THE GENESEE FARMER. 



MANAGEMENT AND BREEDING OF SHEEP. 



At this season of the year, sheep demand more 

 than ordinary attention. The soil is saturated with 

 water, the nights are cold, and the grass is so innu- 

 tritious that, no matter how abundant it may be, 

 sheep will not thrive on it. They should be placed 

 in the fold at night, and be allowed what straw or 

 other dry food they will eat. If possible, let them 

 run on the highest and driest land on the farm. 

 Wet meadows are injurious to sheep at all times, 

 but particularly bo in the fall and spring of the year. 



Wool is a drug, and many — unwisely, as we think 

 — are slaughtering their sheep. If a farmer, how- 

 ever, thinks it is for his interest to lessen his flock, 

 all very well, but let him guard against the error of 

 disposing of his best sheep because their carcas-^es 

 happen to command a little higher price. To care- 

 fully select out the best ewes and keep them for 

 breeding, and sell the old and poor ones, would be 

 better economy. 



The high price of good mutton is drawing the at- 

 tention of farmers to those breeds of sheep which 

 mature early, and afford mutton rather than wool. 

 No one can question that the Leicester or South 

 Down sheep, or any of the breeds of "long" or "mid- 

 dle" wool saeep, will fat easier and produce more, 

 not to say better mutton, Joy the food consumed, 

 than the Merino or other fine wooled breeds. 



Mutton is in demand, but wool can hardly be 

 given away. In a year or two fine wool will also be 

 in demand at fair prices. Under these circumstances 

 it will be impolitic to sacrifice the fine wooled sheep 

 and stock the farm with the coarse wooled mutton 

 breeds; for before you have many for sale, tine wool 

 may be again in the ascendant. Would it not be a 

 wiser course to carefully examine, at this time, the 

 flocks, and select out very poor sheep for immediate 

 disposal? All the wethers that are in thriving con- 

 dition should be placed by themselves, and aIlov;ed 

 a liberal diet. Before next February they will com- 

 mand a high price for the butcher. The ewes we 

 would divide into two lots. If the flock is derived 

 from the common stock of the country, crossed with 

 fine wooled bucks, you will find some ewes with fine 

 and heavy fleeces, while others are larger and coarser, 

 and possess more of the characteristics of the mut- 

 ton breeds. The former should be placed by them- 

 selves, and at the proper season — say middle of De- 

 cember — have the best fine wooled buck at com- 

 mand placed with them. The others we would im- 

 mediately put to a coarse wooled buck; South Down 

 •or Leicester. The lambs would come about the first 

 of May, and if provided with dry, comfortable quar- 

 ters, and nutritious food, would be worth by the first 

 of July in any of our large cities from three to five 

 dollars a head. 



We know many farmers who have adopted this 

 method witk much success, and our principal object 

 in throwing out these hasty remarks is to induce 

 them to give tbsir experience to our readers. 



Antjials kept quiet, dry and warm, will require 

 much loss food and will do more work, keep in better 

 condition, and yield much more profit than those ex- 

 posed to the inclr:!raency of the weather. Do, kind 

 reader, remember this fact. It is unkind to starve 

 your stock, and, what is a far more potent argument, 

 it is VMjprqfltmhle. 



HINTS FOR DECEMBER, 



Lay plan? for future— arrange the farm for regular 

 rotation — let regularity and system be fully carried 

 out — examine the practice of the very best and most 

 successful farmers in the country, by that most con- 

 venient and cheap method, the reading of an agri- 

 cultural paper, and use judgment and discietion in 

 reducing to practice the many valuable hints thus 

 obtained. 



Provide good shelter for domestic animals. Pur- 

 sue strict regularity in feeding and watering. Have 

 £,'ood feeding racks to prevent waste. Chop corn- 

 stalks fine, that cattle may eat all. Mix cut or chop- 

 ped hay with straw and with meal. Keep all stables 

 clean, neat and comfortable. Give sheep good shel- 

 ter, good hay, and chopped roots. Let stock be 

 regularly salted. See that hay is not wasted under 

 foot. Remember that filth and thrift are eternal 

 opponents. — [Tucker's Annual Register. 



Animals in Wixter.— Farmers do not sufficiently 

 sub-divide their yards in winter. Large and small 

 animals are turned in promiscuously together, and as 

 every farmer knows, the larger ones are very fero- 

 cious and domineering towards those much inferior, 

 but careful not to provoke the wrath of such as are 

 nearly equal. Turn those together which are of 

 similar size, and they will be more quiet all round. 

 Calves generally are too much neglected, — and come 

 out small and puny in spring. A good manager has 

 constructed a spacious stable for calves in one of his 

 sheds, moderately lighted, and well sheltered from all 

 currents of wind. This apartment is kept clean, the 

 calves fed on good hay, and supplied with good wa- 

 ter. They present a very different appearance from 

 other calves in spring. — [Tucker's Annual Register. 



Chinese Sugar Cane ix Canada. — I planted 

 about the sixteenth part of an acre with seed ot the 

 Chinese Sugar Cane, on the 22d of May. It grew 

 rather slow till the hot days in July, ft then came 

 on fast, and grew from ten to twelve feet high. I cut 

 it about the 10th of October; fixed two small rollers 

 to turn by hand; passed the cane through three 

 times (but I think that one-half of the juice was left 

 in the cane). I made five gallons of good syrup. I 

 think 1 shall plant one acre next spring, to try for 

 sugar making. H. S. Burnes. 



Delta, Leeds Co., C. W. 



OiNTJIEXT FOR WoUNDS, SoRES OF ALL KiNDP, and 



for horses when galled by the saddle or collar, and 

 also for broken chilblains. — Take of honey, 12 oz.; 

 yellow or bees'-wax, 4 oz; compound of galbanum 

 plaster, 6 oz. ; sv/eet oil, half a pint. Put the honey 

 into a jar by the fire; then melt the other ingredi- 

 ents, and mix them together; to be spread very thin 

 on linen, and changed twice a day. 



Bones. — The value of bones depends on the phos- 

 phate of lime and gelatine which they contain. If 

 we burn bones the gelatine is driven off, while the 

 phosphate of lime remains as ashes. Dry bones 

 contain, in 100 fts., about .50 ft)s. of phosphate of 

 lime, and gelatine equal to about 5 lbs. of ammonia. 

 The commercial value of the former is about one 

 cent per lb. ; of the latter, twelve cents per ib. 



