NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



389 



SHEEP RAISING AND SHEARING. 



Our people do nothing by halves, we believe, 

 except the cultivation of the ground ; and that is 

 because they do not see clearly yet that a thorough 

 cultivation is cheapest and best. But as a gener- 

 al thing we prosecute with a rush any favorite pur- 

 suit or business. Our horses trot inside of three 

 minutes — our oxen girt beyond all precedent — the 

 cows fill the largest pails and make more butter 

 than any cows that were ever created before, while 

 the Suffolks are the widest and fattest and cost 

 the least of any grunters that ever squealed. We 

 have mammoth cabbages and beets, parsnips a rod 

 long, or less, and squashes and turnips to match ! 

 With this mania upon us, it is no wonder that 

 sonic wool should be pulled on the subject of sheep, 

 and that such earnestness and zeal are felt in re- 

 lation to them as to amount to extravagance and 

 unjustifiable expense and risks. Still we would not 

 suppress these buoyant and go-ahead impulses — 

 they need tempering, but not extermination. They 

 have set afloat our elegant steamships, built the 

 railroads, stretched the telegraph wires ; sent us 

 into the waters of the old world with yachts that 

 not only outstrip the genius and power of our trans- 

 atlantic brethren, but the winds themselves, 

 and enabled us to sustain the nation's skill and 

 genius in the World's Fair! 



While some are excited, others will be more 

 cool and considerate, and occasionally apply a trig 

 to the wheel that seems rolling too fast. 



We have been led to these remarks by receiv- 

 ing a communication upon the subject of the late 

 sheep shearing at Cornwall, Vt. The writer ani- 

 madverts with some sharpness on the publicity 

 given to the occasion ; but we omit his strictures, 

 believing that he will appreciate our motives, and 

 excuse the liberties we have taken with his com- 

 munication. While we admire to see the energy 

 of a full and earnest heart in all the operations of 

 the farm, we cannot say there is no danger of ex- 

 pending and risking too much in our experiments, 

 particularly with the various breeds of animals 

 which we rear. 



The following are extracts from the letter of our 

 correspondent : — 



It is my opinion that the importers of the enor- 

 mous French merino sheep are doing a bad ser- 

 vice to our country. * * * * In the sequel, 

 they will be universally known as a poor sheep for 

 our climate. Their reputation must wane as did 

 that of the Rohan potato. Of the flesh of these, 

 few, if any, have yet tasted to know its excellence. 

 But to wool growers I would say, these are not the 

 best sheep. Even <?he wool of the famous buck 

 Napoleon, of eighteen months groAvth and of forty- 

 seven pounds weight, (allowing his body after 

 shearing to weigh three hundred pounds, which I 

 have to guess at) is only a little more than half 

 what it should be, to equal the last year's fleece 

 of Mr. Holliston's Atwood Buck, of Marshfield. 

 This fleece being of twelve months growth minus 



four days, and weighing in the proportion of one 

 pound of washed wool to five pounds of carcass. 

 And I am informed, that Mr. Campbell, of West- 

 minster West, the late importer of French and 

 Silesian Merinos, took a fleece from one of his 

 small Silesian ewes, last year, which, in propor- 

 tion to the weight of carcass, was superior to that 

 of Mr. Holliston's buck. I saw in April last, some 

 six or eight half-Mood French yearlings, which had 

 been wintered on hay with many other lambs, and 

 while the others looked well, these French half- 

 bloods were only in middling condition. I was as- 

 sured by the intelligent owner that they were from 

 good hardy ewes, and had no apology for their in- 

 ferior condition, but that of their French blood. 

 Another friend had the privilege of the second best 

 buck from a flock of half-bloods. He wintered him 

 with his hardy Merinos ; but his condition was in- 

 ferior. These experiments have some weight. 

 But every judge of sheep on seeing the French Me- 

 rinos, without any experiments should come to the 

 conclusion, that with common keeping they must 

 pass for less than a middling sheep, and on poor- 

 er fare, such as our hardiest sheep can withstand 

 and yet keep up a tolerably respectable appearance, 

 they would hardly subsist. Our farmers should 

 understand that those sheep are most profitable 

 which require no higher food to keep them in good 

 condition, than good pasture in the summer and 

 good hay in winter. There are large flocks of 

 moderately sized sheep in Vermont, the ewes of 

 which average more than four pounds of well- 

 washed wool, yearly, without being grain fed. 

 Such are the Jarvis and Atwood sheep, and others 

 not widely differing. The Merino flock of Messrs. 

 Dort, and Lee Eastman, of East Rupert owing to the 

 great and long practical care and skill of those 

 gentlemen in breeding, are, I believe, unsurpassed. 

 Pro Bono Publico. 

 Windsor County, Vt., June 25th, 1852. 



SALT YOUR HAY. 



About as much salt applied to the hay on plac- 

 ing it away, as the cattle would naturally eat dur- 

 ing the time they are consuming the hay, gives it 

 a relish which is very agreeable to the stock. Be- 

 sides, hay keeps better with two or three quarts 

 of good salt applied to the ton. Hay that is 

 not cured thoroughly is much improved by it. 

 Try it, alongside with that not salted, and ob- 

 serve whether there is a difference. You will then 

 know next year whether it is a waste of salt or 

 not to apply it to hay. 



The Potato Blossom. — The potato blossom this 

 season is unnsually large and handsome. It has 

 been stated to us that whenever the potato crop 

 has been attacked with the rot the previous blos- 

 soming has been small and meagre. Is it so? — 

 whose observation has been directed to this cir- 

 cumstance 1 



The potato blossom, by the way, is no mean 

 flower. Skilfully arranged and pressed with the 

 potato leaf, in an herbarium, we have known it to 

 puzzle many an ardent lover of flowers to tell what 

 it was. 



