- 

 ing her which had not occurred to me. Having 

 no calf to attach and accustom her to my lot, it 

 was necessary to send after her whenever requi- 

 red, or keep her up altogether, which was incon- 

 venient, and being (as most spayed animals gen- 

 erally are) in fine order, I lost her in afewmonths. 

 and have no doubt she was sold to the butcher. I 

 have always regretted the loss, not so much on 

 account of the value, but that I might have as- 

 certained how long, and in what quantity she 

 would have continued to give milk. I have now 

 on this estate eighteen spayed heifers, (and 1 kill 

 two or three every year for beefj) from one to se- 

 x-en years old. The operation is performed when 

 they are about a year old, say in the month of 

 May, and with the single precaution of keeping 

 them entirely from food or water for twenty-four 

 io thirty-six hours before — is not attended with the 

 least risk — is performed in the same way, and may i 

 be done by any person in the habit of spaying 

 hogs. They go to their food immediately after, I 

 and require no attention. The operation has been 

 imperfectly performed two or three times, and 

 they had calves afterwards: but 1 have only lost 

 one, and thai in consequence ofkeepingit sus- 

 pended a very long time, in order to leach, and in- 

 deed, to permit an inexperienced hand to operate. 

 We select the most indifferent calves to spay, 

 which isone way to improve the stock. You increase 

 the size amazingly. They become as large as ordi- 

 nary oxen — are easily kept — make the finest beef — 

 and as they are not in perfection till six or seven 

 years old. we work them alter three or four, to 

 make them gentle, and consider them superior for 

 that purpose, to the ox. 



1 have had so little experience in farming, and 

 am necessarily so much absent in the performance 

 of other duties, that I am loaih to make any com- 

 munication for publication, and certainly should 

 not, but for my knowledge of the. liberal and cha- 

 ritable feeling amongst, farmers toward each other. 

 One of the greatest objections to landed estates in 

 Virginia, consisls.in the difficulty of procuring first 

 rate managers. The difference between good 

 and bad management is, abundance and wealth 

 in the one case, and want and poverty in the 

 other. I have been very fortunate in that respect; 

 and acknowledge myself under obligations to Mr. 

 Anthony Smith, my manager. For industry, hu- 

 manity, care and attention to the people, and stock, 

 he cannot he surpassed; and 1 take the liberty to 

 suggest to every farmer who has a good manager, 

 the propriety of selecting one or two boys of in- 

 telligence and good character, to place under 

 him. Patriotism and self-interest should prompt 

 them to do so, as the best mode of increasing the 

 number of good managers, and their chance of 

 obtaining one, and of improving the country. It 

 is impossible lor the proprietor of a large estate to 

 attend to the details; and perfectly useless for him 

 to read, think, and plan, unless he can procure an 

 agent who can understand and execute. 



J. T. 



For the Farmers' Register. 



REMARKABLE FECUNDITY OF A EWE. 



Mr. William Nottingham, sen. has at his farm 

 near Easlville, (Northampton, Va.) a ewe which 

 has brought 20 lambs in 7 years and 2 months, 

 from the-first to the last yeaning; and omittingthe 

 last, the first 19 lambs were produced in less than 

 G years. The following dates and numbers were 

 copied from the written memoranda kept by Mr. 

 Nottingham, on whom, as a man of observation 

 and accuracy-, the most entire reliance may be 

 placed. 



The ewe was yeaned in February 1S27. 

 In February 1828, she brought 2 lambs. 



February 1S29, 4 



November 1st, 1829, 3 



(beino- 7 in 19 months.) 



February 7th, 1831, 3 



March 10th, 1832, 3 ' 



January 18th, 1S33, 2 



December 31st, 1833, 2 



April 13th, 1335, 1 



None of these were supposed to he premature 

 births, and as large a proportion of the lambs lived 

 as could have been expected in ordinary Hocks, 

 bom births as they usually occur. Great care was 

 generally taken of the mother, but owing to par- 

 ticular occurrences, she was sometimes greatly 

 exposed. Her lour lambs were yeaned at a birth, 

 when out in a severe snow storm, and all (I be- 

 lieve) died in consequence. The ewe was raised 

 as a house Iamb, and is of the common breed. 

 She was the only ewe kept on this farm, and has 

 been always fed abundantly. When givingmilk, 

 her udder was stated to be more like a cow's in 

 size, than that of a sheep. Hut if her fecundity 

 was caused altogether by high feeding, it would 

 seem that the same ofiects may be contin- 

 ued in her race by like treatment. Some of the 

 female lambs of this ewe were given to Mr. Not- 

 tingham's sons, and have been kept as breeders, 

 with the like abundant supply of Jbod. Of these, 

 '•'one has had 4 lambs at one time, and 3 at ano- 

 ihertime — another had 4 lambs at her first and 

 only yeaning — and a third has had 3 lambs atone 

 yeaning." These loiter facts were also furnished 

 me in writing by Mr. Nottingham's son. I omit- 

 ted asking what proportion of these were raised — 

 and did not note down the proportion of those 

 lost, by the old ewe. 



Mc Nottingham's flock of sheep is kept on 

 grazing land on the sea side, and the mother of 

 this family has been the only ewe kept at his 

 house. In addition to this peculiar situation, she 

 had the company every year except the last, of 

 more than one male — as several ram lambs were 

 brought home from the sea-side pasture at shear- 

 ing time, to be killed in the course of the year. 

 Upon these facts, and his observations, Mr. N. 

 has formed the opinion that the several lambs of 

 each yeaning, had different sires — and thai the 

 number of males In fact determined the number of 

 lambs. Whether this strange opinion is well 

 founded or not, Mr. N. is so sure of it, that he has 

 latterly more than once before the yeaning stated 

 correctly the number of lambs that would be pro- 

 duced. The last time there was only one male 

 with her. 



E. R. 



July I3lh, 1835. 



